Past performance contaminates the ADAPTS measurement

Abstract

Theory suggests that adaptive selling behaviors improve sales performance. While this causation appears to be supported using the ADAPTS measurement scale, an alternative explanation is that perception of past performance predicts response to the ADAPTS scale. The ADAPTS items often contain abstract concepts such as “sales approach” and “not working” which may be difficult for respondents to interpret. Consistent with a halo error, salespeople may draw upon their overall attitude toward their selling ability to help them answer abstract ADAPTS items. Because past performance contributes to overall attitude toward selling ability, past performance could be biasing ADAPTS ratings through a halo error. This research consists of three studies. The first study uses a qualitative methodology to investigate ADAPTS item interpretation. The second study uses a time-lagged experimental methodology to demonstrate that past performance influences ADAPTS ratings above and beyond actual adaptive behaviors. The final study uses a survey methodology to show that sales self-efficacy mediates the relationship between self-rate performance and ADAPTS, even while controlling for an acquiescence bias. The results of the three studies demonstrate that ADAPTS contains significant bias. Alternative methods for operationalizing adaptive selling behaviors are suggested.

Keywords:

• Adaptive selling
• performance
• scale
• halo error

Declaration of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.