What are the qualities of a trusted client advisor?
What are the qualities of a trusted client advisor?
With only minor additions, the original model for client advisor attributes–which I set out in Clients for Life 10 years ago–has held up remarkably well. I have taught this framework to tens of thousands of professionals, and it is incorporated into the training curricula of many large professional service firms. Here a brief summary of what it takes to become a client advisor:
The foundation is a shift from the “Expert” mindset to the “Advisor” mindset. Being an expert in your field is very important, and having expertise is essential to get in the door and do a good job serving your client. But the expert mindset is a barrier to becoming an advisor. “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities,” wrote Shunryo Suzuki, “but in the expert’s there are few.” I’ll illustrate the advisor attributes by contrasting the expert with the advisor. I’ve seen this comparison appear in many places in the last few years, but it was published for the first time in Clients for Life in 2000 (that’s my way of saying I am flattered at how well the concept has resonated with other writers!):
The Client Advisor Attributes:
- Empathy: experts tell; advisors ask great questions and listen
- Selfless Independence: experts are for hire; advisors balance dedication with detachment and objectivity
- “Deep Generalist”: experts are narrow specialists; advisors have both knowledge depth and knowledge breadth
- Synthesis or Big Picture Thinking: experts analyze; advisors analyze and synthesize
- Judgment: experts made decisions based on the facts; advisors incorporate their own and their client’s values and beliefs–and the client’s organizational capabilities–into the calculus of judgment
- Conviction: experts are demonstrate credibility when they speak; advisors resonate with belief and energy when they communicate their recommendations
- Trust: experts develop professional trust; advisors also build deep personal trust based on their integrity (reliability, consistency, honesty, discretion) and competence and through mutual familiarity with the client.
There is an additional factor I discuss in my newest book, All for One, which I also find is essential–I call it becoming an Agenda Setter: Experts react to their clients’ agendas, whereas advisors help to shape and influence and improve them. Nowadays, it’s the difference between being stuck responding to competitive RFPs all the time and being able to generate sole-sourced demand. More on this in a later blog.
