Chapter 5
Which Trusted Advisors Will Lead the Recovery?
Most Trusted Advisors Miss the Point
Almost every C-suite executive has read David Maister's book on the subject, aptly titled The Trusted Advisor. They have caught the bug and now want the infection to go airborne. This movement is significant, because encouraging all salespeople to become trusted advisors is akin to making the not-so-secret admission that e-mail, voice mail, IM-ing, texting, and most forms of electronic customer relations management (CRM) software just aren't cutting it. Organizations that want to take business away from a competitor are getting back to the face-to-face basics.
I'll start by giving some examples of what a trusted advisor looks like in practice, and then we'll get into the nuts-and-bolts skills and behaviors required to master this art.
Before Ramani Ayer retired as the CEO of The Hartford Insurance Company in 2009, he told me the following: “The future is not electronic. It [requires] getting more feet on the street. I want every agent and associate to stop staring at their CRM dashboards and get out of the office. I want them to spend 65 percent of their time with their customers.”
Jon Magnusson, chairman and CEO of renowned Seattle, Washington–based structural and civil engineering firm Magnusson Klemencic Associates, has planned and built some of the most stunning, award-winning projects in the world. MKA's designs include stadiums that hold 72,500 people, 48 museums in 11 states and ...
