CRM has evolved from initial door-to-door sales forces to mass marketing and then targeted marketing using direct mail and telemarketing. The latest evolution is customer relationship management (CRM), which uses latest technologies to focus on managing the entire customer lifecycle from acquisition to retention. CRM involves understanding customers, applying that knowledge to marketing strategies, and differentiating customer treatment based on preferences. It promises to help companies get to know customers better in order to retain the right customers and maximize profit.