I couldn't agree more! The reality is, as Joe has aptly pointed-out, is that every research hour spent after the last has a tendency to add as more confusion to the equation than selection narrowing. There are sooooo many more choices now, coupled with opinions from everyone and anyone with a keyboard, that people get completely lost, and need to be taken by the hand.
And ddavis is right that there is a fear component here -- which is why TALENT is more important than ever. But what emotions are involved? A good process with a talented person cuts though all that, to get to the answers that the clients REALLY want to know:
"Will I look pretty in this?"
"What will my friends think?"
"Can I get 4 bags of clubs in here?"
"Will my wife be appreciative of this purchase?"
"Does this car match my personality?"
"What does this car say about me?"
Really, the analytical vs. emotional "debate" really only has teeth as a topic in the cyber-sphere. If you've been on the floor the whole time, before and after, through the transition, it's a non-sequitur to argue that people have changed -- because they haven't. Tools have changed. Methods (tactics, strategies, schemes -- call it what you will) have had to adapt to new tools. But the core of what we do -- and we need to do -- has not, because the people -- the clients -- have not changed. And to be honest, to say that you only need more talent today because of "price" is just downright silly and reflects a bit of a disconnect with the reality of one-one-one dealings everyday on the floor.
