4 Adaptive Selling Strategies to Adopt in 2024

When it comes to selling, you might find yourself getting into a rut, overly relying on your cold call scripts, and going through the motions of just trying to get that sale.

And if you are doing this, you may find your sales numbers and passion dwindling.

So, maybe it's time to try a new strategy. One that will help you keep your wit sharp by utilizing your people skills, improv skills, and ability to read social cues.

We're talking about adaptive selling, the improv theatre of the selling world.

In this article, we'll go through four great adaptive sales strategies for you to adopt, as well as going through what adaptive selling is, its benefits, challenges, and much more.

So, let's get into it!

What is Adaptive Selling

The adaptive selling definition is when a salesperson adjusts the way they're trying to sell, depending on the information they have and the situation they are in. It involves being able to read people and situations well, think quickly on your feet, and improvise. All of which is easier said than done. However, it's an effective strategy.

You can use adaptive selling in combination with other methods of selling or achieving your sales strategy. This is because adaptive selling is a method, not a plan of attack. It is almost vague in its stratagem.

We compared it to improv theatre above, so let's stick with that for a moment. Basically, in adaptive selling, making a sale is the objective of the scene, with the customer being your unwitting improv partner. You need to figure out their character, motivations, needs, etc., and how best to convince them to buy your products.

You can ask yourself questions based on your knowledge of your target customer, such as:

• What sort of approach will work best for them? Should you be aggressive? Professional? Straightforward? Friendly? Subtle? Etc.
• What is it that they need, and which product you're selling would be best to fulfill that?
• What obstacles do you need to overcome to convince them of that? Are they mistrustful of you? Are they cautious by nature? Is there a monetary problem? Etc.

These are calculations you need to be able to make without tipping off your prospect and making them feel like you're manipulating them. And you need to make sure you're not thinking of it as such. You aren't manipulating these customers. You're trying to best explain so they can understand why your products can help them.

Whether or not you know it, these are probably skills you already possess, at least to some degree, as a successful salesperson. They're baked into the sales process, really. Think about it, the 7 sales cycle stages are:

1. Prospect
2. Qualify
3. Contact
4. Present
5. Nurture
6. Close Deal
7. Request Referral

You're already establishing the character of your prospect and what they need within the first three steps of the cycle. You'll probably be adjusting your strategy if it's not working in stage five until you close the deal in stage six. That's adaptive selling!

Differentiating Between Adaptive Selling and Traditional Sales Approaches

Here are a few differences between adaptive selling and traditional sales approaches:

The Role of Empathy and Flexibility in Adaptive Selling

Empathy is crucial in adaptive selling. By understanding the customer's perspective and challenges, salespeople can tailor their approach. This requires flexibility – adapting communication styles, sales presentations, and even product recommendations to resonate with each unique customer.

In essence, adaptive selling empowers salespeople to become trusted advisors who solve customer problems rather than simply selling products.

Benefits of Adaptive Selling

Allows for Flexibility

With adaptive selling, you aren't beholden to a script or a particular set of steps. Instead, you can rely on your judgment to forge a more individualized and effective path forward with your prospect.

The individualized aspect of that sentence is important. Because this new path forward should be based on what your prospect needs. Essentially, you're customizing a sales experience for them. And adaptive selling allows you to do that.

However, there are still some limitations to the flexibility. You still shouldn't be deceitful, share inaccurate information, do anything unethical or illegal, etc.

What you should do, as explained above, is evaluate your prospect and adjust how (and maybe even what) you're selling accordingly to give your customer an easier, more trusting sales experience.

And this leads us to our second benefit.

Makes Prospects More Comfortable

If you've properly evaluated your prospect, adaptive selling should make your prospect more at ease and more trusting of you — because you understand what they need. You've done the work earlier in the sales cycle and directly with them to understand them. Customers will feel more at ease if they feel a salesperson is invested in them as people and in ensuring they have a comfortable, easy sales experience to get the products they need.

