Trusted Advisor Fieldbook

CHARLES H. GREEN is founder and CEO of Trusted Advisor Associates. The author of Trust-Based Selling and coauthor of The Trusted Advisor, he is a noted speaker on trust in sales, within organizations, and in external business relationships. ANDREA P. HOWE is part of the leadership team of Trusted Advisor Associates. She is also the founder and President of BossaNova Consulting Group. A veteran consultant and seminar leader, Andrea specializes in serving global professional services firms.

• Introduction xviWhy a Fieldbook xviWho Should Read this Book xviHow to Use this Book xviiWhere to Begin xviiPart I A Trust Primer 1Chapter 1 Fundamental Truths 3Trust Requires Trusting and Being Trusted 3Trust Is Personal 3Trust Is about Relationships 4Trust Is Created in Interactions 4There Is No Trust without Risk 4Trust Is Paradoxical 5Listening Drives Trust and Influence 5Trust Does Not Take Time 5Trust Is Strong and Durable, Not Fragile 6You Get What You Give 7Chapter 2 Fundamental Attitudes 9Principles over Processes 9You Are More Connected than You Think 11It’s Not about You 11Curiosity Trumps Knowing 11Time Works for You 13Chapter 3 The Dynamics of Influence 15Earning the Right to Be Right: Three Steps 15A Five-Point Checklist for Influencing Meetings 18Chapter 4 Three Trust Models 22The Trust Equation 22The Trust Creation Process 25The Trust Principles 26Chapter 5 Five Trust Skills 33Listen 33Partner 34Improvise 35Risk 35Know Yourself 36Part II Developing Your Trust Skill Set 39Chapter 6 Listen 41The Listening Differentiator: Empathy 41Four Barriers to Paying Attention 42Three-Level Listening 43Seven Listening Best Practices 47Your Everyday Empathy Workout: Low Weights, High Reps 48Chapter 7 Partner 51Partnering Traits 51Ten Common Partnering Barriers 52Self-Assessment: Are You Primed for Partnership? 54Specific Ways to Build Your Partnering Muscle 55Chapter 8 Improvise 61The Science behind Moments of Truth 62How Moments of Truth Become Moments of Mastery 62The Practice of Improvisation 62Role-Play Your Way to Mastery 64Chapter 9 Risk 68The Relationship between Trust and Risk 69Six Ways to Practice Risk-Taking 70The Three-Question Transparency Test 71A Tool for Truth-Telling: Name It and Claim It 72The Power of Caveats 74Chapter 10 Know Yourself 79How Blind Spots Impede Trust-Building 79Three Approaches to Expand Your Self-Knowledge 80How to Use Self-Knowledge to Increase Trust 82Part III Developing Business with Trust 85Chapter 11 Trust-Based Marketing and Business Development 87Focus on Your Customer 87Collaborate to Drive New Business 89Focus on Relationships, Not Transactions 90Be Transparent with Prospects and Clients 91Chapter 12 Trust-Based Networking 94Ten Best Practices for Trust-Based Networking 95Technology and Trust-Based Networking 97Chapter 13 Delivering the Pitch 102Sometimes the Best Pitch Is No Pitch 102Don’t Skip the Prepitch Warm-Up 103Make It Interactive 104Have a Point of View 105Take the Preoccupation Out of Price 105With PowerPoint, Less Is More 106Stop Selling Your Qualifications 106Do Not Denigrate the Competition 107Be Willing to Ditch the Pitch 107Chapter 14 Handling Objections 110The Problem: How You Think about Objections 110The Antidote: Change Your Thinking 112Three Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Conversations 113Chapter 15 Talking Price 117The Price Isn’t the Problem 118When to Talk Price 119How to Address Price Concerns 120The Three Primary Drivers of Price Concerns 121A Special Case: The Engineer Buyer 123Chapter 16 Closing the Deal 125Six Reasons Not to Always Be Closing 125Five Practices to Stop