The Relationship Advantage: Become a Trusted Advisor and Create Clients for Life

Corporations, it seems, are always seeking the "silver bullet" that will create intimacy with customers. But most efforts fail from the moment they begin, say respected consultants, Tom Stevenson and Sam Barcus. The reason - accountability for program leadership is placed on the sales force rather than on the executives and senior managers who have a more seasoned business perspective. For the first time ever, Stevenson and Barcus outline the relationship-building processes used successfully by professional consulting firms. Sales professionals in other industries will learn never-before-published explanations and documentation regarding consulting firm approaches and techniques, including: why top managers must lead the care and feeding of key relationships; an inside view of how consultants build long-term, trusted advisor relationships; the difference between creating demand and responding to bids-an important difference that sparks enduring relationships; problem-solving techniques that can lead to deeper customer alliances; why it's more important for a salesperson to be interested rather than interesting; a diagnostic process to prepare for and execute customer meetings that create value at every touch point; and tools and techniques to develop business acumen that provides insight into customer issues and initiatives. With many practical examples, anecdotes, and coaching tips, "The Relationship Advantage" is required reading for executives or managers who know they should be driving key relationships but don't know how to do it.

About the Author :
Tom Stevenson began his career with IBM in 1965 after graduating from the University of Minnesota. Among Tom's responsibilities during a fast-paced 16-year career at IBM was managing the company's high profile Sales and Marketing Training Center, where he developed an in-depth knowledge of sales training methodologies. Always a top performer, Tom was selected for IBM's Advanced Management Program. Following IBM, Tom held executive positions at Data General, Businessland, and Pacific Telesis prior to starting his own consulting practice in 1990. With consulting experience at Liberty Mutual Insurance, Marshall's, and IBM behind him, Tom began his collaboration with Sam Barcus. This partnership involved coaching and mentoring thousands of IBM sales reps, managers, and executives in The Relationship Advantage methodologies. These processes became a cornerstone of IBM's conversion from a hardware company, to a services-led business, and now form the core of this book. Sam Barcus is one of the founders of NewLeaf Partners, an independent consulting firm focused on helping companies institutionalize change within their organizations. Based upon experience driving Tom Stevenson's principles with Cisco Systems, IBM, Eli Lilly, Computer Sciences Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard, NewLeaf Partners has developed and refined the methodologies that are critical to world-class account management and relationship building. Sam joined Price Waterhouse in Memphis, Tennessee in 1976 as a consultant, and then transferred to Nashville where he built and managed a practice for the firm. It was during these years that Sam began to understand the power of the relationship-building behaviors and skills possessed by consulting partners. These behaviors and tools, once documented, became the bedrock of the material that is now the basis for The Relationship Advantage. Prior to NewLeaf Partners, Sam enjoyed success as a business analyst in the information systems arm of Texas Instruments. It was during this time that he completed him MBA.