Trust can be a big barrier to salespeople. HubSpot found that only 6.7% of people found sales information and advice trustworthy, with 33.6% saying it's somewhat trustworthy. That leaves 40.3% of people who seemingly found it untrustworthy.

However, that same HubSpot study found that at the top of the list of how sales can create a positive experience for customers is to listen to their needs. And that's what adaptive selling is all about!

(Although 83% of salespeople also reported in that study that they did that, there may be some disconnect between the opinions of the salesperson and the customer in interactions. Keep that in mind when analyzing the situation.)

There are other things you can do, as well, to establish that trust. For instance, if a customer asks you about a fancy add-on that you know they don't need, explain why you wouldn't recommend them. That sort of honesty will make them trust you more, too.

And this even goes with a product you may have originally recommended to them. If you no longer would suggest they purchase it, tell them, including why.

Although, also use your judgment. This is another example of scripted advice, and if you've evaluated that with this prospect being so upfront isn't the way to go; that's adaptive selling, baby. Do what you've got to do (within reason, ethically, and legally).

Generates More Sales

Great customer service is a great way to generate more sales. better customer service brings in almost six times more revenue than your competitors.

Adaptive selling relies on great customer service to work. That's why you're focusing so much on adapting your sales strategy to your customers' needs – so they'll have a great sales experience. Doing this will earn your customers' trust and make them feel more comfortable and, therefore, more likely to purchase the recommended products, as we mentioned above.

Well, all that combines to create great customer service. And, customers who've dealt with your business and felt like the customer service was exceptional are more likely to recommend you to someone else.

That will bring your business even more customers – or at least prospects on which you can work your adaptive selling magic.

Allows You to Re-Adjust

If at first, you don't succeed, try, try again — with a new strategy better tailored to your prospects. You don't want to harass your prospects or come off as the dreaded pushy salesperson, but with adaptive selling, if you feel you failed the first call, you can re-adjust your strategy and reach out to them again. Maybe not right away. That'll depend on your strategy. But you'll get another chance to come at them with a new attitude.

Statistically speaking, you aren't likely to make the sale on the first call. It typically takes 8 call attempts to reach a prospect, and 20% of qualified leads will convert into a sale.

So, if you blew that call, or even one of the few after it, you can get off that call, take a deep breath, whip out your CRM and analyze what you've learned. Ask yourself questions like

• When did that call fall apart?
• What went wrong?
• How did the prospect seem when finishing up the call?
• What do you know about them?
• Where should you go from here?
• Have you had prospects like them in the past?
• What worked for them?
• What strategies do you think would work best here?
• And of those, which are you going to try?

Once you've answered those questions, you'll be able to go into the next call more prepared, and you can get that rare second chance to make a good first impression.

Of course, you can also do this on the fly, too. If you can switch the tide of the call while you're on it, even better. That's still adjusting.

Either way, the point is that adaptive selling allows you to be flexible in your sales approach, so if your strategy isn't going well, you can regroup and try something else. Really, that's what it's all about.

Challenges of Adaptive Selling

Quick Thinking

Although we've talked about adaptive selling as if it will make selling easier (and it will), that's not to say that it's an easy strategy to adopt. There can be a certain amount of quick thinking necessary if you're going to switch up your sales approach with a customer mid-conversation.

And that kind of quick thinking can be hard to execute and hard to learn.

However, given the nature of sales in general, we'd be willing to bet that quick-thinking skills are something you already have. You may just need some practice honing them in on adaptive selling.

Accurately Reading the Situation

Adaptive selling takes a good eye for reading social situations, including body language, social cues, vocal tone, between the lines, etc. This isn't easy to do, and some, even salespeople, may struggle with it — particularly if you're new to sales.

However, it is something you can get better at with time. And, due to the flexible nature of adaptive selling, you don't need to get it right the first time.

Although we should say, you may eventually strike out if you keep switching up your strategy to your customer. The changes may be too noticeable, and the customer may feel manipulated. That's why accurately reading the situation and adjusting accordingly to match your customer is important. You want to avoid that image of being manipulative.

