Cognitive & emotional sciences behind selling: Customer-orientation vs. adaptive selling research

By: Rose-Marie Boylan

BSc. M.A. Master's Leadership Studies

Cognitive Frameworks used in Customer Oriented Selling vs. Adaptive Selling

Our brains use a cognitive framework to process new & existing information before arriving at an emotional conclusion, such as excitement about a product, person or situation. Understanding how cognition and emotions intersect in driving a purchasing decision is central to a selling strategy for driving growth & behavior change in any customer segment or market.

Sales is often seen as a simple exchange between a buyer and a product. Yet, the truth is much more complex. Sales effectiveness is rooted in the cognitive and emotional sciences. The Oxford dictionary definition of cognition is "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge through thought, experience, and the senses. A perception, sensation, or intuition resulting from this." The same dictionary describes emotion as "strong feelings such as joy, anger, sadness, fear. These feelings are instinctive and intuitive feelings that are distinctive from reasoning or knowledge." The action of sales excellence is understanding both the cognitive and emotional sciences behind selling. More specifically, artfully triggering emotion-laden responses & cognitive processes in synchronicity to create a desire for a purchasing action. The emotion-laden responses create a sense of urgency to justify the purchasing action or behavior change.

Comprehending the framework of selling and cognition allows us to delve deeper into refining and enhancing the process when our selling strategy falls short. If buying is a cognitive process intertwined with emotions that can either hinder or hasten the progression, then the selling process should involve understanding, engineering and managing emotions cognitively to sell. There are phases in the buying process or customer decision-making cycle that serve as gateways to emotions. Both negative and positive emotions play a crucial role in the buying cycle and the sales process. Knowing how they work together or in absence is key to selling. The use of skillful questioning that elicit specific emotions can move the buying cycle forward.

If cognition is key, then where do emotions fit?

We know cognition is key in selling, the question is where do emotions fit in the decision-making process and how? Strategic questions create gaps which trigger cognitive thinking and reasoning. Gaps or questions are essential for cognitive restructuring. The most effective selling techniques create cognitive restructuring which lead to exploration of unmet needs and options analysis. They also seed important realities to be questioned which may be triggers for emotions both positive and negative. Questions create new pathways in cognition, opening the mind up to new alternatives. The buying process and how it is defined may use both negative and positive emotional responses to move the buying continuum along. The cognitive component is always enhanced with evidence, facts, data.

Customer-oriented selling & adaptive selling aim to enhance sales results

Customer-oriented selling and adaptive selling both aim to enhance sales performance, but they differ in their approach. Customer-oriented selling focuses on building long-term relationships by understanding and meeting customer needs, while adaptive selling emphasizes tailoring sales strategies to individual customer situations in the moment. Both techniques require skill to be performed effectively.

 Research about declarative  knowledge of facts, concepts and principles has shown that  successful  salespeople  assign  different  weights and  values  to  customer  cues  than  unsuccessful salespeople (Szymanski & Churchill, 1988).  Highly effective salespeople have a clearer understanding of how  to  handle  specific  customer problems  and situations than less  effective  salespeople  (Leong, Busch,  &  John,  1989). Top  performing

salespeople treat  customer  interactions  like a hierarchical  set of  “if-

then”  choices  while  other  salespeople  treat  customer interactions  as  a  linear  dialogue (Leigh  et al.,  2014).

Experience plays a crucial role in building  the essential knowledge frameworks needed to successfully apply adaptive behaviors (Spiro & Weitz, 1990). Therefore, sales

people will find it difficult to adapt effectively until they gain more experience. The skillful use of questioning and probing techniques may be hard to indoctrinate in sales people who focus more on "pushing" than "pulling the customer in" with value creation selling. As a consequence, even when  salespeople  are  adaptive their performance may not improve.

Adaptive selling and customer orientation are strategies that  salespeople  can  adopt  to guide  their  selling behaviors and define their selling strategy  (Porter,  Weiner,  &  Frankwick,  2003).

