How to Build Relationship in a Small Business
HOW SMALL BUSINESS BUIDS RELATIONSHIP WITH its CUSTOMERs – A CASE OF TOP CURLS BEAUTY SALON- ACCRA, GHANA.
Introduction
According to Gronroos (1997), marketing in relational terms means “To establish, maintain and enhance relationships with customers and other partners, at a profit so that the objectives of the parties involved are met. This is achieved by mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises”. As to whether a business will profitably benefit from investing in relationship with its customers and other stakeholders, a lot depends on the nature of the business. With regards to certain sectors, like the service sectors, it becomes imperative to develop the relationship with its customers, so as to ensure consistent growth and sustainable competitive advantage.
In big organizations like the banks, the bureaucracy makes it difficult for these institutions to be responsive to the needs of their customers. Hence customer relationship building becomes problematic. But taking a small business like a hairdressing salon, various relationship management techniques are blindly employed by these hairdressers to build relationships with customers.
This paper uses the situation of a hairdressing salon located at Akweteyman, a suburb of Accra, Ghana to explain how relationships with customers are built over the years. Top Curls Beauty Salon, located in Akweteyman, is owned and run by Joyce Owusuwaa. She has employed three hairstylists and has six apprentices. She has operated the business for Ten years, and currently is patronized by lots of women from the locality and beyond. Relationship management techniques clearly play out in such small businesses because of the fact that those delivering the services are mostly the owners, and have the passion to see the business grow, hence making them highly entrepreneurial.
Conditions that are conducive to relationship management
It is not every business that can profitably practice relationship management.
Introduction
According to Gronroos (1997), marketing in relational terms means “To establish, maintain and enhance relationships with customers and other partners, at a profit so that the objectives of the parties involved are met. This is achieved by mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises”. As to whether a business will profitably benefit from investing in relationship with its customers and other stakeholders, a lot depends on the nature of the business. With regards to certain sectors, like the service sectors, it becomes imperative to develop the relationship with its customers, so as to ensure consistent growth and sustainable competitive advantage.
In big organizations like the banks, the bureaucracy makes it difficult for these institutions to be responsive to the needs of their customers. Hence customer relationship building becomes problematic. But taking a small business like a hairdressing salon, various relationship management techniques are blindly employed by these hairdressers to build relationships with customers.
This paper uses the situation of a hairdressing salon located at Akweteyman, a suburb of Accra, Ghana to explain how relationships with customers are built over the years. Top Curls Beauty Salon, located in Akweteyman, is owned and run by Joyce Owusuwaa. She has employed three hairstylists and has six apprentices. She has operated the business for Ten years, and currently is patronized by lots of women from the locality and beyond. Relationship management techniques clearly play out in such small businesses because of the fact that those delivering the services are mostly the owners, and have the passion to see the business grow, hence making them highly entrepreneurial.
Conditions that are conducive to relationship management
It is not every business that can profitably practice relationship management.
References: Gronroos, C. (1997) ‘From marketing mix to relationship marketing – towards a paradigm shift in marketing’, Management Decisions, 35, 4, 322-339 Szmigin, I. and Bourne, H. (1998) ‘Consumer equity in relationship marketing’, Journal of consumer marketing, 15, 6, 544-557 Berry, L. L. (1983) ‘Relationship marketing’, in L. L. Berry, G. L. Sostack and G. Opah (eds) Emerging Perspectives on services marketing, Chicago, II: American Marketing Association, 25-28. Berry, L. L. (1995) ‘Relationship Marketing of Services, Growing Interest, Emerging Perspectives’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23, 4, 236-245. Gummesson, E. (1999) Total Relationship Marketing – Rethinking Marketing Management : From 4Ps to 30Rs, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.