Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
David Maister, Charles Green, and Robert Galford--consultants on professional-service management and customer-relation issues--believe nobody can become successful as a business guru until they first gain the confidence of their clients. In The Trusted Advisor, the authors effectively build their case through anecdote and illustration, then relay a solid series of relevant suggestions applicable to both would-be consultants and those already active in the field. Among their most potent suggestions is a practical, five-step development process that encourages outsiders to engage clients by focusing attention on the issues and individuals at hand; listening both to what they say and what they leave unsaid; framing the immediate problem from their perspective; envisioning with them how a solution might appear; and committing jointly to the actions and resources that will bring it about. Also particularly useful is the examination of trust-building during four phases of a client-advisor alliance: at the time the relationship is consummated; during the assignment; after the assignment; and when "cross-selling," or establishing affiliations with the customer's associates. Boosting its utility, the book is filled with concise, easily adopted tips like "return phone calls unbelievably fast" and "always tell the truth and not what the client wants to hear." --Howard Rothman
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Excellent book!
Customer Rating:
It reads well and we chose it for the required reading for a class for new consultants that join our company because it teaches everything we want them to strive to be. The basic message seems to be listening skills, so we also paired our training with some listening lessons and exercises. I would highly recommend this book to any consultant - new or experienced.
A Trusted Author
Customer Rating:
David is the written word authority on professional advisory services. The trusted advisor is a book, I first read when it was published and I find myself returning to it and sharing it along with other works of David's again and again. But if you can read just one and want to balance learning with the enjoyment of the read, I recommend The Trusted Advisory for all consultants and service industry professionals.
Absolutely brilliant
Customer Rating:
Truly, the content that Maister, Green, and Galford provide in "The Trusted Advisor" is absolutely brilliant. The only other consulting text that comes to mind which meets the quality of this work is "The Secrets of Consulting", by Weinberg (see my review). And while "Secrets" is an incredibly informative and entertaining masterpiece, the three authors who collaborated for this piece have provided a great service to anyone involved with advising other individuals, regardless of profession. The step-by-step path that this book offers starts with perspectives on trust, followed by the road to trust building, and how to proceed once trust is achieved. Unlike many books of this genre, the authors (and editors) of "The Trusted Advisor" do not simply rehash the obvious, and their explanations never assume the background of the reader. This book is so well put together that it is difficult to determine where to start in terms of this review. Each chapter is focused, designed to answer a specific question, such as "Do you really have to care for those you advise?" or "How do you ensure clients are willing to do what it takes to solve their problems?" The introduction notes that the education of the authors "served [them] well, but nothing in it prepared [them] for the real world of trying to serve clients effectively. Along the way, [they] learned that becoming a good advisor takes more than having good advice to offer. There are additional skills involved, ones that no one ever teaches...that are critical to [one's] success. Most important, [they] learned that [one doesn't] get the chance to employ advisory skills until [they] can get someone to trust [them] enough to share their problems[.]" The authors also note in the introduction that the theme of this book is that "the key to professional success is not just technical mastery of one's discipline (which is, of course, essential), but also the ability to work with clients in such a way as to earn their trust and gain their confidence." In order to do this book justice, a write-up for a New Yorker book review would be in order since there is simply not enough space to write here. One specific aspect of this book this reviewer appreciated is all the lists throughout the book (39 in total) that are also contained in a comprehensive appendix. For example, the first chapter immediately lists the 16 benefits one might obtain when trust is established with clients, followed by the 22 traits trusted advisors have in common. The figures provided in each chapter are also very effective, starting with Figure 2.1 that helps visualize the path from subject matter or process expert to trusted advisor that consists of increasing breadth of business issues and depth of personal relationship. Many examples are presented to illustrate the discussions of each chapter, and suggested variations on how to word advice are also liberally provided to the reader. Chapters 15 and 16 were especially well done. The first lists some of the difficulties the authors hear about the trusted advisor role, followed by a point-by-point examination of each. For example, "Professional services firms often breed a culture of content expertise and mastery. (We're taught that content is all.)" and "My client wants me to focus on the work at hand; he or she doesn't want to see me about anything else." The latter chapter discusses 9 difficult client types, and how to respond, such as the "I'll Get Back to You" client and the "Just Like, You Know, Come On" client. Highly recommended.
Nothing New
Customer Rating:
Odds are, if you read books like this, you have read all of this before. Most of it is common sense as well.
Sales vs Advising
Customer Rating:
There's a lot more to selling than sales skills. You can study all the closes you want, but if you can't bring value to your clients, you better find a new profession. The Trusted Advisor educates true consultants on how to bring value in what you can offer to your clients, The Trusted Advisor takes you from salesperson to valued resource, and it all starts with trust. The old line, "what's it going to take to get you to buy" is for sales people that won't be selling this time next year, invest in yourself, invest in what The Trusted Advisor teaches you.
Select button not working? 
