The key to long term client relationships
The Trusted Advisor
You would be hard pressed to find a job that did not involve providing some sort of advice. As we move up the ranks this advice is to our staff as well as clients.
This book is certainly one of the highest profile texts on the subject. The book by David Maister, "The Trusted Advisor", focuses on the unique relationship of advisors to their clients.
There is great definition early in the book of a trusted advisor:
"...someone you turn to regularly to advise you on all your most important business, career, and perhaps even personal decisions."
The advisor then has both the trust of the client to discuss any matters, and the respect for their advice. Neither can be created overnight. In the business world, this would have to be one of the most significant non-financial transactions that is more akin to a long term financing arrangement than a simple purchase.
Maister describes the trusted advisor as being the fourth level of the client-advisor relationship. Each level having a deeper personal relationship and involving a wider breadth of business issues. The four levels are described as:
Who would want to be a trusted advisor?
Try a few of these to see if they would help you do business. Your client:
To me this speaks of an investment over time, of open and honest service. Where client contact experience is sought after and the advisor invests their whole self in the relationship on a human level.
Over the coming months I am going to walk my team through this book. I believe there is a great message in it for me and my team. By studying it in this manner, we will begin to build a much greater understanding of the advisor's role as well as start to introduce the language of trust and holistic work practices. Feel free to join us.
Cheers
Steve.
You would be hard pressed to find a job that did not involve providing some sort of advice. As we move up the ranks this advice is to our staff as well as clients.
This book is certainly one of the highest profile texts on the subject. The book by David Maister, "The Trusted Advisor", focuses on the unique relationship of advisors to their clients.
  (Amazon US) (Amazon UK) 
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"...someone you turn to regularly to advise you on all your most important business, career, and perhaps even personal decisions."
The advisor then has both the trust of the client to discuss any matters, and the respect for their advice. Neither can be created overnight. In the business world, this would have to be one of the most significant non-financial transactions that is more akin to a long term financing arrangement than a simple purchase.
Maister describes the trusted advisor as being the fourth level of the client-advisor relationship. Each level having a deeper personal relationship and involving a wider breadth of business issues. The four levels are described as:
- Subject matter or Process expert - Service offering based. Using a specific technical skill with a very limited scope.
- Subject matter expert, plus an affiliated field - Slightly broader skills identified by clients as is needed to support the primary technical skill. The advisor is consulted on broader issues and earlier in the process of problem resolution.
- Valuable resource - Being more relationship based, the advisor is consulted for their ability to put issues in context and provide a different perspective. The advisor is asked here what they think of the options proposed y the client.
- Trusted Advisor - At this level the two key identifiers are that any and all subjects are discussed, not just business and certainly not just a specific technical area, and the advisor is consulted when the issue first arises.
Who would want to be a trusted advisor?
Try a few of these to see if they would help you do business. Your client:
- Involves you early when issues start to form
- Forgives your mistakes
- Reaches for your advice
"Success in client relationships is tied to the accumulation of quality experiences"
To me this speaks of an investment over time, of open and honest service. Where client contact experience is sought after and the advisor invests their whole self in the relationship on a human level.
Over the coming months I am going to walk my team through this book. I believe there is a great message in it for me and my team. By studying it in this manner, we will begin to build a much greater understanding of the advisor's role as well as start to introduce the language of trust and holistic work practices. Feel free to join us.
Cheers
Steve.
