What sales approach do you use the most? Most salespeople are inclined to build a relationship with the buyer through the adaptive selling approach. Adaptive selling is one of the best ways to build a relationship with the buyer and gain their trust. There is, however, a subtle and potential pitfall when using adaptive selling. It is essential to pay attention to this trap as you work to build trust with different types of people in the buyer’s roles.

What the research tells us

Influencing buyers’ trust in a salesperson is their tendency to trust specific salesperson characteristics. Researchers Scott Friend, Jeff Johnson, and Ravipreet Sohi, in their research study, Propensity to trust salespeople: A contingent multilevel-multisource examination, looked at two salesperson characteristics – relational customer orientation and adaptive selling.

• Relational customer orientation is how we connect and build relationships with buyers. For example, the salesperson’s actions in establishing a personal relationship with the buyer, like getting to know them personally.

• Adaptive selling is how we adjust to buyers. The best example of this characteristic is when a salesperson alters their sales behaviors during a buyer interaction or across a series of buyer interactions.

The use of these characteristics may signal the salesperson’s motivation. However, it is essential to remember that the buyer interprets the salesperson’s motivations. Those motivations can be either intrinsic (wanting to get to know the buyer personally) or extrinsic (focus is on an external reward, like sales commissions). Therefore, the buyer’s view of the salesperson’s motivation is critical to building an environment of buyer/seller trust.

The findings

Researchers discovered that the strength of the buyer relationship depends on three variables:

1. The buyer’s propensity to trust

2. How the salesperson builds buyer relationships (relational customer orientation)

3. The salesperson’s use of adaptive selling

Relational customer orientation and the propensity to trust

The research highlighted two aspects of relationship building that are not always obvious:

1. Low buyer relationship building: Salespeople who used less relationship building did not impact the buyer’s tendency to trust. The buyer’s trust in the salesperson remained consistent across the trust range. In other words, buyers either see salespeople as trustworthy or not. If you don’t put much effort into building a relationship, it will not impact the buyer’s inclination to trust you.

2. High buyer relationship building: This was surprising – the use of high relationship building hurt the low propensity to trust buyers and had no impact on buyers with an increased tendency to trust.

a.  Low propensity to trust buyers are less likely to trust the salesperson. They may possess a negative perception of salespeople. Using a high degree of relationship building with a low propensity to trust buyers may be viewed as suspicious by the buyer. The salesperson’s intent may be extrinsically motivated and disingenuous, reducing their trust in the salesperson.

b.  High propensity to trust buyers do not possess this cynicism and are not overly influenced by perceptions drawn from the salesperson’s high or low levels of relationship building.

Adaptive selling and the propensity to trust

Researchers found that adaptive selling can decrease the positive relationship between the buyer’s propensity to trust and the buyer’s trust in the salesperson. This finding runs counter to the belief that adaptive selling is universally positive. Instead, the adaptive selling effect on trust varies with the buyer’s propensity to trust salespeople.

1. Low propensity to trust buyers: Higher levels of adaptive selling are beneficial. When the salesperson displays adaptability and takes the time to modify the approach to see the buyer’s needs, the buyer responds positively as their suspicions lessen. Conversely, if the buyer is not inclined to trust, they look for a salesperson who can display benevolence, demonstrated with high adaptive selling in the trust formation process.

2. High propensity to trust buyers: Salespersons who use a less adaptive approach are better able to gain trust. High propensity to trust buyers put more faith in standardized sales solutions. There is a caution here. An increased propensity to trust buyers may view high degrees of adaptability with suspicion. It goes against their faith in standard approaches. In other words, too much adaptability may erode their trust in the salesperson since trust is part of perceived consistency. If the buyer is inclined to trust the salesperson, they look for someone who can be consistent with their approach. Low adaptive selling with these buyers will enforce the trust. 

Avoiding the traps

Both relationship building (relational customer orientation) and the adaptive approach have nuances. For example, instead of being universally positive, they can hurt the relationship with your buyer.

For relationship building, know that only high relationship building has an impact. It will negatively impact buyers with a low propensity to trust. But conversely, it does not move buyers with a high propensity to trust.

For adaptive selling, know that you negatively impact buyers with a high propensity to trust if you are overly adaptive. Conversely, higher adaptive selling positively impacts a low propensity to trust buyers. Adapt in a way that hears what the buyer is telling you. Be benevolent.

Using the science in your selling

To leverage the science, consider adding the following questions to your pre-call planning:

1. Based on what you have observed, do you think your buyer has a high or low propensity to trust salespeople?

2. How does your buyer react when you are trying to get to know them personally? Are they stand-offish or open and friendly? All business or like to talk about other topics?

3. For the buyer you think may have a low propensity to trust, what could you do/say during your adaptive approach to building trust?

4. How could you build trust with a buyer with a high propensity to trust?

5. What trust do you think you have with your buyer?

6. What more can you do to build additional trust?

Awareness of these nuances strengthens you as a salesperson and helps you avoid the pitfalls of buyer relationships and using adaptive selling.

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When you think about sales effectiveness at your organization, does it seem like you are close but just missing those unique elements that give you that competitive edge? Looking for a way to understand how your buyer thinks, decides, and reveals information? At The Nova Consulting Group, we believe that professional selling is a craft. With the Advanced Sales Conversation©, you have those missing elements that move your salespeople from competency to mastery. With our deep understanding of what makes and sustains high-performance organizations, we provide integrated solutions that do not replace your sales methodology and yet advance a progressive selling mindset. Be bolder, more insightful, and get results. To learn more about how to master the craft of sales and encourage sustainable high performance, call  (617) 933-7249 or email info@novaconsultinggrp.com.