Customer orientation involves helping customers make purchasing decisions that meet their needs (Saxe & Weitz, 1982). Customer orientation selling depending on the framework deployed may also involve engineering or exposing unconscious needs customers did not know they had through increased knowledge and education. Adaptive selling involves using various sales styles, techniques, or tactics during customer interactions according to the situation (Weitz, Sujan, & Sujan, 1986).

A substantial body of research has investigated the effects of adaptive selling and customer orientation. In their meta-analysis on the influence of AD and CO on performance, Franke and Park (2006) found that adaptive selling was directly linked to both objective and subjective sales performance, while customer orientation was only connected to subjective sales performance. Nonetheless, the relationship between adaptive selling, customer orientation, and objective performance is more complex.

When evaluating sales effectiveness, objective performance centers on metrics and quantifiable outcomes such as revenue generated, sales figures compared to performance targets, and customer acquisitions. On the other hand, subjective performance evaluates elements like communication skills, teamwork, and overall attitude, which are harder to measure empirically. Thus, any customer-focused and/or adaptive selling model must incorporate empirical metrics to assess its impact on tangible results. In my experience with developing customer-oriented models for Fortune 500 companies, I designed a trial using a placebo-controlled group to determine if the new approach was truly influencing key performance indicators as metrics. I believe this is essential to demonstrate the actual value of changing from adaptive selling models to customer-oriented models.

Customer orientation selling improves sales performance when practiced at  a  moderate  amount  but  then  declines  at  higher amounts  (Homburg,  Müller,  &  Klarmann,  2011a). Furthermore,  it  has  long  term  benefits  for  ongoing relationships  (Jaramillo  &  Grisaffe,  2009). As a result questioning on needs and needs focus must be balanced with adaptive selling skills.

The Role of Questioning in "Customer Oriented" & "Adaptive Selling"

Before salespeople can effectively apply customer-oriented selling (CO) and adaptive selling (AD), they need to develop strong questioning & probing skills. Selling skills are related to customer oriented selling and questioning. (Pettijohn & associates, 2007)

During the “need identification” or "recognition of needs phase" of a sales interaction, customer-oriented salespeople engage in activities to “identify the customer’s interests, goals, and other product-related needs” (Homburg et al., 2011a, 56). The most straightforward way to determine customer needs is by asking a question. Indeed, questioning has been considered a precursor to AD (Boorom et al., 1998; Pelham & Kravitz, 2008). Therefore, improving questioning skills is a necessary step towards effectively implementing CO and AD.

Moreover, possessing effective questioning skills should lead to immediate improvements in performance. Active listening, which encompasses questioning abilities, has been associated with various performance enhancements, such as customers' willingness to engage in future interactions with salespeople (Aggarwal et al., 2005; Ramsey & Sohi, 1997), satisfaction with the salesperson (Aggarwal et al., 2005), and trust in the salesperson (Aggarwal et al., 2005;

Ramsey  &  Sohi,  1997),  and  relationship  quality (Drollinger  &  Comer,  2013).  By  asking  customers questions, salespeople will learn customer needs and demonstrate  empathy  towards  the  customer. (Arndt, A.D., Rippe, C.B., Castleberry, S. 2018)

Manager impact on seller performance

A national random sample of industrial salespeople was surveyed to examine the relationships among selling behaviors, trust, conflict, and sales outcomes, such as performance and anticipation of future interaction. (Chakrabarty, S., Brown, G., Widing, R.E., 2013)

In this research synthesis by Chakrabarty, 2013, results indicated that trust mediates the effects of selling behaviors on sales outcomes, and conflict moderates this mediating effect. While salespeople could use customer-oriented selling as an antidote for the ill effects of dysfunctional conflict on trust, adaptive selling only serves to enhance salesperson trust in customers. Thus, the results of the study distinguish between the roles of customer oriented selling and adaptive selling in relationship marketing.

