Trusted Advisor

Trusted Advisor

I’ve been advocating a migration toward becoming trusted advisors for your clients, rather than “hands on” project leaders on site. After all, we should represent brains, not another pair of hands.

This is an excellent time to promote yourself in that capacity, since clients have become accustomed to remote interactions, they’d just as soon not have a “stranger” in their midst, and you can provide a global (if you choose) expertise in strong markets at very low cost, and very low “wear and tear.”

The first step is to use advisory services as your default relationship, and to tell prospects, “Let me explain how I work.” The second step is to go back to your existing clients with the highest future potential and say, “I’ve begin a new relationship with new clients that is so widely accepted that I’d be remiss not to offer it to you.” Then explain the benefits in working “backstage” for the client as opposed to being in the building.

I have four million air miles, beginning in the early 1970s. But lately, they represent mostly vacations.