Going Off-Script

From emails to cold call scripts, we like our scripts in sales. So, if you're new or someone who's not used to going off-script, it can seem daunting, especially when that going off-script is paired with the two previous challenges.

Take comfort, though, that going off-script is something that's done in sales all the time. You've probably done it. Everyone who's ever worked in retail certainly has. There's no script for when a customer comes up to you with a specific request while you're folding the sweaters at the boutique or you're a sales associate.

Therefore, although we have it listed as a challenge here, certainly don't be discouraged by going off-script. Surely, the improv will soon become your bread and butter.

Key Principles of Adaptive Selling

Adaptive selling thrives on a foundation of core principles that ensure a customer-centric approach. Let's look into some of the most crucial ones:

Active Listening and Understanding Customer Needs

The cornerstone of adaptive selling is truly listening to the customer. This goes beyond simply hearing their words. It involves actively engaging in understanding their challenges, goals, decision-making process, and any potential pain points. By asking insightful questions and practicing active listening, salespeople gain valuable insights that will guide the entire sales conversation.

Tailoring the Sales Approach to Individual Preferences and Buying Behavior

Not all customers are created equal. Some prefer a data-driven approach with detailed product specifications, while others prioritize emotional connection and building rapport. Adaptive selling requires salespeople to tailor their approach to individual preferences and buying behaviors. This might involve adjusting the presentation style, highlighting different product features, or even recommending alternative solutions based on the customer's specific needs.

Adapting Communication Styles Based on Customer Personality and Context

Effective communication is key to building trust and rapport. Adaptive selling emphasizes adjusting communication styles to resonate with the customer's personality and the sales context.

For instance, a salesperson might use a more analytical style with a technical buyer while adopting a friendly and enthusiastic approach with a more relationship-oriented customer.

Understanding the customer's communication style ensures a smooth and engaging interaction.

Being Responsive to Feedback and Adjusting Strategies in Real-Time

Adaptive selling is an ongoing process. Salespeople need to be responsive to customer feedback throughout the interaction. This means actively listening to objections and concerns and then adjusting their strategies in real time. Perhaps a key feature wasn't emphasized enough, or the pricing structure doesn't align with the customer's budget. By being responsive and adaptable, salespeople can address concerns, adjust their approach, and ultimately increase their chances of closing the deal.

Adaptive Selling Examples

Adaptive Sales Techniques

Here are a few adaptive sales techniques you can use in adaptive selling:

Situational Selling

This technique acknowledges that different buying situations call for different approaches. Adaptive salespeople using situational selling consider factors like the urgency of the customer's need, their budget, and their level of authority in the decision-making process. By understanding the situation, they can tailor their pitch, highlighting the most relevant benefits and addressing any specific concerns that might arise.

Problem-Solving Approach

The core of adaptive selling lies in solving customer problems. This technique focuses on identifying the customer's specific challenges and showcasing how the product or service directly addresses them. By presenting themselves as trusted advisors with a solution-oriented mindset, salespeople build trust and demonstrate the value proposition more effectively.

Consultive Selling

Similar to problem-solving, consultative selling positions the salesperson as a trusted advisor. Adaptive salespeople employing this technique take a collaborative approach, working with the customer to understand their needs and goals. Through open-ended questions and active listening, they uncover deeper challenges and then recommend solutions that align with the customer's situation.

Value-based Selling

Adaptive selling emphasizes value over features. Value-based selling focuses on demonstrating the tangible benefits the product or service brings to the customer's business. By quantifying the return on investment (ROI) or highlighting how the solution can improve efficiency or productivity, salespeople using this technique create a compelling case for the customer and differentiate themselves from competitors pushing just features.

4 Adaptive Selling Strategies

And now finally, we're here. The meat and potatoes of our article. So, without further ado, here are our four strategies for adaptive selling

1. Use a CRM to collect and organize customer information
2. Target your customer through direct communication
3. Target your customer using technology
4. Use the means of communication your customer responds best to

Allow us to explain.

