The first major breakthrough is selling came in 1910 with the separation of sales and account management functions. Edward strong introduced the concept of teachable selling techniques in 1925 but his features and benefits based model resulted in an emphasis on push selling. Solution selling emerged in the 1970s based on the insight that sales reps that engage in a two-way dialog with customers are better able to understand their needs and tailor their offerings accordingly. The failure of solution selling to create sustainable advantage, however, has resulted in the search for a more effective model.

Knowledge Test