The fourth season of the CFO Salon held a special sharing event on July 30, 2025. The session featured Ma Jin, CFO of Marketingforce, who delivered a presentation titled “The Application of AI Agents in Marketing and Sales”. Drawing on practical industry experience, he provided an in-depth analysis of the value and future development of AI agents in marketing, sales, and enterprise management operations within the software industry.
AI agents: a transformative shift in the software industry
The emergence of AI agents represents a transformative shift in the software industry, offering significant opportunities for China to bridge the global technology gap. Innovation in software functionality is currently advancing along two major pathways: one is the “AI+” model, which enhances existing software by integrating AI capabilities to automate intermediate processes, reduce complexity, and improve efficiency; the other is the “+AI” model, which focuses on developing entirely new functions that replace conventional features, thereby expanding software applicability.
Additionally, startups developing enterprise-level software must place a strong emphasis on data security and compliance. Key concerns include potential data leakage from public cloud API calls, as well as the need to build compliant data architecture—such as an Enterprise Agent Middle Platform — to meet specific regulatory requirements in sectors like healthcare.
AI transforms the entire marketing and sales value chain
AI applications in marketing and sales now extend from front-end to back-end processes. In front-end marketing, AI leverages knowledge base model training to enable data intelligence and generative capabilities, which can generate professional marketing copy, monitor public sentiment, and enhance both sales expertise and market responsiveness. On the back end, sales operations are increasingly moving toward intelligent fulfillment. For example, in an “AI+CRM” scenario, AI analyzes recordings to automatically tag sales progress, helping enterprises track customer types and sales status in real time.
AI-driven marketing is becoming more refined and personalized. With the long-term memory capacity of large models, AI constructs holistic user profiles and accurately interprets user traits and needs based on private domain behavior data. This allows it to deliver tailored marketing content, significantly boosting the effectiveness compared to traditional approaches. Moreover, China’s diverse and complex business landscape offers a unique advantage for AI to accelerate innovation and achieve leapfrog advancements in marketing and sales.
AI enhances enterprise management and operations
Beyond marketing and sales, AI demonstrates practical value in enterprise management and operations. In talent management, AI can screen candidates by matching resumes with job profiles; in sales training, AI-powered coaching tools can simulate real-world scenarios, generate personalized scripts, and provide real-time assessments. For data insights, AI self-service analysis tools can provide precise results and actionable recommendations through natural language interaction, meeting authorized data needs at any time. In member operations, AI automates the review process within membership systems, helping to prevent duplicate sales and the exploitation of promotions, thereby supporting more precise marketing efforts. In the construction of an Enterprise Agent Middle Platform, AI will gradually assume a portion of the programming work traditionally performed by developers. However, the role of industry experts remains indispensable due to significant differences in sales logic across various sectors.
