Explaining and Evaluating the Implementation of Organizational Relationship Marketing in the Banking Industry: Clients' Perception

Abstract This article presents the results of a study of the evaluation by more than 300 bank decision-makers of relationship marketing strategies used by their suppliers. The research identifies both explanatory and normative factors of relationship marketing and its successful implementation. The main contingency factors are related to salesperson’s knowledge of the customer, the existence of an atmosphere of trust and, the presence of a customer-oriented culture in the supplier company. Dimensions of relationships important for relationship marketing are relationship length, the customer’s ability to adapt within the relationship, as well as the perceived fairness of the relationship, and this is reflected in findings where durability, adaptability, and equity explain supplier performance as measured by their client’s satisfaction and recommendations. This article contributes to our understanding of relationship marketing and the contexts in which it is most appropriately implemented.

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