Building Trusted Advisor Status Through Community

After working with 1,000s of investors over the last 22 years, here are 5 things that work for building trust as a property advisor. It’s a competitive market. Projects are everywhere. Brokers are everywhere. Buyers are more informed, more connected, and more spoiled for choice than ever before. In a competitive market, the rules change. It’s no longer enough to be the first to pick up the phone. Investors are done looking for brokers. They’re looking for a partner who has their best interest at heart. So how do you win that trust? Here are 5 ways I’ve seen work time and again: 1- Do your homework before the pitch. Don’t push the first property you see. Research your investor’s profile, priorities, and financial strategy so your advice is precise. 2- Advise, don’t sell. Be the broker who says, “Don’t buy this one” if the deal doesn’t suit them. That kind of honesty pays back 10x. 3- Stay top-of-mind with value. Show your clients you listen to them. Remember the small stuff. Build a personal bridge. 4- Invest in relationships offline. Attend networking events, industry panels, and community gatherings to plant seeds that grow into trust. 5- Build a visible personal brand. Consistently share insights, market updates, and smart content on relevant digital platforms. Investors trust people they see as thought leaders. When a client realizes you care more about them more than about closing the fastest deal, that client will never forget you. They’ll come back again. They’ll refer their friends. They’ll trust you for life. What’s the one thing you do to win long-term trust in a competitive market?

How to sign clients from communities without being annoying or getting kicked for pitching: I’ve generated hundreds of thousands in pipeline from communities like Exit Five (shoutout Dave Gerhardt). I don’t actively pitch. I don’t write “value” posts that are veiled case studies. And yes, this is a lot different than what most people do. Most agency owners jump into communities and immediately start pitching without: → Any understanding of what the person needs → Any trust built That’s how you get booted 24 hours in. Here’s the process I follow to generate meaningful pipeline instead: 1/ Comment on other people’s posts to illustrate your expertise without any ounce of sales pitch. Most people will raise their hands when they need help. For example, someone might say, “We’re struggling to grow paid and aren’t happy with our agency. Any recommendations?” The obvious move is to pitch yourself. Don’t. Instead… 2/ Ask thoughtful questions. Instead of jumping in with “Happy to hop on a call,” ask questions like: → What have you tried so far? → What’s been your strategy to date? → What’s working? What’s not? You are trying to diagnose the problem + if there is a fit at all. Most importantly, you’re trying to lend a helping hand. 3/ Genuinely provide help without mentioning your services. Give value upfront. Help them think through the problem and let them experience your expertise without knowing you’re even for hire. Over time, you can build the relationship and drip them closer to discovering what you do. I know that’s not what you want to hear. It’s not sexy, and it takes longer – but it’s the most proven, non-jackass way to get clients from communities without getting the boot 24 hours in. If you want to actually drive business from communities, lead with value first.

In procurement, earning trust with your internal stakeholders is critical. Whether you’re working with engineers or other teams, your success often depends on how useful you can be from day one. Years ago, I received training from David H. Maister, author of The Trusted Advisor. One of the key takeaways was that every interaction is an opportunity—not only to learn more about the client but to be genuinely useful. Maister taught that being generous with your insights, sharing your knowledge, and helping in even the smallest ways builds long-term trust. This mindset applies directly to procurement. If you approach your meetings with a list of demands, you might get results, but it’s the bare minimum. However, when you shift to a mindset of usefulness—offering insights, helping with small tasks, and showing a genuine interest in your stakeholders’ challenges—you start to build trust. And as we know, trust leads to deeper collaboration and greater success. One strategy I’ve adopted as a consultant is to make my clients smarter from the very first interaction. Even in my proposals, I share insights and knowledge that are useful, so my clients walk away having learned something—whether they hire me or not. The same principle works in procurement: be generous with your expertise. So next time you’re in a meeting, ask yourself: How can I be useful here? What can I offer that helps this team? The small things add up, and over time, you’ll move from just being “the buyer” to being a trusted advisor. I have left a link to the video in the comments down below. #Procurement #TrustedAdvisor #CareerAdvice #Consulting #ProcurementCareers #Collaboration #BeUseful

Community Managers are under increasing pressure to justify their roles and demonstrate their value to their companies. A powerful way to prove this value is by clearly linking their efforts to ACV and ARR growth. From my experience, active and engaged community members often have a 30% or higher ACV/ARR compared to non-active and non-engaged members. To prove that community drives post-sales activity, community leaders must address skeptics head-on. If someone doubts the cause and effect, consider creating a mixed attribution model that assigns a specific percentage of sales to community efforts. In today’s multi-touch sales environment, it’s more important than ever to adopt a multi-touch attribution model. If someone argues that community isn't about selling, emphasize that the value of a community extends far beyond transactions. Explain that you are not saying that community should be a place to sell. Communities are about building meaningful relationships, akin to relationship marketing or value consulting, where community professionals become trusted advisors. By sharing expertise and guiding members toward success, they not only foster engagement but also demonstrate how community-driven interactions can lead to tangible business outcomes. In today’s challenging economy, where community managers are struggling to keep their jobs, showing bottom-line value is crucial—even if that value is inferred. Are you working on this analysis today?