The theoretical literature regarding adaptive behavior in selling has grown very rapidly, but a void has developed in empirical testing of hypothesized models. It is the purpose of this paper to begin to fill this void by examining whether the differences that exist in situational sales variables lead to differences in the practice of adaptive behavior by salespeople. This knowledge could be used to strengthen the salesforce selection process and to provide direction for sales training efforts. The source of data for this study was a mail questionnaire. It was sent to institutional food distributors/wholesalers on the “Top 50” list of Institutional Distribution magazine. The data were analyzed using discriminant analysis. The results indicated that there were significant differences in situational variables between salespeople using adaptive behavior and salespeople not using adaptive behavior. Some of the discriminating variables were: percentage of new customers, years of sales experience, percentage of salary based on bonus, and number of new accounts, for example. The findings have important implications for sales managers and others interested in the marketing management discipline. By being able to correctly classify salespeople as adaptors or non-adaptors, sales managers may be able to tailor training programs to the needs of salespeople that fit the non-adaptor classification. But to do so, it is important to determine the context in which salespeople should be adaptive, sales call planning or customer information gathering, for example. Finally, those interested in salesforce compensation should be aware that the compensation scheme employed may induce fewer salespeople to adapt behavior to meet the needs of their customers.
Bodkin et al. (Fri,) studied this question.