How do you become a trusted advisor instead of a salesperson?

"Needs" and "wants" are not always the same. Sometimes, customers may not be aware of their true needs, or they may have unrealistic or conflicting wants. Therefore, it is important for consultants to understand the client's needs and wants and to offer services that can meet both of them.

Quite simply, help the client in whatever way they need it - that may not be by offering them your service or product. Truly help them and you'll be their trusted advisor.

Listening Skills: Actively listen to your clients. Often, they know their problems better than anyone else. Pay attention to their concerns, objectives, and vision for their organization. Transparency: Be open and honest. If a particular solution isn't the best fit, say so. Transparency builds credibility and shows that you have your client's best interests at heart.

Don’t look at people as numbers, rather how you can solve an issue—even an unknown issue. By prioritizing educating over selling, you’ll quickly earn trust and sell more.

I’ve succeeded as an advisor because early on I understood the central importance of having vision with my client - not just understanding theirs. This means: 1. You emerge as a trusted advisor over time because you can see where they are trying to go and you consistently apply your expertise to helping them navigate their way for long term success. 2. Be in it for the long game and this should come through in how in tune you are with events, trends and shifts in their industry - and your proactive engagement with them about how their organization may be affected. 3. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Lean in, be human and help them get better not just richer.

It may be quite difficult to differentiate from other advisors. I have been on the industry side for a while and have seen many pitches that sounded so similar, all based on data, facts and industry insights. A small difference may make for a winning pitch - be as close to THAT customer’s needs and specifics as possible. Take enough time to understand what they REALLY need, do not just offer an off-the-shelf solution potentially applicable to every company in that industry. And make sure you take into account the customer’s insights, they will be willing to share a lot to make sure they are well understood. So spend more than enough time in understanding the needs, so you can deliver a customized solution.

Interesting that an AI generated discussion misses what I consider the most important human qualities required of a trustworthy adviser: having the integrity and courage to tell clients what they need to hear to achieve all the wonderful outcomes listed in this discussion. Accepting significant risk to the continuation of your engagement - by raising and helping to resolve your clients’ thorniest human issues - elevates consultants to adviser status. Long term reliability gives them trustworthy adviser status. Just sayin’……..

Having an abundance approach and giving without expecting anything in return. This mindset leads to being curious and asking questions and in turn gives a natural tendency to wanting to help. You become known as someone who wants to see others succeed and the natural gravitational pull of people/clients coming to you as the trusted adviser occurs.

Always approach selling from a consultative viewpoint. I ask clients questions about their business, how they go to market, what they want to achieve in terms of business goals etc. Tell them upfront - I am not here to try to sell products. If I can understand their business and add value that grows their business then I know that they will purchase the products I represent as a byproduct of the process. This removes defence barriers of another sales person trying to fobb a product or service to them. Genuinely listen and ask questions back afterwards. This shows you're genuine about engaging in their business. You're at their business, using their time - respect this in a real way. +90% of time prospects will become loyal clients.

Although you may gain your clients trust, they will still need to verify your advice. This is where you provide the "why" of your suggested solutions. And specifically, why it's right for your client's organization, not just others in their industry. Take a more customized approach to solution selling. It will resonate much better with the client and demonstrate how you are invested in their success.

Anticipate their needs: Try to anticipate your client's future needs and proactively offer solutions or suggestions that can help them achieve their goals. This shows that you are invested in their success and are constantly looking for ways to add value. Build long-term relationships: Focus on building strong, long-term relationships with your clients. Show genuine interest in their success and maintain regular contact even after the completion of a project. By nurturing these relationships, you can continue to add value and exceed their expectations in future collaborations.

Be a connector. Adding additonal value is one of the most important, yet overlooked, aspects of client partnership. Client issues tend to have several dimensions, not all served by your solution. Building and maintaining a network of professional consultants with expertise adjacent to your own is a critical differentiator. This network can be internal in your own firm, or external across the business ecosystem. Using the real estate industry as an example, a good real estate agent will know good bankers for mortgage finance and strong general contractors for home improvements. By introducing new contacts, you signal to the client that their success is more important than your success. The relationship grows as a consequence.

Adding value and exceeding expectations are pivotal strategies for transitioning from a salesperson to a trusted advisor. Rather than merely meeting a project's or engagement's basic requirements, a trusted advisor aims to deliver results that go above and beyond what the client anticipates. This could mean completing tasks ahead of schedule, coming in under budget, or offering additional insights that enhance the project's overall impact. By consistently delivering more than expected, the advisor solves immediate challenges and creates a lasting impression of reliability and excellence. This fosters a more trusting relationship with the client, who will likely turn to the advisor for future needs.

You need to understand that this is a long term relationship. The value you are going to create for your clients can be life changing for them and if you deliver on time, on point and beyond, that's s client for life and your best advertising. Also, you grow with them in terms of knowledge and business level.

While this is a great characteristic to encourage, be aware that is a double-edge sword. Meaning that life will always reward you for your great intentions and actions, but the rewards won’t necessarily come from the clients that benefited from you over exceeding expectations. Most of the organizations are simply trying to make money out of thin air. Therefore, be mindful of your pearls.

