Memoirs of Kenny Teo 2008 - 2011

From the day I was offered the job of Lexmark product manager, I knew my life will never be the same from another sales person. I have picked the product from day 1, where it was doing nothing and no one wants to be associated with. My first job was to reduce the inventory and grow the business to 1 million per year. I knew nothing about product marketing, it seems to be glamorous job.

We started off at the Sitex 2008, I was having my reservist at the same time. I finished my night shift and came to office and do up the necessary work for it. It was very tough, but it proved to be an exciting experience for me. I was physically tired, but I was so ready to take up the challenge for it. We worked with 2 resellers and we did not manage it to the best. Due to this date, I still hope that it was done to the expected standard I hoped. In this world there is no rewind button for anything you did wrong. I worked with people like Joe Cheng who was experienced and guide me thru the process. Jacq who gave me my first lesson on how to do up promotions and competitive analysis for show.

Then came another challenge, in the PC Show 2009, we confirmed the resellers on the show. However on 2 days before the show, reseller backed out, and we have a void on the placement of the reseller. In the end with the support of our finance, operations and admin team, we did our first direct selling. Andrew employed his team of part timers to support us. It was really very tough as we had no time to prepare; we managed to scrap thru with a record sell thru of close to 500 units, which we never came close after that.

During the H1N1 incident, TTSH wanted T644dn urgently and requested for weekend delivery. Adele and I drove a van to office and picked up 6 of them and deliver all the way to CDC2 on a Sun Morning. Thanks to Kim who helped to open the gate, and I destroyed the funz club door single handedly. Fortunately, Patrick did not asked me to pay for it. And I was glad as it was about 1.5k for it. It felt good as I think I value added to it. After that Toh Lik came to us with an email from TTSH to get us to buy 400 units of work group and toners. After which the goods arrived and he quitted after that. It was a very valuable lesson for me that I should never too eager to sell and not to trust them 100 percent. We kept the stocks in another warehouse for half a year. Fortunately, Ryan and Patrick was very supportive during the stocks clearing period. Till now we still have many of the toners with us. I never managed to clear them. Anyway I never learnt 100% of the lesson, as I was also made to believe from Mars that he will buy 100. In the end he did not honor it again.
We started our journey to open up retail resellers; it was hard as the legacy left behind from previous team was bad. They sold stocks to the resellers and left them to rot them. With a brilliant product with horrifying legacy, there was no negotiation space. We stood outside the doors of the resellers like Challenger and Best Denki for 1 year. They let us into their place with difficult conditions in place for us. With Edward we managed to open up challenger and opened up many outlets. Best Denki we still only managed to have 1, and the buyer constantly pick on us. Till Kelvin Ong left, we are still only allowed to have 1. Carrefour along the years have been supportive, and Popular with the blessing of the 01 Computer Team and Popular’s Nancy, Jason and Kok Weng we managed to sustain a very cordial working relationship which till this day is still worth keeping.

Francis got to know Suresh thru a meeting, we started to ship to Suresh’s customer in Iran. We shipped the printers in thousands, in order to sustain the business. We don’t make money from it, but with it, we balanced the sales to them and GP to us. Francis managed to keep this business to us, but seriously I am not very keen on it.
In 2010, we received news that they are looking to appoint a new distributor in Mar. Richard and Francis helped to push it back and to keep us as the main distributor. They came clear to us on Nov 2010 that we are not in their master plan of 2011. And on this day of the road show, Sitex 2010, would be the last show I will be doing for them. Luckily we have been told that we can return the stocks to them in Jan/ Feb period. From there we can move on, at least I can.

Many people asked if I am sad. I always thought I am professional enough to handle this form of emotional loss. However at this moment, this is a feeling of loss. I wonder from Day 1, from the presales portion, to the training, the customer management, the shows and the work we have done. We act as representative of Lexmark, and proud of it. This sense of loss was nothing I have ever felt. I looked lost and tired, but I knew that no matter what I do anymore will matter anymore. Lexmark as a product, made me many true and worthy friends, like Tracy, who constantly helped me with the physical work and emotional baggage that I carried. Edward, who though many a times gave me tons of marketing ideas, helps to push out stocks. Jacq, who gave me 200% of free play. Patrick who never questions me on my decisions made. On behalf of Kenny Teo, I thank all that was not mentioned but worked in the same capacity. I thank you for your effort and help.

