The Relationship Marketing philosophy that is now emerging is
grounded on the tenet that as long as customers and consumers con-
tinue to perceive that they are receiving superior value from a spe-
cific source of supply, then they will remain loyal. Whilst it should
be emphasized that the conventional marketing mix elements –
product, price, promotion and place – are still critical, they need to
be augmented by elements which enable customer and consumer
value to be enhanced. The suggestion here is that there are three par-
ticular elements that can powerfully impact on customer and con-
sumer value: people, processes and proactive (and personalized)
service.
People
One of the most critical changes in marketing thought that has
occurred over the last two decades has been the recognition that
‘people are the brand’. Hence the significant attention that is now
paid to attracting, training and motivating employees who can
share the values of the business and project those values at every
point of customer and consumer interaction. Much has been written
about the connection between employee satisfaction and customer
satisfaction4, 5and the importance of the ‘internal market’ is now
generally recognized.
Processes
The means by which value is created for customers and consumers
is through what we now call ‘processes’. Processes are, in a sense,
‘the way we do things’. In other words, they are linked sets of activ-
ities that enable market demand to be satisfied. The core processes
of any business will include:
●The new product development process
●The order fulfilment process
●The supplier management process
●The customer management process.
408 Relationship Marketing