Are You a Trusted Advisor?

Are You a Trusted Advisor?

A recent article we found of interest by Jeffrey Gitomer titled ‘Are you a salesperson, a consultant, or a trusted advisor?’ really makes you think about customers and our relationships with them. The beginning of the article asks you to take a moment and list your current accounts in which you feel you’re a trusted advisor. List the people who rely on you, and your trusted advisor status. How many are there? This could be expanded into other professional as well as personal relationships.

The article clarifies that the status of being trusted is one small part of being or becoming a trusted advisor. If you work for a great company, they are trusted. If your products or services are great, they are trusted. The only variable is YOU. You may think you are a trusted advisor, but do your customers believe that? The proof is whether the customer perceives you as one. The customer’s perception of you is your reality. The biggest questions to ask yourself are ‘what am I doing to ensure my status as a trusted advisor in the mind of the customer?’ and ‘what can I do to improve my relationship to earn and keep the status?’ These elements also beg the question: Am I doing my best for all my customers (internal and external) all the time?

A few elements of a trusted advisor include being value providers, understanding the situation customers are in, willingness to take action, and are ability to combine trust and valuable information. Trusted advisors also display professionalism, friendliness, competence, product knowledge, and expertise. These elements must be combined with knowledge of the customer, their business, and how they can use and benefit from your services.

The end of the article reflects back to the beginning lesson of making a list. For those that did, do you still have the same people on your list? And for those that did not make a list, are there fewer people in the ‘they consider me a trusted advisor’ list than you were thinking? For those unsure, if you invest yourself in doing things for your customer, you’ll get a clearer idea of what you must do to establish your position, your relationship, and your reputation.

Sharon Vickery
Director/Consulting Solutions
515-245-7621
888-387-5670 x. 7621
vickerys@alliancetechnologies.net

Erin Wells
Consulting Solutions Coordinator
515-245-7642
888-387-5670 x. 7642
wellse@alliancetechnologies.net