This day I will learn to let go, as this young toddler which I grow from infant will be taken care by someone who will bring it to teenager and more. I trust that there is always someone who is more capable and smarter than me, who will make a bigger difference in bringing it to the next level. Instead of saying we shall see, I will say, I hope all the best for it and hope that one day when it really made it big, I will be able to look from far and be proud to say that I was part of the effort to help.
Good Luck to my young toddler and hope you will be able to define yourself in this world like just a eagle soaring in the blue skies.

Kenny Teo 2010

Singapore Idol!!

yesterday, it was a big day for singaporeans, coz, we have our own idol!! Its Taufik Batisah, a polica NSF in david's division. Its really a exciting moment for everyone who lives in the country of red and white flag, with 5 stars and a moon.
As Ken Lim said, you made a lot of people believe that, dreams do come true, if you try hard enough. He also qouted him saying during the audition, "you will not regret this!!" Such small words with such great meaning embedded in them. Like the song goes, "There will be miracle when you believe" AND BOY can he sing.
i am a person that like old timer songs, so when he sang that "me and mrs Jones". The start off was like "WOAH!!!" blown me off. I was so impressed that i was quiet and concentrated on him. thats not an action of the critical Kenny. I bet those people who tried writing him off, are eating up their words at the very moment. Went to work today and saw him everywhere, radio and TV. Oh... imagine singing until 11 plus last night and early in the morning in Channel News Asia. Well i guess its never easy, hope he will do us proud everywhere he goes. =P
Finally found a part time stint to past some bored time, will be selling Ipod at a roadshow, i think it will be this Sat though, think about, extra cash, babes, and busy days ahead. Nevertheless, hope to find a full time job soon. Hope to see the boat on the sea for this sinking man. =)

sailing on the beautiful dreamwaters

Attitude...

This week i had a major in-camp training, this unit called 327 SCE, a battalion size unit came in. I wonder if it was fate or luck, i get to meet two person, that i believe was fruitful to me. One is Edward Tan, a Regional Director for a MNC, another one is Mr Gerald Singham, a lawyer. These two person offered me a few advice that i believe triggered thoughts on me.

Edward currently holds an appointment of a Regional Director in a Italy Based MNC, dealing with furniture related engineering industry. What i see him as a role model is, when he was in CJC, he flopped his Chinese F9, which took away the chance of him getting into local university. He then took up a Dist learning Bachelor, which took him 3 years to complete. He was realistic with his choices, and went ahead with his believes. As my plans coincides with what he was going through, i talked with him, asked for his advice and opinion. He told me, This route that you have chosen, is not going to be easy. These 2 years of studying and working concurrently will be the worst times of your life. Hold on and persevere, the future would be yours to hold. I too knew that, success stories do not belong to everybody, but i would like to believe that i can be one of them. He to me is somehow a source of motivation, a example of a person who went through what i think i will go through and made it. One day when i fell awfully low, i will think of what he went through, that would be my thrusting power forward.

Mr Gerald Singham, hhmmm, perhaps if you flip the paper couple of months ago. The case of the journalist sexually harassing a lady at the pub, and got charge at court. Well, he was the defending lawyer for that Journalist. http://www.theworldlawgroup.com/ He is the President of The World Law Group. Although i am not into the Law thing, well pershaps by seeing the size of his group, i do believe that he is of the higher echelon.

How do i get acquainted with this man, someone who in my life might never get a chance to talk to. I was having lunch with my boss, then he sat down and joined us. He is a friend of my boss. My boss introduced me to him, he was easy to talk to, maybe by virtue that he is a lawyer, he talk politically =) My Boss asked him to give me some piece of advice. (well, at normal times, you need to pay him for advices =p)

He presented to me a challenge that our country is facing, foreign talent. The fact is many of our people are not very bothered by it. We believe that we belong to the higher echelon to Indians and Chinese etc. He qouted an example was, he had a lawyer attached to him from india, very hardworking, effective chap. At the end of the attachment, he asked Mr Singham, do you have a place in your firm that i can place myself in?? Why was the reply, he then replied by saying that in Singapore, life is so easy, we enjoy the comfort of 2 things. Scenario one, A lawyer in Singapore is handed a case, he delegated the research work to his assistant, and him do the paper work and probaby done in 5 to 10 mins time. This India lawyer, who was handed the case, have to walk all the way down to the library by himself and probably use 5 hours of his time to flip that dusty old book for his resources. The lesson here is we enjoy the resources that we have, it acts as a force multiplier to our work, we are extremely efficient in our work. And because of our resources, we get to rest early and wake up later. The poor india lawyer has to wake up at 5am in the morning to beat the traffic and goes back about 10pm at night. WHat a horrible mismatch!!! SO if you are a employer, who would you choose?? He finished the topic by saying that when the government says the threat of foreign talents is coming, they really mean it.

