Relationship Centered Marketing is seller-to-buyer communication that delivers consistent, believable and comfortable messages of how important the buyer is to the seller, and when appropriate, carefully blends in a product/service message.
“Consistent” being three or, preferably, four RCM-dedicated contacts per year, for as long as a selling situation is desired. A Holiday card is mandatory due to its inherent RCM characteristics (goodwill, friendship, hope), and its staying power over the Holidays. Birthday cards are an excellent RCM option, as they recognize an event that is exclusive to the recipient and, by design, can deliver both an RCM and product/service message. Beyond a Holiday card (and optional Birthday card), the contacts should be printed messages. They should be specifically written to the recipient or written to accommodate and utilize message-personalizing merge fields when the quantity of contacts to be produced necessitates merge production. (To receive the escalating benefits RCM can deliver, its cards and letters should always adhere to the principles and tenets of relationship-centered marketing.)
“Believable” being that all RCM contacts originate, or appear to originate, directly from the seller to the recipient. They are well thought-out, personalized and timely so they don’t appear to be “form” or “template” messages. (Very easy to do if the contact is singularly written to the recipient by the seller, but when produced in quantity using merge format techniques, relationship-damaging credibility issues can ensue without forethought and attention to detail.)
“Comfortable” being RCM contacts are delivered in a relaxed, sincere manner creating no immediacy for the recipient to read or react to them. Most important, the contact message should be that of friendship, respect of the buyer and the importance the seller places on their relationship. However, RCM contacts can periodically deliver a subtle, yet highly effective sales message without compromising the integrity of the seller/buyer relationship. That is, if it is reasonable and then mindfully included in the contact.
