"Big hat and no cattle” (or “all hat and no cattle")
(US, idiomatic) Full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance;
Apr. 25, 1981 Globe & Mail ‘One of the major raps against him was that he was all hat and no cattle. That is, he had a lot of style but not much substance.’

Last week, I shared the first part in our series on trendspotting thus far in 2013. This week, Janet, Trish (yours truly), and Patrice share our perspectives on: 

~60 days in, what's everyone seeing that is changing in 2013?

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The 3, 5, 7-or-more Legged Buying Team

Whether nostalgia or fact, selling used to be a lot simpler. Continuing the trend from 2012, buyers' decision making processes are more and more complicated.

Today, there is nearly never a single decision maker. Not only do we have to convince the budget owner (we’ll save you money, time, hassle, etc.), but we must also prove our benefit the end user (day-in the-life use cases), IT (this will fit within your environment, straightforward implementation, etc.), and finance (not only does this have a positive ROI, but it is more important than competing projects).

The key to generating widespread support within an organization is being able to have effective selling conversations with a broader audience. For Sales Leaders, this means your reps now need to have the tools, training and process in place to build & muster widespread support.

The other day I received a prospecting email that really impressed me.

The seller, Josh Mellott from Manticore Technology, was putting me through a well-executed prospecting process – combining voice and email touches.

I, like most prospects, was ignoring him. Until he sent me this note: 

 
One of the first business books I ever read was Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard.  Published in 1993, my employer at the time considered it required reading for anyone in a Customer Service, Sales or Account Management. 

I had a recent experience that inspired me to dust off the book and give it another read.

A quick story

Like many other attendees to the AA-ISP Leadership Summit, I visited the mall that is attached to the hotel (whoever chose that venue, you rock!). In the mall, I shopped at one of my favorite retailers and had a nice chat with the sales clerk while he was ringing up my purchase.

Imagine my surprise (and delight) when I received a handwritten Thank You note in the mail the next week. It read:

Why did I find this simple gesture so impressive?

Not only did Jonathan demonstrate that he was listening; he also confirmed what he took away from the conversation. No matter the industry, reps need to take advantage of every opportunity to show how they (not just your company or your products) differentiate from the competition. 

At the end of the day, sales is a service and whoever provides the best service has the highest likelihood of winning the deal.