He proceeded on to another topic, he mentioned that he often says inside the interview forum, to listen to what the interviewees got to say. There was this guy, who after the interview was posed this question to the board, What's the working hours? After the reply from the board, he then said, hhmm then wouldnt this job affect my golf games?? Well Mr Singham told him to go to hell, and of course he was not employed, afterall that guy was rich. Enter this guy, fresh grad from school, humble background, after the interview he was offered a pay that was not the desired amount that they can afford to offer him, his reply was "Thank you Sir!!!" Mr Singham was very shocked to hear that answer thought that he was being sarcastic, posed him this question, "Don't you think that you are paid a little too much??" He replied, "No Sir, i thank you for giving me the job, as for the pay, i am sure that after my one year of hardwork, next year you would increase my pay to a respectable amount" that sentence shocked him, and of course he got the job.

Mr Singham with that second guy as a reference, introduced a term so important yet so forgotten by many, Attitude. the first guy definitely has a less preferred attitude. The second guy, who is humble and bears a positive attitude, is well liked and preferred by all. He pointed out to me that all employers would like a worker that bear a positive attitude, who is then able to contribute to the company at all times. To him, if you compare Attitude vis-a-vis Intelligence, he would employ the less smarter but good attitude guy, for he would be the one who will be able to influence the outcome of work thats tasked to him, and definitely in a very positive note. To me, what he is telling me acts as a reminder, at anytime any place, this positive would be the thing to bring places.

These terms are so often heard, yet it is so easily forgotten. How many would be able to keep their mind clean from all the poison surrounding him. Many a times, the intelligence and education of a person would place him on a complacent ground, denying himself the chance to grow in both career and mental. This is a social poison, which can be seen everywhere, how many people would be able to deter it. I read about a Magnate today in the papers who make it with just 6 Bumboats in the 1967, now he is a tycoon with hotels at aust and a shipping company in singapore. He too had people who was trying to "poison" with the why you going overseas, risky etc. SHould he have placed his bets all in singapore, with the recession in place, he might not have made it now.

Before my lunch with him ended, he taught me a line, One day if there is a employer during the interview posed you this question of "Why should i employ you?" He told me to say that, I am a 24/7 worker, to me, my work don't end after 6pm, it would just be shifted to another place, which is my home. Well to me, that would be more of a advice rather than a line to use for interviews. When there are times, you feel like giving up at home, reflect at that time when you claimed this line yours. Perhaps you will be able to achieve higher grounds.

its 2056hrs now, signing off

Regards
dreamwaters

Priority of task...

Went to the gym after work today. Met lester there, he belongs to a group of people that i brand them as freaks, not in their looks or appearance, rather their thinking. Anyway, he is one of the person that i can really interact with in camp. We started to talk about lots of things, business management, marketing strats. I discover that we belong to the non-singaporean kind of business people, we believe in service and product, however the emphasis in not with price. This point is reiterated by qouting you a example, you are a singaporean customber, you walk in to the shop wanting to buy something, what would be your immediate concern?? 3 options, Price, Service and Product. Think about it.

He started to talk to me about the current trend in the service, he was rather quite set to leave the army in 2 years time, you sometimes just have to give it to him.For he is a graduate, but he forgoes his rank and serve and a LTA rather than CPT. Purely for the fact that he has regretted his decision as a regular and hence decide that he would not want the rank to tie him down. As he seems quite disillusioned by his current status, i proposed to him, why not go take another private degree. Since it does't matter whether you stay or not, why not take the chance while you still can, expose yourself to more field of learning. My point to him was that, it doesnt matter what do you gain from this degree, however it would be a chance to open your mind to more of the world, purely for the fact that knowledge is power. He do have the plan, ha ha, great minds do think alike =P

Then i tell him about a colleague who is also doing part time studying. This is a common friend for both me and him. How should i start this, hhmmm. Let me quote an event, i was on this guy's car, he stunned me a question, "LTA KENNY, you think ii should be more focused with my studies or work?" Hhmmm, normally people would say, studies right?? Guess what i told him, "SO, if you don't work, would you have the money to study??" To me, if you are a student, then fine, your focus is studies. however if you are a worker, perhaps the question that was popped, would rather show me your state of mind. I would dare to say that, he inside his mind, wished and pleaded that i would say studies. Well, i guessed i am the wrong person to asked after all.

