Sam YG on how to win people over: Learn to listen
Sam YG
You can’t just keep on talking. You have to listen, too,” said radio and TV personality Sam YG when asked to share what he has learned from the 17 years he has been working as a program-events host.
Sam has been tapped to host the local adaptation of the South Korean hit web reality show “Nego King,” where his task is to negotiate with company executives to lower product prices and come up with irresistible offers for the local audience.
“For this show, aside from bringing all the hosting elements that I already possess, it’s important that I build rapport with the people I talk with. Everything about this show is raw, and the reactions—including mine—are caught on camera,” Sam told reporters during the recent launch organized by the program’s producer, Anima Studios.
“I’ve been hosting for 17 years and I learned along the way. I went from one show to another and entertained different types of crowd[s] each time. In my line of work, there’s so much to pick up. With all these, I realized that when you talk to people, you have to listen, too. You can’t keep on talking. You also have to know who you’re talking to, and that includes determining what language to use—Tagalog or English—and whether to treat the conversation seriously or handle it jokingly.”
Sam continued: “You want to make people feel you’re their barkada—that’s where it starts when you want to make them feel comfortable around you. This show is teaching me so many new things. It’s my first time [hosting] a program where I don’t know what product I’m supposed to negotiate for. I only find out when I’m already on-cam and, to me, that’s really challenging.”
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Sam said that after taping several episodes, he already has a better understanding of the program flow. “Ito ang timplang Pinoy,” he said when asked whether the show is localized to cater to the taste of Filipinos. “With every episode and new experience, we discover new approaches. You will see me running after people, begging for them to talk to me on-cam.”
Article continues after this advertisementAsked to reveal what he learned about Pinoys and their negotiation skills, Sam said, “Although I’m pure Indian, I was born and raised here in the Philippines. When it comes to negotiating, I learned that it all depends on the age. Students, who depend on the allowance given to them by their parents, are more relaxed compared to mothers, who are handling the household. The moms want the best deal out of their P100, for example. I’m learning that it also depends on the person you’re talking to. Some are really gutsy when negotiating—may kapal ng mukha—but there are also those who feel too embarrassed to haggle. There’s really no fixed formula. We all want to have the best deal out of everything.”
In March 2022, Sam got married to Essa Santos, who is not from show biz. He admitted that married life required “adjustments and a lot of negotiations, too, especially with the differences in our lifestyle. My wife is a very private person. She was born in Cagayan de Oro and works in the corporate world. I’m a host and I obviously work to entertain people. When it comes to that, we’re worlds apart. When her work ends, my job starts, but so far it’s been great. So far, I’m enjoying life and looking forward to more years of being married.”
The best deal
Asked to recall the best deal he had out of a negotiation, Sam said: “It has got to be that one time when I negotiated to buy a watch. The owner didn’t want to sell it, but I was able to convince him to give it to me, tinawaran ko pa. That for me was an awesome deal because I got it at the price I wanted, and according to my payment terms.”
For the show, there was one deal that even Sam couldn’t believe he was able to pull off. “This was caught on camera. The negotiation got really crazy. I met one boss, and then 30 minutes into the negotiation, all seven of them—the entire board—were seated in front of me. It was like seven on one! What happened was beyond my expectation,” said Sam, who refused to elaborate for fear of spoiling it for the audience.
He said that every deal made by “Nego King Philippines” has to be executed. For each episode, he has with him a lawyer or a notary public. “This is all for public service and satisfaction,” he declared.
“Nego King Philippines,” which launches today, is uploaded weekly at 8 p.m. on Anima Studios’ YouTube Channel and LazLive on the Lazada app. INQ
