Managing customer relationships well is an attitude a way of doing business which should be supported by clear processes and company values.

I agree with Mr M that we are now living in a customer driven economy but that does have implications for FMCG companies. FMCG companies need to be able to adapt and anticipate what customers need and want. If I am Unilever and want to improve the relationship my soup brands have with its customers I need to understand that my customers want fresh soup and not powder stuff. I then need to create marekting and communication campaigns my target customers can relate to and identify with though the channels most appropriate to them. (all this on the foundation of good market research and customer input)

Have a look at what http://www.optinio.be is doing to help (FMCG) brands create one2one relationships customers.

are entrepreneurs made or born?

We've evolved from a product-driven to a client-driven economy, and CRM is the bundling word for the science and the technology to achieve a customized client approach. Still, I see a lot more applications for B2B environments, than for B2C. It's hard to see those huge FMCG companies in retail benefit from CRM strategies, or is this the next evolutionary step?

I agree with you Mr Rademaker. I always conclude on this while giving lectures. At the end of the day, true CRM is about people. At Citobi, we always focus on that "people" asepct. When starting a lecture, to really insist that CRM is not about technology (but technology is an enabler!), I say that CRM was invented in 2850 BC in Aegypt (First written trace of usage of a method to improve relationship with customers)

I think that CRM will become deeply embedded as a business strategy for most companies. Technology will evolve to respect real-life human challenges and become less for 'geeks'. CRM is a method, not an objective. CRM should never be abbreviated and should always be about CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP Management.