Dispite what i told him, he is still the person that mixed his work and studies together time and again. When the whole world is busy working towards a deadline, he would either take leave, or he would just say in a very reluctant tone, i need to study for my exam. Lame and weak excuse... Taking up the course doesnt mean that that's all it matters. juggling between two important events at one time is stuff, nobody says it wasn't tough at all. Perhaps only when you put yourself onto such tests, you will know how strong you are.

In Combat Engineer planning has a principle; "Priority of Task" perhaps i should shed some light into this sentence. Scenario: When you have 200 hours worth of work to complete but you have only 150 hours left. MAybe you should examine what's your priority is, and by doing that you can buy time to finish the least urgent ones.

When i leave the army in Jan, i would be taking on the challenge of working and studying at the same time. "Man is like a teabag, sometimes you gonna put them in hot water, then you would know how strong it is". To be frank, i am not ready to test it, i am ready to challenge it. My mental is strong, now it would be physical. Perhaps its the fact that everyone says its very tough, i would like to pose a challenge to it. 2 Years is not very long nor short. Let it be a test of character, let it be a test of desire and drive. Isn't it boring to be in status quo all the time?? ha ha ha

Many might not agree with my thinking, but in my opinion, that would be the best arrangement for me, the utimate stage for me, sounds very gunghoh. however we shall see....

kelvin keeps buggin about a issue thats really stressing me out... dying...... help...

regards
dreamwaters

Learning to live with each other...

Yesterday, i fulfilled a childhood dream and saw the Eagles in concert. Something that with money, you might not be able to see. Don Henley's Vocals is still so magical after so many years, guess what he put on lotsa weight this time. Ha ha ha i guessed thats a sign of good fortune i would say. Don sang a song after the break, called Hole in the World. This song is not really a new comparing with Hotel California (The song that every person could hum to, and thats not the only song that they are well known for, for anyone's info). Back to the song, it was written on 2001 after the Sept 11 incident. This song somehow touches on inter-human relationships. The song is set with mellow and sad tunes as a backstage, singing a acapella, then follow by lyrics about how people fight and get angry with one another. This somehow is linked and anchored towards the angry JIs.

Don qouted a statement, " This Song is call Hole in the World, somehow the Hole just seems to get bigger" This appears to be a statement of dispair and disappointment. Maybe We should can see this from another angle, even at our present day and time. AT work, house, we are constanty try to juggle between relationships. Be it, Family, Work, Firendship.

Why are we not able to live in harmony and always seems to have irconcilable difference. Using my shallow knowledge, perhaps i can contribute my 5 cents worth of opinion. I would like to use a phase call " Difference of Ideals" isnt it so?? We have to face the fact that everyone is brought up very differently, different culture and background. Leading to different education, we learn to think differently. hence it will form our own sets of values.

How can we see this difference of values?? In the television, we see Kerry and Bush showing the world their difference of Ideals openly. We also have the terrorist who holds very dearly their believes, who is even willing to sacrifice their precious lives for their Ideals. It is because of such people who held to different to their ideals, stacking on their very strong character Subsequently meet up with the people who have similar character howver in this case different ideals, forms a competition. The competition stretches to people out there, and forces people to take sides which subsequently transforms from competition to enmity.

Glenn Frey pointed out " why cant people just learn to live together, not trying to preach but why people just can't learn to live with each other." Even for myself, i also held on to my believes, and then you will have your own ideals, i have people that i cant live and work with. When he quoted that, i asked myself that question too. I have problems with my family, work. Well i guess, the first point is to start and see things from the other side's perspective. Only then will she be able to learn to come to a common ground, where we will be able to cherish each other more. Perhaps we can reach the promise land over the yonder.

I discovered that i belong to a group of people that grows slow during puberty, as in the thinking wise. Nowadays, i see myself thinking like a old man. Like things that old people like, i start like listen music of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong. i wonder whats the next stage of evolution for me...


Hole in the world

(Don Henley, Glenn Frey)

Chorus:
There's a hole in the world tonight.
There's a cloud of fear and sorrow.
There's a hole in the world tonight.
Don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.

They say that anger is just love disappointed.
They say that love is just a state of mind.
But all this fighting over who is anointed.
Oh, how can people be so blind.

Chorus

Oh, they tell me there's a place over yonder.
Cool water running through the burning sand.
Until we learn to love one another,
We will never reach the promise land.

Chorus

They say that anger is just love disappointed.
They say that love is just a state of mind.
But all this fighting over who will be anointed,
Oh, how can people be so blind.

