Internal relationship marketing: a key to enhanced supply chain relationships

Competitive market pressures within today’s contemporary business environments have encouraged the partnership of many supply chain members. Of particular interest is the development of successful relationships between firms in an effort to gain product and service quality and efficiency that would otherwise go left unclaimed. This research specifically identifies the need for supply chain members to foster healthier relationships within the firm in order to realize more fully success and obtain the benefits associated with external partnerships. The concept of internal relationship marketing is employed and a model is proposed to aid companies in identifying the variables associated with marketing to the internal customer. The motor carrier industry provides an appropriate service setting for the analysis, and implications for retaining the very best customer‐conscious frontline employees are outlined.