The ten characteristics call center agents who master adaptive selling must have:
1. Interpersonal flexibility
Call center providers who implement adaptive selling techniques must be able to adjust their sales approach. Adjustments will be determined by: the communication model of the customer, the behavior of the customer, and the unique buying situation. To make these adjustments, they must be able to form an instant relationship with a customer and be able to work with different types of customers.
2. Excellent communication skills
Effective communication with a customer is important to adaptive selling. The adaptive selling process involves altering ones communication style to fit the needs and preferences of the customer. This facilitates and enhances the relationship between customer and agent.
3. Domain-specific perceptual skills
Call center agents who are able to perceive large, meaningful patterns between variables in their domain are far better at adaptive selling. They analyze facts quickly, and effectively put those skill to use to improve their relationship with the customer. They recognize different sales conditions, observe the customer’s reaction, and produces an instantaneous, strategic modification. They effectively categorize the customer and are then able to predict a customer’s behavior.
4. Sympathy
The salesperson doing adaptive selling must be able to understand the perspective of the customer and display empathic concern with regards to situation. They must understand that customers vary in terms of their needs, circumstances, and resources and must adjust their product sales approach accordingly.
5. Innate motivation
Intrinsically motivated salespeople have an expression of pride and feel fulfilled, satisfied, and enjoy their achievements. The strongest performers tend to be salespeople with substantial intrinsic motivation. It is because intrinsically motivated salespeople try to improve their job performance, try new practices with customers and find greater job accountability, training, and feedback helpful. They then use those metrics to increase overall performance.
6. Confidence
Salespeople that have confidence in their ability use a variety of diverse sales approaches and alter their sales approach after a customer interaction. Their results are much better than those that lack confidence.
7. Studying orientation
Salespeople who are curious and actively discover more about their surroundings, continuously boost their performance. Those with previous experience and acquired knowledge are more effective at adaptive selling than others. It is because they are more ready to accept failures as a natural part of learning and have an absolute belief that when they fail, they will have learned something about customers and selling in general.
8. Experience
Through experience, salespeople improve their skills and learn more about the product they may be selling, the customers they will work with, and selling strategies. This knowledge facilitates the recognition of various selling situations, thereby enhancing the potency of adaptive selling.
9. Motivation and interest in understanding the situation and customer behavior
Salespeople who tend to be intrinsically motivated to comprehend the behavior of a customer and their unique situation are far better at adaptive selling than those who are not. With acquired information about the customer, they are better able to adapt their selling strategy to suit the customer’s wants.
10. Excellent memory space skills
Effective salespeople possess excellent memory skills and polish their memory skills with experience. They memorize facts about the product, company, and related information in order to use this information to their advantage.