# On being a good advisor #permanentnote ## Source - [[book - The Trusted Advisor]] ## Keywords - [[topic - leading and managing]] - [[topic - information management]] - [[topic - having a great relationship]] - [[how to be a better advisor]] - [[how to be a better negotiator]] ## Relevant notes - [[zt - candour is a powerful word]] and should be used to create trust and relationship that allows becoming a good advisor - [[zt - trust is a must for long term relationship]] and being an advisor should always be a long term relationship - [[zt - care is a core competency of any relationship]] and an advisor is a leader for leaders. - [[zt - it is all about people - humans]] remember that it is more about people management than knowledge. The Internet provides knowledge :) - [[zt - diplomacy is needed to work with the powerful]] - [[zt - all customers want someone that takes away their worries and problems]] - [[zt - socratic questions]] as a method to advise by being diplomatic and useful - [[zt - be client focus]] always and avoid debating in your head. Just focus on the client ## Notes - *A trusted advisor is above all someone who is capable of totally and completely devoting himself, his caring and his attention to the client.* - An advisor is not only right but also helpful. Knowledge needs to be mixed with a real focus on the customer - The ==political fights are for the customer==. To arm the customer for such fights it is important that the advisor ==provides reasons, not instructions==. - It is the advisor responsability for the proper mutual understanding. So clarifiying questions should be coming from the advisor - An advisor is an expert guide in the process of reasoning through the problem - give them options - give them education about the options (in depth) - give them a recommendation - ^^let them choose!^^ - if forced use "if it was my company or money I would do X" - In particular in the advisory world, [[book - The Trusted Advisor]] p 178-180 - clients do not want the following from an advisor: - to be sold to - feel their business is like all the others - see few signs that we are listening - be romanced - clients want their advisor to: - make an impact on their business - do more things "on spec" - spend more time helping think and develop strategies - lead our thinking. How will the business look in 5 years - Jump on new data - schedule some off-site meetings - make the effort to understand how the business works - let them know how they compare to others - tell why competitors are goind what they are doing - discuss other things we should be doing - The value of the service delivered by an advisor: - understanding - sense of control (like using the getting to know method in [[zt - negotiation techniques]]) - access and availability - responsiveness - reliability - appreciation - sense of importance [[zt - diplomacy is needed to work with the powerful]] - respect