Due to the complexities of today's competitive marketing environment, many of the personal selling techniques of yesteryear are no longer effective. Traditional product-oriented approaches that were magic in seller's markets of past eras are giving way to new selling techniques—ones that emphasize problem-solving, empathy, and putting oneself in the customer's shoes.

Of the many personal selling trends in vogue throughout the sales profession, reps identify consultative, solution-type selling as the most challenging. According to a recent survey conducted by Charlotte, NC-based Sales Performance International, 69 percent of sales managers said that moving from a product sell to a solution type sell was most difficult. The challenges of consultative selling ranked higher than other tricky tasks, including negotiating with customers, gaining access to decision makers, and closing the sale.

Despite broad support from top selling gurus, the salesman-as-problem solver model is not entirely intuitive. Expecting sales reps to present themselves as consultants or advisors while at the same time holding them accountable for old-fashioned, closed sales may be inconsistent. The potential incongruity seems even more glaring given that many consultative selling advocates say solution-based selling requires a culture change, top-to-bottom engagement, and an organization-wide commitment to succeed. What sales professional can rest easy knowing that his or her personal livelihood and success depends heavily on the systematic, institutional support of the corporate bureaucracy?

There is no question that selling in today's world requires greater sophistication than ever before. The crass hard-selling approaches of the past simply do not work on today's savvy consumers. Even so, new selling approaches can't become so complex or counterintuitive that they escape even the most expert sales professionals.