Clients for Life: Evolving from an Expert-for-Hire to an Extraordinary Adviser

CENTERBAn Innovative Blueprint for Enduring Client Relationships/B/CENTER P More than 15 million people in this country earn their livings by serving clients, and their numbers are growing every day. Unfortunately, far too few develop the skills and strategies needed to rise to the top in a world where clients have almost unlimited access to information and expertise. Supported by more than one hundred case studies and wisdom gleaned from interviews with dozens of leading CEOs and prominent business advisors, IClients for Life/I identifies what clients really want and lays out the core qualities that distinguish the client advisor -- an irreplaceable resource -- from the expert for hire -- a tradable commodity. P UL TYPE=CIRCLE LIExperts are specialists; advisors become deep generalists who have broad perspective.P LIExperts are for hire; advisors have selfless independence, balancing client devotion with objectivity and detachment.P LIExperts have professional credibility; advisors develop deep personal trust.P LIExperts analyze; advisors synthesize and bring big-picture thinking to the table.P LIExperts supply expertise and information; advisors are educators who provide insight and wisdom.P /UL P Portraits of history's most famously successful advisors, including Machiavelli, Sir Thomas More, and J. P. Morgan, underscore these timeless qualities that modern professionals need to develop to excel in today's competitive environment.