Purpose of the Study: For adaptive selling to be successful, salespeople need to categorize their customers to tailor their sales approach. But how do students who are learning to sell know how to categorize customers when they often have little or no experience with customers? Students intuitively understand that customers are unique and thus adaptive selling techniques are needed. However, they lack the experience to create customer typologies and to know what kind of adaptions they should make and how to implement those adaptations throughout the steps in the sales process based on specific customer types. This article describes a pedagogical methodology that is empirically tested to help educators teach adaptive selling knowledge by using DISC® (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientious). In so doing, a cumulative hierarchical structure is created that assists teaching adaptive selling throughout the entire sales process. Method/Design and Sample: Assessment from quantitative and qualitative methods with 82 students from traditional and online modalities was utilized. Results: Findings provide support for the instructional methodology. Additionally, qualitative research uncovered students’ perceptions of DISC® in four key areas: (1) DISC® knowledge, (2) self-awareness, (3) changes to views of others, and (4) interpersonal communication. Value to Marketing Educators: Step-by-step project implementation is provided for ease of use and adaptation to selling, as well as other marketing classes. Moreover, the article includes a table that applies DISC® to all steps of the selling process, detailing how to use established selling techniques for different behavioral styles.
Alan J. Dubinsky (Sun,) studied this question.