Always Well Advised: Analyzing the Impact of Adaptive Selling on Consumer Behavior

This article addresses how sales representatives’ behavior in a retailing context influences customer trust - both in the salesperson and in the retail store – as key antecedents of consumer buying behavior. The salespersons’ behaviors analyzed are derived from commonly suggested personal selling techniques. However adaptive sales strategies are frequently discussed in marketing literature, the specific influence of those techniques on consumers is analyzed only rudimentary in empirical research. This gap is addressed by developing a conceptual framework incorporating important adaptive behavioral selling techniques which are perceived by consumers. Empirical data, computed in a structural equation model, demonstrates different influences of specific behavioral patterns of salespeople on consumer behavior. Findings show that especially techniques relating to salespersons’ support of the customer in making an optimal buying decision influence their buying behavior more than techniques focusing customers’ or salespersons’ characteristics. Results will provide managerial implications for both salespeople and management.