Chapter 1. Commerce in the 21^st Century

Today's marketplace isn't the same as the one we're used to, even though many of the basic principles haven't changed. Events in the external marketplace are forcing us to rethink what we have to do internally in order to remain successful. This book starts by taking a look at some of the internal and external factors that influence the way we will do business in the 21^st century in order to remain competitive.

You are reading this book because you already know that Customer Relationship Management is important for your organization. Even so it's appropriate to start by building a common understanding: CRM isn't one total solution that everyone just plugs in and finds that all problems are solved. We need a framework for describing the different needs of different kinds of companies and for understanding the changes that are taking place in the world around us.

We also need to develop an understanding of how we are going to work together while you're reading this book. My goal is to give you the tools and knowledge you need to manage a successful CRM program for your own company. You don't need to hire one of my colleagues or me in order to be successful. You don't need us to “do CRM” for you. You just need to understand the basic principles and ground rules.