Relationship marketing: Key components, impact, applications, future directions and a delphi study

This paper examines the relationship between marketing research and literature to identify key components of effective relationship marketing. Major business impacts are explored for a variety of business settings. Applications of relationship marketing in for profit, non-profit, and membership organizations are explored. To address the changing business environment, the directions for future relationship marketing operations are examined in terms of managerial implications, international businesses, and technology-based approaches. To support the literature review of relationship marketing, the author performed a small-scale Delphi measurement. The five business professionals from reputable companies who took part in the measurement process; all agreed that trust was the most important antecedent of relationship marketing.