"Furthermore, when salespeople perceive that their sales managers are highly customer oriented and highly adaptive, they themselves become more customer oriented and more adaptive. Thus, as role models, supervisory selling behaviors contribute to salespeople’s ability to leverage their trust in customers. Based on these results, the managerial implications for selling organizations is clear."  (Chakrabarty, S., Brown, G., Widing, R.E., 2013)

Customer-oriented (CO) selling vs. Adaptive selling

Although distinct, "customer-oriented" selling and adaptive selling complement each other. A salesperson focused on customer orientation can utilize selling techniques to gain a deeper understanding of and address specific customer needs, resulting in a more effective and satisfying sales experience. Adaptive selling can serve as a tool within the broader context of customer-oriented selling.

In essence, customer-oriented selling provides the overarching philosophy with specific selling platforms like value-creation selling or SPIN selling to achieve the results. Adaptive selling provides the tools and techniques to execute that philosophy effectively in various customer interactions. Adaptive selling needs to have a structure however, to be able to coach the sales person on how to improve.

Customer-oriented (CO) selling vs. Adaptive selling Differences

Element	Customer oriented selling	Adaptive selling
Focus	Building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with customers.	Adjusting sales behavior and communication style to fit the specific customer and situation.
Approach	Salesperson prioritizes understanding customer needs and providing solutions that address those needs.	Salesperson is flexible and responsive, modifying their presentation, communication, and even product recommendations based on customer feedback and cues.
Characteristics	Empathy, trust-building, and a focus on customer satisfaction as a primary goal.	Flexibility, quick thinking, and the ability to improvise based on customer interactions.
Time horizon	Customer-oriented selling is geared towards long-term relationships.	Adaptive selling can be more short-term focused, adjusting to the immediate interaction.
Scope of change	Customer-oriented selling focuses on understanding the customer's overall needs.	Adaptive selling focuses on adjusting the sales approach to the specific situation.
Relationship building	Customer-oriented selling emphasizes building trust and rapport.	Adaptive selling focuses on responding to customer needs in the moment.
Example	A salesperson who takes time to understand a customer's specific business challenges before recommending a product.	A salesperson noticing a customer seems hesitant, then adjusting their approach to address the specific concerns.

The Cognitive Aspect of Selling

Cognition involves the mental processes we use to gain knowledge and make judgments. This includes how we perceive, remember, and reason. When it comes to selling, cognitive science plays a vital role. For example, when buyers assess a new smartphone, they evaluate features, price, and brand reputation. According to a study by Yoon et al. (2015), 75% of consumers reported they rely primarily on logical reasoning for tech products, suggesting that factual information boosts their confidence in making decisions.

While emotions certainly influence buying behavior, they don’t operate in isolation. The knowledge gained from research, reviews, and personal experiences enhances decision-making. For instance, a potential buyer who has read several positive reviews about a brand may feel more confident about their purchasing intention and action. Their brain uses a cognitive framework to process this information before arriving at an emotional conclusion, such as excitement about the product.

Emotional Influences on Decision-Making in Purchasing Decisions

Emotional science reveals that feelings often drive our choices, sometimes overriding logical reasoning. Many decisions are made based on emotions rather than facts. Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's research highlights that "emotion precedes reason," emphasizing how emotions shape our decisions.

Cultural and social factors also play a significant role. For example, when customers feel a deep connection to a brand, they may overlook minor pricing differences. This leads us to an important question: Is cognition more significant than emotion in the sales process? While cognitive factors provide essential information, emotions are the final nudge that can push a customer to make a purchase.

The emotional aspect can create poor or a positive brand image through positive associations or negative associations. The sales representative and their servicing can impact positive or negative associations about a product, company or service.

