It was 1989. Robert B. Cialdini was a 43-year-old college professor and self-proclaimed "patsy" – he answered every phone call, even during dinner, and patiently listened to the telemarketers on the other end of the line. And then he would inevitably buy something.

But every time he made a purchase, he felt taken advantage of, embarrassed, and utterly disinterested in ever buying anything from that company ever again.

So, one day, Cialdini decided he'd had enough.

As a psychology professor at Arizona State University, Cialdini started researching sales tactics... and eventually wrote a book describing the long-term damage sales people inflict on themselves (and on their companies) when they try to trick people into buying rather than working to address customers' concerns and using the product to solve actual problems.

His book didn't become a bestseller, but it did resonate with company leaders who wanted to improve their bottom lines by implementing effective sales training. So Cialdini traveled the world on the dime of Fortune 500 companies, teaching CEOs how to use effective sales training to implement customer-focused sales techniques.

Although this research and subsequent shift began over a quarter-century ago, there are still salespeople today who insist on being pushy, sales-centric, and downright seamy just for commissions, bonuses, and other personal benefits.

But it doesn't have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn't be that way.

Today, the best salespeople aren't really into selling – they're into problem solving. They know what Cialdini knew:

• Traditional sales tactics don't really work for anyone.
  If the only way you know how to overcome objectives is to trick or convince the customer to buy, you've got a problem. Even if the customer does decide to make a purchase, there's a good chance they won't be satisfied and an even better chance that they'll never be back to buy again. They'll be unsatisfied. And unsatisfied customers wind up costing companies (and salespeople) in the long run.
  
  
• Problem solving has replaced pushiness.
  There was a time when pushy salespeople could have long careers... but that was before the Internet. These companies didn't have to worry so much about word spreading about their underhanded techniques; instead, they'd just move on to the next customer, business as usual. However, today, people share information. If they have a negative experience with a company's sales force, word gets out – and fast. But, on the other hand, if you can effectively solve their problems, they'll just as quickly tell their friends and family about their positive experience, and are much more likely to buy again.
  
  
• Listening to customers can go a long way towards making a sale.
  Effective sales training isn't really focused on products or price. Effective sales training is focused on teaching salespeople to listen to their customers. Only when sales people have listened (really, really listened) to what their customers are saying can they understand how to solve their problems. Listening is the difference between a sales-focused approach and a customer-focused approach, which means it's the difference between failure and success.
  
  
• Objections are really opportunities... if you recognize them.
  There is a book on the market called "The Selling Starts When the Customer Says No." It's focused on overcoming common objections, and it advocates pushiness. While the tactics are a bit antiquated, the title rings true. If your team listens (really, really listens!) to customers' objections, they will understand the root causes of objections and turn them into opportunities. It's a difficult skill to learn, which is why effective sales training is so important.

Don't let your sales team implement antiquated or pushy sales techniques. Instead, teach them how to listen to what their customers are saying how to use that understanding, then, to solve problems.