Overview:
It’s easy for personal motives to get in the way of an effective consulting or advisor relationship. It happens in lots of small subtle ways – poor questions, not taking the time to understand the real issues, poor listening, treating client interactions as transactions, and rushing to quickly to a solution. The consequences are lower trust, slower resolution of the real issues, and greater tension for both sides of the relationship.
The purpose of this page is to describe a necessary skill development program to support the development of effective advisor relationships based on trust.
It’s simple but it ain’t easy!
Challenges Addressed:
- Giving advice to senior managers and politicians.
- Building strong relationships with more senior managers and external stakeholders.
- Making unpalatable advice easier to accept.
Outcome / Business Benefit:
- Providing targeted advice to clients, in a manner that increases their buy-in.
- Handling difficult relationship issues with confidence and resolving issues without damaging the relationship.
- Bringing suggestions to clients that add value to the relationship.
- Having the courage to deepen relationships beyond just your ‘technical expertise’.
- Enjoying client relationships more.
Key Components:
- Definitions of relationship – what makes a good relationship.
- 4 levels of consulting relationships.
- Assessing the current state of the client relationship.
- Trust builders and destroyers: Reliability, Credibility, Intimacy and Self Orientation.
- Understanding clients’ business styles.
- Building rapport with senior management.
- Uncovering the client’s real issues and needs.
- Advisor questioning and listening skills.
- Framing suggestions to influence senior management.
- Communication presence – ‘looking like a trusted advisor’.
- Correctly setting relationship expectations – rules of engagement and establishing a mutual purpose.
- Dealing with difficult conversations and managing tension.
- 13 Relationship behaviours that build trust.
- Planning the relationship – building a communications/interactions plan.
Workshop Duration:
2 days
Expressions of interest:
If your are interested in this workshop for your organisation or as an individual please contact us.