Use a CRM to Collect and Organize Customer Information

Are we biased? Maybe. But are we right? Yes. Adopting a CRM will undoubtedly make it easier for you to invest in adaptive selling.

Why?

Because CRMs help with customer organization, data collection, and customer communication, using the information your CRM has gathered and you've recorded on the platform can be a great way to help you understand your customers' wants and needs so that you can understand how to adapt your selling strategy to best cater to them.

Before making initial contact, you can devise a personalized strategy. If that's not working, you can re-analyze in between communications and adjust. And (within reason, as mentioned previously) you can continue to do that, making sure you're keeping your customer's needs in mind as communication continues and you move along the sales cycle with them.

Target Your Customer Through Direct Communication

This strategy was touched on briefly in our adaptive selling examples, but one adaptive selling strategy is to target your customers through direct communication and develop your strategy for selling directly to your customer (again, adjusting as you go). This can include communications done over the phone, email, SMS, in-person, etc.

With direct communication, you'll develop an initial strategy for targeting your prospect using the initial prospecting and researching stages of the sales cycle. (Don't forget to use a CRM to make this easier).

Then, as you go through the sales cycle stages, you can adjust how you communicate with your customer as necessary.. Does your customer prefer phone calls, in-person meetings, texts, emails, or a combination of some or any of the above? And when?

And then, from there, it's about finding the right approaches and styles of communication, the right products to offer, etc.

Target Your Customer Using Your Technology

Targeting your customer through direct communications may seem like the obvious mode of adaptive selling, but there's another way, too. You can leverage technology to ensure a customized experience for your customers. A few examples of that include

• Using drip campaigns. These types of campaigns are launched through technology like emails. Different customer segments will be sent different emails, and then depending on what they do with those emails (e.g. open them and take no action, or open them and click a link), they'll receive different emails, and so on and so forth until the end of the campaign. So, for example, you may have different emails for hot leads, cold leads, and customers who've bought something before. But, all will include a CTA to learn more about a new product. Those who click the CTA button will receive a different email than those that don't. For those that do, the second round of emails may include a follow-up on the new product. For those that don't, the next emails may include more supplementary information about the product and why it's useful.
• Using landing pages. Returning to our drip campaign, the CTA button about your new product could lead to different landing pages for the same product customized for your hot leads, cold leads, and return customers. For example, if you're selling a new type of nail product, your hot leads landing page would focus more on the product alone, while the cold leads landing page would also include information about your company so those leads could be introduced to it. A landing page for return customers could include a button asking if they want to re-order products, too, like nail polish and other products that need to be replaced.
• Using social media ads. On platforms like Facebook (with detailed targeting), you can customize who's seeing your ads so you can target them to those specific people.

Use the Means of Communication Your Customer Responds Best To

This is similar to communicating directly with your customer. With the initial contact you make with your prospect, find out who the decision-maker is and how and when the best ways of communicating are. And then only use those ways unless there's some sort of sales emergency. (This may work best if there are at least two means of communication, so if you can establish a primary and a secondary communication style, do.)

If your customer only wants to be contacted by phone, except for the odd email to make plans and iron out details, then every time you need to address them, you'll have to pick up that phone or type out an email.

If your customer only wants to be texted with the odd phone call, if something needs to be elaborated on or discussed immediately, then you know what to do.

And so on, for every means and combination of communication.

Conclusion

If you haven't adopted adaptive selling into your selling strategy, we recommend you at least consider it.

• It allows you more flexibility
• Creates more trust with your customers
• Generates more sales
• And allows you to re-adjust.

But, if that's not enough, we've also given you a number of strategies to work with. Let's just roll through them again, just to keep them fresh in your mind

1. Use a CRM to collect and organize customer information
2. Target your customer through direct communication
3. Target your customer using technology
4. Use the means of communication your customer responds best to

And, to make it easier for you, consider purchasing a CRM like Ringy! You can request a demo to see how it works or start a free trial to try it for yourself.