Called 'Relationship Marketing - How it Works', the course runs 12 -13 June, drawing upon Sagat's MBA thesis, which researched the workings and best practice of relationship marketing from both a global and local perspective, with particular emphasis on the Scandinavian schools of thought. Sagat, a marketing consultant at Johannesburg-based strategic marketing company Terranova, has over ten years of marketing management experience in various sectors, including the financial, entertainment, e-commerce and retail industries.
"This course is unique in that it views marketing as a business philosophy in which the development and management of relationships is key to a company's success," says Sagat. "The course also goes beyond customer relationship management (CRM), which in itself is just a partial view of relationship marketing."
The programme is a designed for marketing managers and business executives who are looking for a new way to develop a sustainable strategic advantage in the marketplace. "If your relationships also deliver value, over and above the value of the transactions, then your customers are less likely to use your competitors."
With the intense competition companies experience today, Sagat believes that forging relationships with not only customers, but also employees, suppliers and even competitors, can be effective ways to achieve sustainable success. "The ultimate goal of most organisations is to create value for their customers at a profit. In certain instances, you might need to collaborate with your competitors to achieve this," comments Sagat.
"Another unique aspect of this course is that there is a strong balance between theory and practical," adds Sagat. "By the end of this course, delegates should have enough knowledge and confidence to develop these types of strategies back in their offices."
