Ch 5: Adaptive Selling for Relationship Building

Standard Memorized Presentation

A completely memorized, canned sales talk delivered identically to all customers.

Outlined Presentation

A well-organized, prearranged presentation with standard sections allowing customer interaction and flexibility.

Customized Presentation

A presentation based on detailed customer needs analysis, offering maximum flexibility and empathy.

Adaptive Selling

Changing sales behavior and presentations according to the specific selling situation and customer.

Performance Feedback

Information focusing on a salesperson's actual results or outcome during a sales call.

Diagnostic Feedback

Information explaining what a salesperson did right or wrong during a sales call.

Genius Management

Tapping into the expertise of in-house experts through blogs, wikis, and social networks.

Tagging (Knowledge Management)

Attaching keywords to employees' names in documents to indicate their specific areas of expertise.

Social Style Matrix

A model based on assertiveness and responsiveness used to classify communication patterns.

Assertiveness

The degree to which people have strong opinions and publicly state their positions.

Responsiveness

The degree to which people express emotions readily in social situations.

Drivers (Social Style)

High assertiveness, low responsiveness; swift, fact-based decision makers who focus on results.

Expressives (Social Style)

High assertiveness, high responsiveness; vision-oriented risk takers motivated by personal recognition.

Amiables (Social Style)

Low assertiveness, high responsiveness; relationship-focused decision makers who seek consensus and avoid risk.

Analyticals (Social Style)

Low assertiveness, low responsiveness; logic- and fact-driven decision makers who make deliberate choices.

Style Flexing

Adjusting one's communication behavior to mirror or match the customer's social style.

Versatility

The ability to increase relationship productivity by adapting to the needs of the other party.

In the social style matrix, the two critical dimensions used to understand social behavior are

assertiveness and responsiveness