Abstract:

The essential thoughts of CRM are sometimes hidden or not fully obvious. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore the reality of CRM in the form that was mainly typical in the past, i.e. customer relationship management without any software tools, only by using the knowledge in the entrepreneur’s head and his/her skills how to build and develop personal relationships with his/her customers. In order to catch the characteristic traits of this approach to CRM, own observation in the chosen small specialised brick-and-mortar retail shops and also semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs or relevant internal workers of these chosen shops were used. The obtained data were analysed, compared and synthesised. Subsequently, the typical traits of CRM in the chosen small specialised shops were identified: (1) no anonymity, (2) sales interview as a kind of social contact, (3) sales interview as an opportunity to share experience. These traits can be considered as a competitive advantage. It is advisable to keep in mind the fundamental thought of CRM: the genuine personal and friendly approach.