Chorus/End

Regards
dreamwaters

man and boy

Have you ever thought what could be the biggest pain and regret of your life? Well recently i was talking to auldreay, who just can repel the negativeness of me in my life. I have a conclusion. People come and go in your life, so i would say that its rather common and easy to have new friends as and when they comes. How about loved ones?? We have seen chances and opptunities flashed and left us, the moment we winked our eyes.

to be cont

i finished a book yesterday callled man and boy. About a man how he screwed up his family one night, by sleeping with his colleague. In one night, his beautiful family broken up, his beautiful wife left him. He was left with his son. further, he lost his job to the same woman he sleep with. The problem with him is that, he is the kind of person who lives in "sinatra" songs. Where everything is about romance and love that never dies. his wife gave up her life for him and their son. He on the other side gets bored and blames everything everyone except himself. Towards the end, he learnt a thing call "managing love" which coincides with Frank Sinatra's kind of songs. For eternal love, managing it and putting lots of effort into it, it just doesnt comes down to earth like a gift from god. He also learnt about unconditional love. learning how to love again.

the catch phase of the book would be, "if you found someone to love, you should grasp the chance and never let go" then again i would like to refer everyone to another viewpoint, is the one you found, the one you loved? ironically, at my young age, i have many colleagues married at my age, some even have kids "its not shotgun". At night i also see them in camp, regardless its a weekend or weekday. i asked them, why are you not going home? i probably would get back an answer that's so unsatisfactory that i dont buy it. they are becoming something i call, "weekend family man" i seen them going at the wee hours of the night, enjoying themselves, come back camp and sleep. This is the routine that that they are going through every now and then. However, what about the son, wife?? maybe to him, as long as i go back every weekend, accompany them, bring them out, spend some time with them, my job is accomplished. Total Bullshit!! i simply cant except that kind of thinking, where fanily does not come first and job is not first too.

i have 2 friends that got married 2 years ago, engaged. he still goes home everyday, however to him, the woman sleeping next to him, is his wife, and thats all. Basically, the home is a place to sleep, it has got a bed and TV. the relationship is very fragile. The another one simply loves fucking around, eveytime his phone rings, it would be anyone except his wife. he would be happy yakking away, until his wife calls, it wuld then be transformed into a solemn and serious talk.

Comes the big question mark, " why are you getting married when there is something inside you, thats not ready to commit?" to be frank, i do get jealous when i see my friends get married, at the dinner, we would cheer for them. But what about the fairy tale ending?? when both supports each other emotionally, until their dying days. i am not the kind of person who believes in those love stories, maybe as i am getting matured, the boy inside me has slowly died away. i believe in commitment, trust and most importantly effort. People always thinks that when they get married, that everything is settled, but guess what, it has just started.

regards
dreamwaters

Are we ready??

As the big day for Singapore arrives, we put up the flags in front of our flats. Celebrating a day where we gathered and tell the world our achievement since the separation from Malaysia, the pride to tell the world that we are singapore, and that we have work very hard for this day, and we will continue to do so.
Shortly after that, it would be the handling over of PM Mr Goh to DPM MrLee . To be frank i feel that, these are all the things that doesnt really matter in a country, especially for small fry like me. Its like in a MNC, a big company, you mean a clerk like me get bothered about such changes?? Ha ha ha, matter of fact i do care, to me the concern is not who is the boss. I am very concerned more about changes. Good or bad, to be frank, doesnt matter to me at all. One is that there is nothing i can do, two is i cant be bothered. Somehow i feel that Singaporeans are brought up in a way that we are supposed to take what comes our way. What the boss says, we follow. In a leadership model, sometimes its better to have a leader talk, the rest follows. When people at the lower level starts to question the leadership, the leadership somehow would get shaky. Then time would be wasted to ease and appease the people, rather than executing their plan. People always seems to be complaining about the govt unable to accomadate to our needs. Then the govt will start to paint the big picture to everyone in the world. Whatever, its doesnt matter at all, who is the boss, what we genuinely hope is thet the country will do better or maybe great for the years to come. Then maybe, he would be able to silence all his critics, and make them eat their word. Maybe the country people is able to give them sometime to change and adjust, do not be over reactive to immediate changes. ONly then we might be able to see some tangible changes, after all, Troy was not conquered over night.
So now we are just a few days away from the big day, i always forget to apply for the free tickets... PISSED... Always watch in the TV, the atmosphere is always very overwhelming, NEXT YEAR I WILL NOT FORGET!!!!! Anyone who sees this, its your duty to remind and inform me... REMEMBER!!! Tomo EOAC starting liao.... hell for 6 weeks, GOD HELP US!!! getting slack and inconsistent in blogging recently... 2245hrs now.

regards
dreamwaters