Many wonder how to build trust with a client. It is important to realize that trust is a function of credibility, reliability and intimacy, the three essential components to any long term business relationship.
To become a trusted advisor for a client involves moving through the key stages of relationship building. The first stage is a commodity stage where your advice is interchangeable with another person. Transactional stage is where the value is added to resolve a certain business problem. The partner stage is a strategic relationship. Trusted advisor stage is the stage when one is assisting with key and often intimate business challenges.