JOAN Buchanan — 2011’s top sales representative and sales manager for the local chapter of Heritage Education Funds International — has credited planning, team work, co-operation and trust in the Almighty, for her achievements this past year.

“I feel very good. I had a pretty challenging year, but I worked hard along with the support of my team,” said the woman, who on Thursday night won seven trophies for her outstanding work as a sales manager responsible for supervising, managing and training sales persons to sell education savings plans provided by Heritage.

Buchanan — who also sells registered education savings plans (RESP) to families — was awarded along with several other employees, at a cocktail reception held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston.

According to Heritage’s website, an RESP is an education savings plan (for children aged 13 years and younger) registered under Canada’s Income Tax Act, which is established for the purpose of providing tax-sheltered financial assistance to a beneficiary when he or she pursues post-secondary education.

Meanwhile, Buchanan said her journey to becoming the top sales representative and manager had not been easy.

“The year started with my father becoming ill. For roughly nine and a half months, I was caught up with that. It wasn’t until late October that I could begin to fully focus,” she said. “But I persisted and came through.”

Buchanan added that her team and the recommendations of long-time clients from across the island aided in her success.

“This year I am building an even stronger team with the same goal in mind. The goal is and was always to enrol as many children as we can possibly get, so that in the future, they can have a better quality of life with regards to their tertiary-level education,” she said.

According to Buchanan, whenever she goes into schools, families and/or any other target market to make a presentation, her goal is never limited to getting new clients, but to making parents aware of how they can help their children to afford the high cost of a tertiary education.

In addition to her trophies, Buchanan also walked away with an iPad.

Tessa Chang was the runner-up awardee for Sales Representative of the Year and was given a trophy for her achievement. The other sales awardees were Sheryl Chin, Linda Levy, Vanessa Francis, Glena Traille Nassor, Donna Burrell, Sheryl Hines, Marie Samuels, and Sanchia Gibson-Henry. Winifred Hunter was awarded the organisation’s Rookie of the Year while Ian Myrie won the Persistency Award.