e adaptive selling with "non-adaptive selling . . . delivering the same 'canned' presentation to all customers (Weitz et al., 1986, p. 175). As their model demonstrates, alteration of sales behavior does not improve sales effectiveness in and of itself. But, according to their thesis, a salesperson who practives adaptive selling in an effective manner frequently will improves sales performance.
This does not mean that adaptive selling is cost effective in all situations. The authors emphasize that the costs associated with adaptive selling--time spent determining the needs and expectations of prospects (in effect, market research), investment in properly targeted collateral material, and the ability to experiment with and sometimes not succeed with new strategies--must be considered while weighing the benefits of adaptive selling. Among factors that must be examined are the following:
(1) the variety of customer needs and types encountered by the salesperson, (2)[the] importance of the typical buying situation encountered . . . and (3) the resources provided by the company to the salesperson . . . . the benefits of adaptive selling may be substantial when customers are making significant purchase decisions. In these situations, customers can reward salespeople by placing larger orders if the salespeople tailor their presentations to each customer's needs (Weitz et al., 1986, p. 176).
The costs associated with adaptive selling mean that it will also tend to be most effective in sales situations where the product line is broad or the typical product offers "many features and options" (Weitz et al., 1986, p. 176).
Where adaptive selling will be effective, it should become a major part of sales training and strategy. To be successful, salespeople need more than an innate sellling ability. They need a broad knowledge of product lines, appropriate motivation and extensive training in the ability to categorize various s...