Rarely is a decision made by one person but rather by a panel of people with different agendas. Learn which roles these people play in the decision process. Then package your solution with those players in mind. You must earn their trust but also address their agendas.

Self-respect bring the right type of clients around you. Be patient and build the right foundations for life time relationships.

Here are some things we can do to build relationships with clients: -Connect with important people in their organization and stay in touch with them. -Attend meetings, events, and networking opportunities to meet decision-makers and influencers. -Show genuine interest in their work and goals...and ask them questions. Lots of questions. -Be responsive, reliable, and provide any support they need. -Share helpful resources or insights with them. -Offer your expertise and help whenever possible. -Look for opportunities to collaborate with them. -Stay in regular contact and check in with them. -Respect their time and boundaries. -Always be professional, respectful, and show empathy in your interactions.

A consultant can join the local Country club where the client goes in order to meet the client more regularly. Also, scheduling business lunches with the client can be rewarding as it gives you an opportunity to get insights into what the client is planning in the near future.

While a salesperson may focus on short-term transactions, a trusted advisor invests time and effort in cultivating meaningful, long-term relationships with clients and industry peers. This involves professional interactions, building personal rapport, understanding individual preferences, and even connecting on shared interests or values. By nurturing a robust network, you gain access to a broader range of opportunities and resources and enhance your reputation as a trusted go-to expert. Over time, these relationships become a valuable asset, providing steady referrals, collaborations, and partnerships that contribute to sustained business growth and personal career advancement.

The wonderful thing about consulting is the opportunity to constructively learn from helping to resolve client problems or challenges. Of course you need a baseline of skill and experience not to learn at the client’s expense, but after that every problem can have new facets that give the opportunity for consultants to be always learning and hence growing.

Continuous learning and personal growth are indeed integral to becoming a trusted advisor. However, it's imperative to recognize that many aspire to this role without investing in the necessary training and skill development. It goes beyond networking; it entails delivering what the client seeks—knowledge and competence. Seeking feedback, embracing challenges, and staying updated with trends are essential but should be guided by a steadfast commitment to aligning personal growth with the client's specific needs and objectives. Ultimately, being a trusted advisor is more than ambition; it requires the dedication to offer genuine value through expertise and unwavering competence.

The business landscape is dynamic, with new challenges, technologies, and methodologies emerging regularly. Committing to ongoing personal and professional development is crucial to stay relevant and practical. This means staying abreast of industry trends, updating skill sets, and being open to feedback for improvement. Whether taking advanced courses, attending seminars, or engaging in thought leadership by publishing articles or giving talks, continuous learning enhances your expertise and credibility. By demonstrating a commitment to growth, you improve your capabilities and reinforce your position as a trusted advisor who brings fresh, updated insights, fostering more robust, enduring client relationships.

A consultant with whom I worked many years ago told me that you just need to be half a page ahead in the book compared to your client. Another one, when I asked why they always forecast 5 years ahead, told me that no-one would recall in 5 years what was said 5 years ago. It was also close enough but not too far away to make clients think!

Technology such as AI, blockchain and quantum computing is changing business and society quickly. And advisors are often staying in the comfort zone of their expertise. The best way to stay updated is to dedicate time each day to learn (read, interact, engage) or to take online course or to volunteer for relevant initiatives. Then it shows that you have real knowledge, experience and insights…to contribute to your clients.

As a consultant lawyer I adopt a client approach. I make my client's experience my top priority. I ensure that they feel valued, respected, and prioritized throughout their interactions with me. I believe it is important to seek feedback from your clients to understand how you can improve your services. Learning from client experiences helps in refining and enhancing your approach. And don't forget to handle mistakes gracefully!.If you make a mistake , acknowledge it, take responsibility, and work towards finding a solution. How you handle challenges can greatly impact the level of trust your clients have in you

As a consultant, whenever I have made a strategy, I tend to state the same in a story format. This allows the audience to see through my thought process and even make logical sense. But this is not it. To be more persuasive, every strategy should have two things- data and scenarios. Only when there is data which supports the story and scenarios which show the best case and worse case outcomes it when I know I am being a reliable consultant and not merely a salesperson promoting my idea.

Becoming a trusted advisor instead of a salesperson is about building relationships, providing value, and focusing on the customer’s needs. We must show genuine interest in helping them solve problems by offering insights and expertise without being pushy. We should be like a compass guiding them through their journey, rather than just trying to make a sale. It’s like being a skilled chef who delights diners with exquisite dishes, instead of simply selling ingredients in a grocery store.

In addition to the points listed here, it is imperative that as a management consultant you ensure that the 'trust' is built with integrity. By showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values, management consultants should show earnestness in their actions. For example, if 'Client Success' is a core value, then clearly all actions of the consultant should be taken with this lens and not the lens of maximizing revenue for the consultant.

Being or becoming a trusted advisor comprises basically the following two points: a) always keeping in mind what's best for the client. Listen to the client. Unterstanding their situation, evaluating different options, pros and cons, and advise. Also recommending the best option if that does not follow your own companies strategy. b) helping the client in any situation, even if that means you do not make money with it, but include another consulting company or integrator.