Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is built on the premise that companies must enhance market share and wallet share. The reason to focus on customer relationship management is to build customer loyalty. In order to do this, companies must provide a consistent customer experience at each touch point, for each customer and provide it in such a way that it is delivered in a fiscally responsible manner. It doesn't matter if the customers are asking for advice, voicing a concern, or making a purchase-their interaction with the company must be consistent, predictable, and profitable from both the company's and the customers' points of view.

Here are some key rules:

• Know your customers and the context of their lives.
• Engage your customers in dialogue.
• Remember what is important to customers and communicate to them (in multiple ways) that what is important to them is important to you.
• Know the value of each customer and what you need to do to have a profitable relationship with him or her.
• Understand that value is much more that simply what customers spend today-it includes their lifetime relationships and their sphere of influence in the customer community.
• Constantly learn from customers, involve them in the relationship, and ask at least one new question during each interaction.
• Ensure that the interactions remain unobtrusive, on the customers' terms, and flexible enough to adapt to their ever-changing life needs.
• Demonstrate that you know it is not what customers are buying that has value, it is what they are paying for-the benefits-that have value.
• Educate the customer on the use of your products and services.
• And, most importantly, don't stay silent in the background. Be available where and when your customer has need for your product.