An Empirical Study on the Impact of Two Types of Goal Orientation and Salesperson Perceived Obsolescence on Adaptive Selling

Abstract

Adaptive selling is widely deemed as an important characteristic leading to success in personal selling. This research focuses on the way that both learning goal orientation and proving goal orientation influence a salesperson’s adaptive selling through their influence on salesperson perceived obsolescence. A sample of insurance salespeople provide data and structural equation modeling tests a theoretical model linking goal orientation to adaptive selling. The results demonstrate that a strong learning goal orientation promotes adaptive selling. In contrast, a salesperson’s degree of proving goal orientation relates negatively to adaptive selling. In addition, a learning goal orientation reduces perceived obsolescence, whereas a proving goal orientation promotes perceived obsolescence. Perceived obsolescence detrimentally affects adaptive selling, however, direct effects of goal orientation persist even given the significant role of obsolescence.

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Notes on contributors

Junwu Chai

Junwu Chai (Ph.D., Xi’an Jiaotong University), Associate Professor of Marketing, School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, [email protected].

Guangzhi Zhao

Guangzhi Zhao (Ph.D., University of California, Irvine), Assistant Professor of Marketing, Sellinger School of Business and Management, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, [email protected].

Barry J. Babin

Barry J. Babin (Ph.D., Louisiana State University), Max P. Watson, Jr. Endowed Professor and Head of the Department of Marketing and Analysis, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, and Affiliate Faculty, Reims Management School, [email protected].