Positive associations "emotions" affect the brand & selling context

An important element of brand equity and therefore loyalty involves positive associations about a brand, person or product. Positive associations generate positive mood associations to a brand or company. Naturally, an environment of positive associations is always more conducive to selling and building trust for repeat purchases. However, these environments are infrequent. But they can be created.

Positive associations are triggers for positive moods, feelings, emotions. Negative associations can be a barrier or catalyst to use if they generate fear, disgust or risk. This must be replaced with a parallel strategy to drive positive associations. A sales representative who shows care and loyalty to the customer can create positive associations for a brand.

Understanding how these factors shape customer behavior is essential for anyone looking to enhance their sales strategies. Exploring the cognitive and emotional aspects of selling, allows us to examine how they work together and their significance in decision-making.

Cognition vs. Emotion: Which Overrides the Other?

The debate over the importance of emotion versus knowledge in buying decisions is ongoing. Research from Harvard Business Review shows that emotional bonds to brands significantly predict customer loyalty. Brands that evoke strong feelings in customers see a 13% increase in repurchase intent compared to those that do not. This shows that while cognitive knowledge is crucial for initial purchases, emotion is vital for customer retention. Emotion also plays a role in userping reason. (https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-new-science-of-customer-emotions)

Moreover, emotions can act as shortcuts in decision-making. Customers often overlook price differences when they have strong positive feelings about a brand. For instance, 64% of consumers are willing to pay more for a product if they feel emotionally connected to the brand. 57% of consumers who feel emotionally attached to a brand will increase their spending, while 76% will choose it over a competitor and 64% of consumers expect brands to connect with them. (https://capitaloneshopping.com/research/branding-statistics/)

Cognitive processes guide informed decisions, helping customers navigate their options. When information aligns with positive emotions, the likelihood of making a purchase grows significantly. (https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2020/02/28/emotional-connection-2020s-biggest-cx-trend/)

The Process of Acquiring Knowledge

Understanding how decisions are made requires examining how we acquire knowledge through thought, information, experiences, and testimonials. Cognitive schemas—mental structures that help us organize and interpret information—significantly affect buyer behavior. For example, after a negative experience with a brand, a buyer's cognitive schema changes, influencing future decisions.

Testimonials can reshape these cognitive structures as well, enhancing credibility and stirring emotional responses. A case in point is when a popular athlete endorses a product; their personal stories resonate, making consumers more likely to trust the product. In healthcare decision-making leveraging other clinicians experience and successes can be used in group settings.

Sensory data also greatly impacts decision-making. External factors, such as taste or visuals, can evoke feelings that influence choices.

Integrating Emotional Science into Cognitive Selling

Emotional science fits into the cognitive selling process by revealing how feelings influence decisions. This dual understanding means that successful sales strategies must engage both cognitive reasoning and emotional appeal.

Salespeople can benefit by presenting factual information while sharing stories or testimonials that evoke feelings. This strategy engages customers on multiple levels. In the medical business it is necessary to focus on factual evidence to maintain ethical marketing practices.

Market research plays a key role in understanding customer emotions. Aligning emotional touchpoints with knowledge can make sales more effective. By using storytelling techniques that evoke emotions—like nostalgia or joy—businesses can create deeper connections with the end user or purchaser.

Final Thoughts on Cognition & Emotion in the Sales Cycle

The relationship between cognition and emotion in selling decisions uncovers the complexity of human choice. Though cognition lays the groundwork for informed purchases, emotions drive the final decisions.

As competition in the marketplace grows, merging emotional connection with cognitive reasoning will be critical for businesses. Recognizing the importance of both aspects allows sellers to engage customers more effectively, leading to greater satisfaction and loyalty.

Integrating cognitive science with the scientific study of emotions and/or emotional intelligence creates a holistic approach to understanding buying behavior. By integrating the competencies of emotional intelligence into coaching sales representatives we can produce more positive emotions in customers. This powerful combination paves the way for effective selling strategies that resonate deeply with the human experience.

Growth mindset for selling.

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