From selling plans to selling a family experience

Written by Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent

Wednesday, 25 November 2009 18:25

VETERAN insurance and multiawarded Philippine American Life and General Insurance Co. (Philamlife) agent Yolanda Mortel thought her working life would always revolve around insurance. Being a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable circle of Philamlife, Mortel is one of the reasons Philamlife is a leading insurance company. She was so busy that she barely realized that the gardening pursued by husband Reynaldo had gradually developed; later, they would all become addicted to it. The mother of two recalls the family buying lots in the provinces whenever they had the opportunity to pursue gardening. Mortel used her earnings from her commissions to buy the lots. The Mortel couple converted these lots into their weekend hideaways for family and friends until they saw, one day, an opportunity during a summer break. “We noticed that a resort located near our property experienced an overflow of visitors which forced some of them to travel farther to be accommodated,” says Mortel. “The following year we decided to open our first Yellow Coco branch in Agoncillo, Batangas in 1991,” says Mortel. Mortel admits there’s a big difference in selling insurance and managing Yellow Coco. In selling insurance, Mortel says an agent must be both persuasive and gentle with a prospective client so he will not be turned off,” says Mortel. As far as Yellow Coco is concerned, it requires a different skill, according to Mortel. “I think going with the flow is my answer to the question on how I run Yellow Coco,” says Mortel. During the construction of Yellow Coco, Mortel recalls she did not know anything about construction, but was able to absorb a lot of essential lessons during the construction period. “You will learn the things as you go along,” says Mortel. At present, Mortel plans to conduct an advertising and marketing campaign to make Yellow Coco a household name in the resort business. “It will not be a full-scale marketing campaign comparable to the bigger players,” says Mortel. Mortel says Yellow Coco in Batangas gives guests a provincial experience while they’re relaxing in hammocks shaded by lush molave trees. On summer days, swimmers can savor the clean and serene waters in the lake. This background also serves as a good time for bonding with friends and family. Meanwhile, Yellow Coco in Tagaytay City, which opened in 1994, offers guests an opportunity to commune with nature through the lush flora—even as guests get Wi-Fi connectivity to allow for mobile computing. What used to be a weekend retreat house for family and friends was opened to the public in 2005. The 1,600-square meter property in Tagaytay is the more popular place among the two. With customers enjoying their stay, Mortel says the structures and overall ambiance motivate them to go back. Although their resort business is not on a par with the bigger names in the business, the soft-spoken Mortel is not worried because Yellow Coco is financially liquid. “Monetary-wise, there’s no problem because the company has no debts to settle, unlike the other resorts which have to settle their loans to finance the construction of their facilities,” says Mortel Being a small business entity, Mortel adopted multitasking among the staff of the two resorts to make operations more efficient. For example, the caretaker is also the cook of the resort. The Manila office handles all the bookings and reservations. Afterwards, all reservations are coursed through the office in Manila.