Marketing courses refresher IAMA AROUND THE TABLE IN Jakarta PLAYING FOR PARTNERSHIP 18 short news What'S NewS Issue 2 February 1996 The marketing courses designed lor both senior and account managers appear to need some fine tuning, according to participants. 'I think it's a great idea to provide training on how to develop strategie and relationship-marketing plans, which is the aim of the course,' says Rabobank Germany's head of corporate banking and finance, Adriaan van Ravenstein, who attended the executive course last June. 'But I also think my colleagues would agree on the criticisms I have. The session was too theoretic. We were given a lot of fat books as reference works. In practice, there is never time to sit and study manuals. The guideline handbook we received could easily be reduced from the current 50 forms to four or five, in my view. If we followed the guidelines and filled in all the forms, it would take around a year to put a plan together. That's far too long.' The consensus appears to be that the course should be more practical. 'That would be very useful because what you're learning can be translated into the reality of your work. And I'd like to see more case studies included, and workshops, perhaps. If the course was structured so that there was time for, say, workshops on research, analysis, budgetting, etc., then I think you'd piek up more.' Participants in the account managers' course came to similar conclusions. '1 attended the "try-out" course, and I agree with some of the criticism,' says Maarten Giezeman of marketing services who is involved in compiling the marketing manual which will act as a guideline for developing both senior managers' branch strategy plans and the account managers' client-base development plans. 'However, we have taken those evaluations on board and in the manual we're producing, the number of "forms" has certainly been reduced. What I'd like to stress is that, with the exception of those plans covering client-base development, product range and organization, which will be discussed at budget meetings, the forms should only be used if they are useful. Basically, they are tools to assist and I find them useful as a reminder of what may have been missed. If you use them in that way they can help you structure your plans comprehensively.' The course providers have also taken on board the evaluations and adjustments have been made. Rabobank is a major user of so-called European Medium-Term Notes (EMTN). In fact, last year the bank increased its EMTN borrowing from from ECU 6 to 7.5 million. These notes are very attractive for the bank as they cut out a lot of the red tape surrounding normal bond issues. An EMTN is basic documentation in which specific issue details can be entered. It is a flexible instrument that can also be tailored to the lender's needs. As Rabobank does so much business in this area, it has built up strong ties with its often London-based brokers. 'When you talk to people on an almost daily basis, you develop a relationship with them - at least you should,' says Hajo Dijkstra of financial markets. 'But nothing beats getting together and getting to know people on a personal, informal level. It really helps in your working relationship.' The annual Rabobank invitation to its major brokers has almost become a tradition. In the past, the Utrecht EMTN team have taken them sailing and cycling. This time the activity was less staid and definitely more energetic. The whole group was booked for a so- called 'Wheels Fun' adventure. 'Keep 'em rolling' was the slogan and the wheels involved a lot of nifty and even risky steering in comparatively rugged (for Holland) terrain. Remarked Norinchukin's Edmund Cleary, 'My natural element is risk avoidance, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.' The International Food and Agribusiness Association (IAMA) forms a meeting place for top food and fibre industrialists, academies and policy makers from all over the world. Rabobank's chairman Herman Wijffels is currently president-elect of IAMA, which proved reason enough for Rabobank Duta to host a dinner for delegates meeting in the Indonesian capital to prepare its annual congress in 1997. IAMA began organizing world congresses in 1991. Its aims are to initiate top-level discussions on tackling mutual concerns, such as increasing economie efficiency in value-added food and fibre chains and improving nutritional value of products. This year's congress will be held in Cancun, Mexico on May 27 to 31. However, during Wijffels' chairmanship in 1997, the World Congress will meet in Jakarta. 'As we will be involved in preparations for the congress, we thought it would be a good idea to give a dinner so that we could meet the people involved,' Rabobank Duta's Maaike te Booy explains. 'And it also gave us the opportunity to invite representatives from our domestic food and agribusiness sector.' The theme of the 1997 congress will be: '2020: A global vision for food and fibre'. Internationals Jaap Slotema (centre) represented Herman Wijffels at the dinner. He is flanked bij IAMA co-chairman Soeksmono B. Martokoesoemo (left) and H.S. Dillon, one of the top advisors to to Indonesian ministry of agriculture.

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blad 'What's news' (EN) | 1996 | | pagina 18