Trust has never felt more fragile – or more valuable.
In a world of constant change, noise and scepticism, the ability to build real trust is the difference between being heard and being ignored. Between a fleeting transaction and a lasting partnership.
Recently, I worked with a CEO and his leadership team who were facing what many are today: shifting markets, pressured margins and increasingly tense client conversations.
Clients who once trusted their guidance were now pushing back, with reasons such as: “Your fees are too high.” “We have gone with another party.”
As market leaders, the team prided themselves on client relationships and were curious as to why they were no longer winning some of the bigger mandates they had always won.
The CEO’s question to me was: “How do we strengthen trust so our clients truly listen, even when they don’t want to hear what we have to say?”
That’s the essence of becoming a Trusted Advisor.
Someone whose voice carries weight, even in disagreement.
Someone whose advice is not just heard but valued.
In this case the Executive Team decided to take time out on a strategic off-site, to review their strategy and make decisions on what to preserve and what to change, so they continually evolved and regained their market share in an ever-competitive marketplace.
There are a number of key traits of a Trusted Advisor, but here are eight that stand out for me…
1. Adopt a Mindset of Generosity
There’s a world of difference between a dealer and a trusted advisor.
The dealer’s focus is on the transaction; the advisor’s focus is on the relationship.
Trusted advisors show up with generosity. They prepare with care, bring insight and listen deeply. Before every conversation, they ask:
“How can I add value to this client today?”
That question changes everything. It shifts energy from getting something to giving something. And paradoxically, that’s what builds loyalty.
2. Stay Connected – Especially When It’s Difficult
In uncertain times, silence erodes trust faster than mistakes do. Trusted advisors don’t wait for activity, they create it. They pick up the phone when others hide behind email. They check in not to sell, but to stay humanly connected.
Many of the trusted advisors I know offer their clients access to them 24/7. At times of crises this personal service is appreciated.
In good times and bad, contact builds confidence.
3. Treat Clients as People, Not Projects
Every client has a story. Behind every role, there’s a person balancing pressures, ambitions, and fears. When you take time to see them as individuals, acknowledging their humanity, you earn the right to influence their decisions.
Go beyond the professional. Remember a key milestone. Follow up after a challenge. Small gestures create large reservoirs of trust.
4. Lead with Insight, Not Information
Clients are inundated with data. What they need is clarity. Bring market intelligence that reframes their thinking. Distil complexity into something useful. Insights, not reports, make you indispensable.
5. Listen Without Defending
In moments of tension, our instinct is to defend. Trusted advisors resist that urge. They stay with the concern. They listen; not to respond, but to understand.
Real listening builds trust faster than persuasion ever can.
When you demonstrate curiosity instead of control, you uncover what truly matters to your client. That’s where your influence grows.
6. Tell Stories, Don’t Sell Solutions
Stories build trust because they show, not tell. Share how you helped another client face a similar challenge. It creates relevance and credibility, without the self-promotion.
Facts inform. Stories persuade. Trust deepens through both.
7. Reframe Through Purpose
Language matters. A “price reduction” feels like loss. A “reinvestment” feels like opportunity. Reframing connects your client to the why behind your advice, the bigger aspiration.
Trusted advisors elevate the conversation beyond tactics to shared purpose.
8. Manage Yourself First
Emotional intelligence is the foundation of trust. 85% of it is self-awareness.
Under pressure, do you speed up? Get defensive? Go quiet? Knowing your default mode is the first step to managing it.
In tough conversations, pause. Sit back. Breathe. Trust begins with the tone you set, not the words you choose.
A Moment That Changed the Room
In a previous workshop one of the directors responded to my request to put learning into practice and called a client who had been resisting his advice and was considering walking away. By simply listening differently, with empathy and patience, and asking key questions, he turned the conversation around. The client not only stayed, but thanked him for his candour.
That single success created a ripple of confidence across the team. It reminded them that trust isn’t built in PowerPoint presentations or emails – it’s built in conversation.
The Reward of Trust
When trust forms, both client and advisor can be fully themselves. There’s no performance, no pretence, just open dialogue, shared goals and mutual respect.
And yes, trusted relationships drive commercial success: repeat business, referrals, efficiency. But the deeper reward is freedom. The freedom to do your best work with people who genuinely value your insight.
Trust takes time to build and only a moment to lose. But when you invest in it deliberately, it becomes your most powerful differentiator – in business and in life.
Thriving in a Changing Market is one of the bespoke programmes we deliver for executive teams who have growth ambitions. To explore how we can support you in your growth contact Oona at team@potentialplus-int.com
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