The Trusted Advisor: 20th Anniversary Edition

This is a great book that really helped me to carry through my career. It establishes the attitude to be "trusted". Many useful tips, great read.

Thank you fir the book. Love it 💛. Good Value

If you would map out the four types of possible business relationships following 2 parameters (breath of business issues and depth of personal relationships) you would notice that trust-based relationships goes the deepest (followed by relationship-based, needs-based and service offering-based relationships, in descending order). This work covers trust-based relationships in a very systematic way, works out a trust process-model and illustrates on how making it work. The trust process-model with 5 stages (engage, listen, frame, envision and commit) is nicely explained and illustrated. Most of it will sound very familiar; still this work gives it a nice context and the overall structure of this book makes it a very pleasant read. Part 1 - Perspectives on trust Part 2 - The structure of trust building Part 3 - Putting trust to work If you would just scan through the contents of this book, it would give you a good idea of the added value. A very interesting read! Contents Introduction How to use this book Part 1 - Perspectives on trust 1) A sneak preview: What would be the benefits if your clients trusted you more? What are the primary characteristics of a trusted advisor? 2) What is a Trusted Advisor? (What do great trusted advisors all seem to do?) 3) Earning Trust (What are the dynamics of trusting and being trusted?) 4) How to give advice (How do you ensure your advice is listened to?) 5) The rules of Romance: Relationship building (What are the principles of building strong relationships?) 6) The importance of mindsets (What attitude must you have to be effective?) 7) Sincerity or technique? (Do you really have to care for those you advise?) Part 2 - The structure of trust building 8) The trust equation (What are the four key components that determine the extent of trust?) 9) The development of trust (What are the 5 stages of trust-building?) 10) Engagement (How do you get clients to initiate discussions with you?) 11) The art of listening (How can you improve your listening skills?) 12) Framing the issue (How can you help clients look at their issues in a fresh way?) 13) Envisioning an alternate reality (How can you help clients clarify what they're really after?) 14) Commitment(How do you ensure clients are willing to do what it takes to solve their problems?) Part 3 - Putting trust to work 15) What's so hard about all this? (Why are truly trust-based relationships so scarce?) 16) Different client types (How do you deal with clients of differing types?) 17) The Lieutenant Columbo approach (What can we learn from an unorthodox winner?) 18) The role of trust in getting hired (How do you create trust at the outset of a relationship?) 19) Building trust on the current assignment (How can you conduct your assignment in a way that adds to trust?) 20) Re-earning trust away from the current assignment (How can we build trust when you're not working on an assignment?) 21) The case of cross-selling (Why is cross-selling so hard, and what can be done about it?) 22) The Quick-impact list to gain trust (What are the key things you should do first?) Appendix: A compilation of our lists Notes and references

This is a most useful book on how the professional adviser must act if they are to secure and retain the trust of their clients. It avoids the Dale Carnegie "Just Be Nice" approach by analysing why one wants to generate trust and how it is done. There is no argument that if you find you do not like a potential client you should walk away (and, speaking from personal experience what a joy that is); there are also some handy suggestions of how to do this if you are not a free agent in such a case but working within an organisation. The proposed responses are, of course, written by and for Americans and come over as deeply insincere in the mouths of the British, but they are not scripts but proposals. You can easily adapt them to different cultures because, however it is expressed, the basis of trust is the basically same in most cultures. The book acts as a valuable specific to those that suggest various up-selling strategies or ones in which the advisor portrays himself as The Top Man. By shifting one's vision to how this is perceived by the recipient we can see that up-selling can work, but only if the client leads you to it. The book's key is in constantly restating our approaches in terms of how they are perceived by the potential client, not how they address our internal needs and aims. It is a policy that I've found pays dividends. Recommended.

Genuinely a master class book for anyone who provides consulting advice to clients in almost any industry.

Clearly written. Lots of good hints and tips. Good checklists

For a scientist and technologist, looking to imprve their consulting skills, the Trusted Advisor provides real food for thought. It is not enough to have technical knowledge... how much more can we achieve on behalf of our clients if we can build high trust relationships, and really understand what their needs and interests are? Good relationships = requirements understood = expectations met = satisfied customers = repeat business... And to have this product in ipod/mp3 form allows the key messages to be heard anywhere, anytime, and it is easy to revisit key themes as a reminder of the reasons to work on behaving differently. Robin

The key theme for the book, the Trust Equation is actually in the middle of the book. The first part of the book leads up to it by framing the issue of trust and what a trusted adviser is. The second part, starting with the Trust Equation gives some structure to the challenge of building trust whilst the third part is all about putting trust to work. It contain loads of tips and ideas to help anyone who needs or wants to become a "trusted adviser" and it will be of particular interest to lawyers, accountants, account managers, consultants, tax advisers, business coaches etc. -- anyone in a long term relationship with a client. A really good book -- but I didn't actually finish it, partly because I had got enough out of it, and also partly because the format seemed a bit repetetive. Well worth the money spent though!

Thanks

The Trusted Advisor is one of the best books I’ve read on building long-term client relationships. It goes beyond technical expertise and focuses on how to develop trust, credibility and genuine connection with clients. The authors explain with real examples how listening, empathy and honesty create stronger partnerships than simply “selling” solutions. What I loved most is how practical the advice is, it shows exactly how to shift from being just a service provider to becoming a true trusted partner. The balance between psychology, communication and professional skills makes it applicable across industries, whether you’re in consulting, finance or entrepreneurship. A book I’ll keep revisiting, because every chapter gives you something actionable to improve client interactions. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to succeed in advisory or relationship-driven careers.

Desde hace tiempo vengo buscando un buen libro de ventas. Este es el mejor que me he encontrado. Lleno de contenido (serio) para quienes trabajamos con clientes. Y no se hace pesado de leer en lo absoluto vs otros libros profesionales que he intentado leer. Aún no lo termino pero con un 50% de lectura lo recomiendo al 100% no solo para quienes quieren formarse como vendedores o están comenzando su profesión en esta área, sino también para quienes llevan ya un tiempo en ventas pero quieren profundizar la relación con sus clientes.

There are so many fold marks on the cover and the binding does not look secure. Disappointed in physical quality of the book

I read the first edition and did not see a lot of new ideas or concepts in the second edition. It's a great book and even the concept of Trusted Advisor" is important. I have changed my job title on my business cards from Account Manage to Trusted Advisor. It draws interest and I explain that this is what I want our relationship to become.