O Case Study

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Selling to Modern Customer

MSc in Marketing

Student: Sarah Duarte Silva

Id: x19116624

1. Introduction

Marketing and Sales are often confused; however, these are quite different but complementary concepts. The marketing and sales departments are crucial for a company to be competitive. These areas are responsible for ensuring that the services and products of the business meet the needs of the consumer at all stages of the purchasing journey. From the moment the customer sees an advertisement to the activities of the after-sales team, everything is structured to avoid friction and have as a result a loyal customer.

Therefore, when these departments work together the company attracts better results for its teams in the medium and long term. The strategies will be more innovative and competitive because they use items such as the right language and a more effective service profile.

The current scenario is marked by high competitiveness. Companies work in search of new customers and the loyalty of existing consumers. In this sense, the integration of departments is one of the key points to make the business more competitive, especially marketing and sales.

If the departments work side by side, the delivery of results is speeded up and performed with more quality. Moreover, the company's chance to make innovative decisions is increased. If more people are acting to identify the best ways to meet demand, the quality of the final solution will be much higher.

1. Marketing

According to Las Casas (1997, p.26), Marketing is the area of knowledge that encompasses all activities related to exchange relations, oriented to the satisfaction of the desires and needs of consumers, aiming to achieve certain objectives of companies or individuals and always considering the environment of operation and impact that these relations cause on the welfare of society.

The marketing concept can be understood as the business function that often creates value for the customer and generates lasting competitive advantage for the company, through the strategic management of controllable marketing variables: product, price, communication and distribution, Dias (2006, p.12).

Churchill and Peter (2000) consider that marketing stimulates research and new ideas, resulting in new goods and services, in which consumers can choose from many products. If these products satisfy them, they can result in more jobs, higher incomes and a higher standard of living. An effective marketing system is important for the future of all nations.

"Marketing is the process of executing and planning the design, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, products, and services to create exchanges that meet individual and organizational goals, Churchill. and Peter (2000, p. 4).  

However, according to some authors such as Peter Drucker (1982), marketing should be a formula to make the act of selling superfluous. The objective is to know and understand the consumer well that the product or service is sold by itself. As Philip Kotler (1984) sees it, marketing is a human activity aimed at satisfying needs and desires through the process of exchange.

Marketing has the function of developing sales strategies, formulating plans and investments that will be applied along with execution over the product. Depending on the size of the organization this marketing plan can be applied by one or more people as long as they are trained to be able to face both product and market specialization.

Recently, marketing has been undergoing transformations, which are forcing companies to review their strategies. Many of the traditional forms of management, such as pyramid hierarchy, centralization, business gigantism, among others, are being referred by some professionals in the sector as the traditional form of marketing. Las Casas (1997 p. 36), the marketing of today is not only the potential that the brand has but the good work that will be elaborated on it to pass confidence to the consumers that it is a good product presenting its advantages, characteristics awakening the will of purchase in the consumer.

Given all these aspects of marketing, and their contributions to an organization, it is possible to understand the importance of using marketing tools for sales, Kotler (2002) says that in the new economy there has been a fundamental reversal in the marketing function, which has ceased to be the "search for customers for products" and has become the "search for products for customers. After all, the main goal of marketing is to satisfy customers through products and services, to give the customer what he is looking for.

Currently, marketing is implemented in all areas of the organization, given the importance of this tool for all sectors. Las Casas (1997.p.56), when conducting the subject analyzes the changes in the commercial scenario:

" As the business grew, the tendency arose to create specific areas, initially still subordinated to sales executives. At a later stage, the marketing functions began to have professionals responsible for each activity, positioned horizontally. After this stage, the specific marketing department was created, which also included sales activities".

1. Sales

The art of selling, in conjunction with a strong marketing strategy, makes selling inevitable. Marketing combined with strategic sales techniques results in growth and profitability for organizations, customer satisfaction and consequently a continuous and lasting relationship between organization and consumer. Kotler (1998.p.6) conceptualizes sales:

"Sales Concept: Assumes that consumers, if they stand on their own, will not normally buy enough of the organisation's products. Thus, the organization should invest an aggressive sales and promotion effort.”

According to Kotler (1998), It is certain that a customer attracted by strong marketing and subsequently well serviced becomes a satisfied and loyal customer and the company ensures the retention of this customer. A highly satisfied consumer remains loyal for much longer; buys more as the company launches new products and improves existing ones; makes favourable comments about the company and its products; pays less attention to the advertising of competing brands and is less sensitive to price; offers product/service ideas to the company; costs less to serve than new consumers because purchasing transactions are already routine.