Closing and Start Helping 127Chapter 17 Developing New Business with Existing Clients 130First, Deepen the Relationship 130Move Upstream 131Cross-Sell 132Seek Referrals 133Chapter 18 Selling to the C-Suite 136What Sets the C-Suite Apart 136A Different Kind of Preparation 136Nine Best Practices for Successful C-Suite Meetings 139Chapter 19 Reviving Stalled Relationships 143How to Reengage 144When It’s Time to Walk Away 145Part IV Managing Relationships with Trust 149Chapter 20 Starting Off Right 151Three Ways Kickoffs Go Wrong 151Four Key Ingredients for a Successful Kickoff 153A Word of Caution 154Chapter 21 Accelerating Trust 156Three Steps for Creating Trust Quickly 15721 Ways to Build Trust … Fast 158Chapter 22 Navigating Politics 163Seven Best Practices for Dealing with Organizational Politics 164The Special Challenges of Client Politics 165Chapter 23 Shifting from Tactics to Strategy 169The Strategy Blind Spot 169Four Key Questions to Shift the Conversation 170How to Engage Strategically 173Chapter 24 My Client Is a Jerk: Transforming Relationships Gone Bad 176What Lies Behind Bad Behavior 176From Difficult to Rewarding: Three Steps 177Reframing: Five Steps to a BetterProblem Statement 180Chapter 25 Dealing with Untrustworthy People 183Blame and an Inability to Confront 183Constructive Confrontation 184When You Can’t Confront 186When to Walk Away 186Chapter 26 Trust-Based Negotiations 189Where Negotiations Go Wrong 189Changing the Game by Working from Trust 191Chapter 27 Building Trust at a Distance 195The Key to Building Trust at a Distance: Familiarity 196The Role of Technology in Communication 198Ten Best Practices for Managing Virtual Teams 199Part V Building and Running a Trustworthy Organization 201Chapter 28 Making the Case for Trust 203Economic Benefits of Trust 203Social Benefits of Trust 206Ethical Benefits of Trust 206Chapter 29 Creating a Culture of Trust 209Two Keys to Trust Culture Change: Virtues and Values 209Implementing Trust Initiatives 211Spotlight on Trust Diagnostics 215Chapter 30 Trust in Internal Staff Functions 219The Top Trust Barriers by Function 220Five Trust-Enhancing Opportunities for Internal Staff 220Don’t Confuse Your Metrics with Your Mission 222Chapter 31 Training for Trustworthiness 225The One-Two Punch for Trustworthiness Training 225How to Set Off the Aha: A Nine-Point Checklist 227Eleven Ways to Make It Stick 228Create the Right Learning Environment 229List of ListsChapter 1 Fundamental Truths 233Chapter 2 Fundamental Attitudes 233Chapter 3 The Dynamics of Influence 233Chapter 4 Three Trust Models 234Chapter 5 Five Trust Skills 235Chapter 6 Listen 236Chapter 7 Partner 237Chapter 8 Improvise 237Chapter 9 Risk 238Chapter 10 Know Yourself 239Chapter 11 Trust-Based Marketing and Business Development 239Chapter 13 Delivering the Pitch 241Chapter 14 Handling Objections 242Chapter 15 Talking Price 243Chapter 16 Closing the Deal 244Chapter 17 Developing New Business with Existing Clients 244Chapter 18 Selling to the C-Suite 245Chapter 19 Reviving Stalled Relationships 245Chapter 20 Starting Off Right 246Chapter 21 Accelerating Trust 246Chapter 22 Navigating Politics 247Chapter 23: Shifting from Tactics to Strategy 248Chapter 24 My Client Is a Jerk: Transforming Relationships Gone Bad 249Chapter 25 Dealing with Untrustworthy People 249Chapter 26 Trust-Based Negotiations 250Chapter 27 Building Trust at a Distance 251Chapter 28 Making the Case for Trust 252Chapter 29 Creating a Culture of Trust 252Chapter 30 Trust in Internal Staff Functions 254Chapter 31 Training for Trustworthiness 254Notes 257Selected Bibliography 263About the Authors 264Index 265