Relationship marketing is a form of marketing developed from direct response marketing campaigns conducted in the 1970s and 1980s which emphasizes customer retention and satisfaction,rather than a dominant focus on point-of-sale transactions.
Relationship marketing differs from other forms of marketing in that it recognizes the long term value to the firm of keeping customers,as opposed to direct or "Intrusion" marketing,which focuses upon acquisition of new clients by targeting majority demographics based upon prospective client lists