Often companies have some customers who prefer close ties and some who want loose ones. Before investing heavily in relationship building, it's critical for marketers to have effective ways to distinguish customers who will commit to relationships from those who will behave more transactionally. Baxter Healthcare Corp. even requires its relationship customers to sign formal contracts in order to receive relationship treatment. Close customer relationships can sometimes be constructed, with benefit to both buyers and sellers. Often, however, suppliers tell themselves nice stories about how close customers want to be and about how easy it will be to convince the customers to relate.
Reality is more challenging.
As Dell has discovered with its transaction segment, sometimes it makes considerably more sense simply to accept customers' desires for looser ties. Optional - we will neither sell nor display your personal information.