Are You a Trusted Adviser or Shark Bait?

Yesterday, one of our consultants had a question posed to her by a client. The question itself doesn’t matter, but it was, in effect, questioning her judgement and thus her credibility. She asked me how she should handle it.

I told her she needed to back herself 100%. This is critical for recruiters. A client has retained us to provide them with advice on who they should employ in their organisations. If we make a recommendation it’s for a reason, and we need to be able to support that. If we change our stance under cross-questioning from a client it will affect our credibility. Clients need to trust our judgement and if we change that under questioning then you will never win that innate trust back.

This does not mean that we don’t admit to our mistakes. People are an imperfect product. Our advice serves to minimise risk, not eliminate it.

So, to be an effective trusted adviser;

Make decisions, especially tough ones
Ensure you know why you have made that decision and be able to express it succinctly and coherently
Don’t waiver, you’ll gain more respect by remaining staunch than giving-in
If you have made a mistake, acknowledge it, but recognise that you made your decision with all the information you had at the time, and take prompt action to remedy the situation, whatever that may be.

Clients are like pack animals. If you give in to their every whim, they’ll smell blood. They’ll circle you in the water and tear you to shreds. Don’t be shark bait.

Comment by Valentino Martinez on July 29, 2011 at 5:17am: A bit dramatic...about business clients...aren't you?

"Pack animals" Pack mules?

"...they'll smell blood"? Vampire metaphor here?

"...they'll tear you to shreds" Piranha? Cannibals Ozzie Osborne? Justin Bieber fans?

Who are these clients who settle things with violence, or the threat of violence, if you relent and dare "waiver" on a stance you're willing to compromise on?

Is it your intent to scare the timid, depress the weary, or paint the recruitment industry as an unforgiving, animalistic jungle where you can be handed your head, if you're lucky, because the carnivores that rule do so in such a fashion that one false move may be your last?

I've been in this business of recruitment for 40 years now, and while I do have scare tissue, I've found the give and take to be mostly reasonable and often instructive. I appreciate your message about adjusting to the challenges that lie ahead, but let's not discourage potential dragon slayers before they get their swords issued.

Comment by pam claughton on July 29, 2011 at 7:03am: Maybe they were questioning her judgement simply because she hasn't yet earned that trusted advisor status.

I don't agree with your last sentence. In my opinion it shows a lack of respect for your clients. Client relationships work best when they feel more like a partnership, not adversarial. It doesn't always start out that way though, you need to prove yourself first before they will trust your judgement.

Comment by Tim Spagnola on July 30, 2011 at 1:00pm: Pam - summed up my thoughts well. Agree with you 100%!

Comment by Barbara Goldman on August 4, 2011 at 11:36am: Being at odds with your clients means that something is wrong somewhere. Since the client is the one who pays, it may be wise to adopt a team work attitude. You may be selling in a way that turns people off.