In today's fast-paced networked economy, professionals must work harder than ever to maintain and improve their business skills and knowledge. But technical mastery of one's discipline is not enough, assert world-renowned professional advisors David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford. The key to professional success, they argue, is the ability to earn the trust and confidence of clients. To demonstrate the paramount importance of trust, the authors use anecdotes, experiences, and examples -- successes and mistakes, their own and others' -- to great effect. The result is an immensely readable book that will be welcomed by the inexperienced advisor and the most seasoned expert alike.

What would be the benefits if your clients trusted you more?

What do great trusted advisors all seem to do?

What are the dynamics of trusting and being trusted?

How do you ensure that your advice is listened to?

What are the principles of building strong relationships?

What attitudes must you have to be effective?

Do you really have to care for those you advise?

In the final chapter, the authors include "The Quick-Impact List to Gain Trust" and then an Appendix in which they duplicate all of the checklists previously provided. I rate this book so highly for twqo reasons: First, because the content is rock-solid, anchored in a wealth of real-world experiences which the authors generously share; also because they explain HOW to gain and then sustain the trust of everyone with whom you do business. This book will be especially valuable to small-to-midsize companies whose success or failure is primarily (if not entirely) dependent upon client relationships based on trust. Buyers have lots of choices. It is not enough for them to trust what you sell. Others may well offer the same product or service. They must also trust you, the seller. And here's the key point: It is imperative that customer trust your advice as they consider a purchase from you but, ultimately, your customers must have so much confidence in you that they will also seek your advice on other matters which have nothing to do with what you sell. So-called "customer satisfactioon" is achieved on a per-transaction basis. As Jeffrey Gitomer correctly asserts, your objective should be "customer loyalty." The authors of this book explain HOW to achieve it and then HOW to sustain it.

36 of 41 found the following review helpful:


Valuable and helpful!  Sep 24, 2000
This is a book filled with helpful checklists, valauble to anyone in the consulting field. In an eminently readable style, the authors show us not just the requirements to be a trusted advisor but also how to be a better consultant and how to improve our interpersonal skills. We read different phrases (that, I assume at least one of the authors use) that show us how to raise contentious issues in a non-threatening way (eg, "Let me play the devil's advocate and try to convince you .." and "This will feel risky to you but ..") It's the type of book we need to dip into on a regular basis to remind ourselves of those "little things" that make a big difference when dealing with clients. An easy but most valuable read.

35 of 41 found the following review helpful:


Maister is the Master  Jul 27, 2001 By Andrew Silberman
My introduction to David Maister came from the former managing director of Burson-Marteller's Tokyo office, who recommended True Professionalism. That book became one of the "required readings" for my training company's staff. Since True Professionalism, I've read Managing the Professional Service Firm and found it heavy, over-detail-oriented and difficult to apply. Now comes The Trusted Advisor (with other authors) and I can say without a doubt this best book on trust development I've read--putting real meat in those abstract concepts like "credibility." His chapter where he introduces the equation where Trust = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy, all divided by Self-orientation, would be worth the price of the book. No, there probably is nothing new under the sun, but Maister in this book (and in Practice What You Preach, another gem) provides the keys to create better results for clients, and shows us how to turn those keys to start the engine. If there were 10 stars to give, I'd rate this a 10.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:


Finally Information without the transparent sell of services  May 25, 2005 By James Ward
Will you use everything in this book? Probably not. Will it remind you of some of the things you have forgotten to do to be a trusted advisor - absolutely!

Best part is you'll get nuggets of information- which is all you can expect of any book. And you won't feel like the book has been written to sell you on their service.

Well done and well worth the read.

8 of 10 found the following review helpful:


Very Useful Professional Guidance Tool  Nov 27, 2000 By ERIC CLARK
The book provides very useful information for organizations dedicated to providing professional services. From lists to review and to applicable references, this book is worth the time to read. Often books of this nature prophesizes without a granular approach, this is not the case with The Trusted Advisor.

For me, it is a reference for mentoring as well as day to day practice.

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