ISAM Knowledge Event 2006

On Friday the 27th of October the annual ISAM Knowledge Event 2006 took place in the impressive new extension of the Golden Tulip Hotel, high above the Maas, at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge. The central theme of this third event, organized by ISAM and Professional Capital, was Thought Leadership.

Three prominent speakers succeeded in calling the attention of the more than 100 attendants to their subjects, instead of the beautiful Rotterdam skyline.

The first speaker was Marco van Kalleveen, partner at McKinsey. He talked about the development of trust-based relationships with the customer. A trust-based relationship is a necessary condition for thought leadership at the side of the customer. Van Kalleveen provided some very practical tips on how to invest in the creation of trust with the customer.

Subsequently, ISAM researcher Roel Dietvorst told about the ground-breaking research into the role of neuroeconomics in sales, which he started with Prof. Willem Verbeke Ph.D. Dietvorst showed that 'anticipating' customers, in science being called Theory of Mind, is attended with demonstrable brain functions. Particularly first-class salespeople perform this process automatically, whereas salespeople that are not as good, have to estimate the customer through other processes (and sometimes pick up the wrong signals). Thus, for some sales professionals it happens naturally and for others it requires more effort. The implication is that it might be possible that some behaviors are more difficult to learn for certain salespeople.

Finally, Annebelle van der Kloet, director Marketing and Communication at PricewaterhouseCoopers, talked about the marketing campaign "the customer is not king". She elaborated on how PwC attempts to distinguish itself in a homogeneous market, by explaining that PwC consultants dare to contradict and educate customers.

A successful informal closing of the day was the dinner with all attendants, showing the impact of the speakers through heavy discussions at the tables.

ISAM would like to thank all attendants for their presence and enthusiastic input, and hopes that you will be welcomed again in 2007 at the fourth edition of the Knowledge Event.