This study aimed at finding out if banks and insurance companies in Nigeria use CRM as a marketing strategy as well as whether these organizations have employed the same variables to achieve Customer Relationship Management. Relevant literature was reviewed and a model consisting of seventeen variables was conceptualized and tested by means of empirical data collected through a questionnaire survey of four hundred and ninety nine respondents. The research instruments were validated and a pilot study was carried out to test the reliability of the measures. Statistical tools including percentages and Mann- Whitney U test were used. Findings showed that these institutions use CRM as a marketing strategy and also that the variables employed by these organizations to achieve Customer Relationship Management differ. It is important to point out the originality of this study because it facilitates the development of a new conceptual model which will help future research. To the researchers’ knowledge, this is the first study to compare the CRM strategies used in the two major financial institutions in Nigeria. Manuscript profile