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Beyond the Sale: Insights into Value Creation and Customer Loyalty

Technology is changing everything—including how companies sell their products and tell people about them. Philip Kotler, also known as the "Father of Modern Marketing" says businesses need to use new tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data to keep up (Kolter, 2024). Here’s how companies and their sales reps can use these tools to do better and why old ways like cold calling still matter when used with new ideas.


Futuristic marketer

Why Old Sales Tricks Don’t Work as Well Anymore


Traditionally, sales relied heavily on cold calling, hoping to generate leads through sheer volume. While this approach may have been effective in the past, it has become less successful in today's evolving market. This is because:


Abundance of Online Information

With access to extensive online information, consumers can now independently research products and services. This shift has reduced their reliance on salespeople for initial information (Digital Marketing Institute, 2016).


Challenges in Targeting the Right Audience

Cold calling often targets individuals without prior expressed interest, making it challenging to reach the intended audience. This approach can result in inefficiencies and wasted effort (Salesforce, 2024).


Consumer Aversion to Unsolicited Sales Pitches

Many consumers dislike unsolicited sales calls, finding them intrusive. This can negatively impact their perception of the company and its products (IndustrySelect, 2024).


How AI and Data Can Help


AI and data act as powerful tools that enable businesses to make more informed decisions. Their ability to analyse vast amounts of information and identify potential customers and understand their preferences is an essential to gaining deep insights into target audiences and buyer behaviour.

Whats Not New

Using data to derive insights for marketing isn’t a recent development. Techniques like database marketing and analytical CRM have existed for over 20 years. Additionally, large volumes of data from sources such as point-of-sale systems, credit cards, and web servers have long been common. The analysis of unstructured data, such as emails, free-text forms, and customer surveys, has also been a staple in marketing and research (Gentsch, 2019).

What's New

While data volume has grown substantially due to the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile devices, and social media, the key changes lie elsewhere. The digitisation of business processes and advancements in IT have created more customer touchpoints, enabling systematic data generation and communication control. Furthermore, the speed at which data is collected, processed, and utilised has dramatically accelerated. Modern data mining techniques, such as deep learning and semantic analytics, have revolutionised data analysis, yielding unprecedented levels of quality and value (Gentsch, 2019).


How these tools help:


Finding the Right People

AI analyses vast datasets to identify potential customers who are most likely to make a purchase. By examining patterns in consumer behaviour, AI tools can predict and prioritise leads, enabling sales teams to focus their efforts more effectively (Outreach, 2024).


Personalised Messages

AI facilitates the creation of tailored marketing messages by analysing customer behaviour and preferences. This personalisation enhances user engagement and satisfaction, leading to more effective marketing strategies (Babatunde et al., 2024).


Saving Time

AI automates routine tasks such as data entry and customer segmentation, allowing sales professionals to focus on more strategic activities. This automation improves efficiency and reduces operational costs (Rane et al., 2024).

Studies show that companies using AI to sell get more customers and spend less money to find them.


Case Study: Levi Strauss & Co.


A recent and notable example of successfully integrating data analytics into sales and marketing strategies is Levi Strauss & Co. By partnering with Google Cloud, the company amassed a comprehensive dataset comprised of purchases, web browsing activity, and sales data from retail partners. This data-driven approach enabled Levi's to identify a surging demand for baggy jeans across diverse demographics. In response, the company implemented targeted marketing campaigns and adjusted its inventory and design strategies to cater to this evolving consumer preference. This data-driven approach resulted in a 15% increase in sales of loose-fit jeans within the last quarter (Bousquette, 2025).


How Did the Marketing Mix Develop?


Marketing is about creating value for customers. Professor Neil Borden at Harvard listed 12 tools businesses could use to get people interested in their products. In 1960, Professor Jerry McCarthy made this idea simpler by talking about the 4Ps:


  1. Product: What you are selling.

  2. Price: How much it costs.

  3. Place: Where people can buy it.

  4. Promotion: How you tell people about it.


Today, Philip Kotler added more ideas to this mix, turning it into 7 parts and included:


  1. Service: Making sure customers are happy after they buy.

  2. Brand: Building trust so people feel good about choosing the product.

  3. Incentives: Giving extra deals or rewards to make buying even more exciting.


At its core, marketing focuses on generating value for customers. The modern marketing mix expands beyond the traditional 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). It now includes Service as a distinct element, recognises Brand as a key value driver through customer trust, and considers Incentives as a tool alongside Price.


The new model shown on table 1, effective communication (formerly known as 'Promotion') and efficient distribution (formerly known as 'Place') remain important for delivering value. This updated framework incorporates the original 4Ps while adding three vital components to enhance value creation for customers (Kotler, 2024).


The goal is to create, communicate, and deliver value so people not only buy but also stay loyal to the company.


Table 1: Kolter's modern value framework
Philip Kotler, Creating Value Model 7Ps

Why Salespeople Need to Know Marketing


Salespeople and marketers both aim to bring in customers, but their methods are different. When sales teams understand marketing, they can work smarter and sell better.


Reasons salespeople need to know marketing:


Find Better Leads

Marketing departments use data analytics to identify potential customers who have shown interest in purchasing. This allows sales teams to focus their efforts on these qualified leads, reducing time spent on unproductive cold calls. A study published in the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing found that sales and marketing alignment leads to higher quality leads and improved sales performance (Peterson et al., 2015).


Work Together for Success

When sales and marketing teams collaborate and share insights, they can develop cohesive campaigns that yield better results. This synergy not only enhances performance but also reflects positively on both teams. Research published in the Journal of Business Research indicates that companies with aligned sales and marketing functions achieve higher revenue growth rates compared to those with misaligned teams


Understand the Customer

Marketing provides valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviours, which can inform sales strategies. By understanding these insights, salespeople can tailor their approaches to meet customer needs more effectively. A study in the Industrial Marketing Management journal emphasises that aligned sales and marketing teams have a better understanding of customer needs, leading to more effective sales interactions.


Close More Deals

Using marketing tools such as personalised emails and targeted social media advertisements allows sales teams to engage customers in innovative ways. This personalised approach can lead to higher conversion rates. Research from the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management found that companies with aligned sales and marketing teams experience higher sales success rates and improved profitability.


How Companies Can Get Better


Here’s what businesses should do to keep up:


  • Get the Right Tools: Use smart programs like AI to help with selling and marketing.

  • Work as a Team: Sales and marketing teams should share ideas and work together.

  • Train Account Executives (AEs) to Hunt and Farm: Encourage AEs to find new leads and nurture existing customers.

  • Teach Salespeople Marketing: Help sales teams understand marketing tools and strategies.

  • Keep Improving: Always check how things are working and make changes if needed.


References:

Babatunde, S. Odejide, O. Edunjobi, T. & Ogundipe, D. (2024). The Role of AI in Marketing Personalization: A Theoretical Exploration of Consumer Engagement. International Journal of Management & Entrepreneurship Research. 6. 936-949. 10.51594/ijmer.v6i3.964.

Bousquette, I. (2025, Jan 25). How Tech Helped Levi’s Ride the ‘Baggy Jeans’ Trend. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-tech-helped-levis-ride-the-baggy-jeans-trend-f290721d

Digital Marketing Institute. (2016, July 12). How the Digital Age is Transforming the Sales Process. https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-the-digital-age-is-transforming-the-sales-process

Gentsch, P. (2019). AI in Marketing, Sales and Service: How Marketers without a Data Science Degree can use AI, Big Data and Bots.

IndustrySelect. (2024, July 10). Eye-Opening Statistics on Cold Calling Everyone Should Know. https://www.industryselect.com/blog/top-myth-busting-statistics-on-cold-calling

Kotler, P. (2024). A Lifetime in Marketing: Lessons Learned and the Way Ahead. Marketing News, 58(1), 5–14.

Outreach. (2024, December 19). How AI transforms sales prospecting: The definitive guide. https://www.outreach.io/resources/blog/ai-for-sales-prospecting

Patterson, L. (2007). Marketing and sales alignment for improved effectiveness. J Digit Asset Manag 3, 185–189. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.dam.3650089

Peterson, R. M., Gordon, G., Krishnan Palghat, V. (2015). When Sales and Marketing Align: Impact on Performance. Journal of Selling, 15(1), 29-43

Rane, N., Paramesha, M., Choudhary, S., & Rane, J. (2024). Artificial Intelligence in Sales and Marketing: Enhancing Customer Satisfaction, Experience and Loyalty. SSRN Electronic Journal. 10.2139/ssrn.4831903.

Salesforce. (2024). Is cold calling still effective? https://www.salesforce.com/eu/learning-centre/sales/cold-calling/



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