Build Trusted Relationships

We’ve spent more than twenty years figuring out exactly what it takes to have trust-based relationships that get results. Now, we’re excited to share it with you.

  • Understand what it takes to be a trusted advisor and how to develop a trusted advisor mindset

  • Learn how to dramatically increase your own trustworthiness

  • Discover what it really takes to be influential

  • Be well-versed in five fundamental trust skills: listen, risk, improvise, partner, and know yourself

We wrote the book on trust (literally)!

Learn directly from the authors of our best-selling Trusted Advisor book series.

Get the fundamentals of The Trusted Advisor, Trust-Based Selling and The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook delivered to your virtual doorstep—direct from the source via video.

What You Get

Small bites. Fast-paced. On demand.

  • Your Trust Quotient

    Take our online self-assessment and receive your comprehensive Trust Quotient report, full of actionable tips and insights to improve your trustworthiness.

  • Video Lessons

    Learn straight from the source via 11 video lessons, accompanied by reflection questions, "take-action" challenges, and brief quizzes to check your knowledge.

  • Personalized Action Plan

    Use the workbook and worksheets to plan 19 specific trust-building actions to immediately improve your most important professional relationships.

  • Bonus Content

    Dig deeper with included bonus content from our books, and explore more resources found in the books and on the Trusted Advisor Associates website.

  • Sustained Learning

    Download the workbook and Action and Results Tracker to monitor your progress and keep improving relationships, long after you've completed the lessons.

Trust-building Essentials:

11 fundamental lessons on building trusted relationships

  • 1

    Introduction

    • Course Welcome

    • Introduction

    • Get the Most Out of This Course

    • Assess Your Trustworthiness

    • Course Resources
  • 2

    Re-Think Your Value

    • Overview

    • What does it really take to become a Trusted Advisor?

    • Re-Think Your Value

    • What value do you bring?

    • Move toward a Trusted Advisor relationship

    • Five characteristics of successful Trusted Advisors

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources for re-thinking your value
  • 3

    Earn Their Trust

    • Overview

    • What is this ambiguous thing we all call “trust”?

    • Earn Their Trust

    • Reflect on a critical lesson from the video

    • Take action to improve your trustworthiness

    • More ways to improve your trustworthiness

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources about earning their trust
  • 4

    Get Off Your “S”

    • Overview

    • What’s making your “S” look big?

    • Get Off Your "S"

    • What’s making you uncomfortable with your client?

    • Lower your self-orientation

    • Fast payback actions to shrink Self-orientation

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources to help you get off your "S"
  • 5

    Create Intimacy (Yes, Intimacy)

    • Overview

    • Are you in an intimate relationship with your clients?

    • Create Intimacy (Yes, Intimacy)

    • What’s holding your client relationship at the transactional level?

    • Create more intimacy

    • Fast payback actions to increase intimacy

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources to create more intimacy
  • 6

    Be Counted on for What You Say and Do

    • Overview

    • Credibility and reliability: not as self-evident as they may seem

    • Be Counted On for What You Say and Do

    • What are you holding back?

    • Improve your credibility and reliability

    • Fast payback actions to create credibility and ratchet up reliability

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources to be counted on for what you say and do
  • 7

    Get Your Advice Heard and Taken

    • Overview

    • The hidden driver of influence

    • Get Your Advice Heard and Taken

    • Reflect on an interaction where you weren't heard

    • Overcome barriers to paying attention

    • Masterful listening: Do’s and Don’ts

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources on getting your advice heard and taken
  • 8

    Make it OK for Your Clients to Take Risks

    • Overview

    • Are your clients afraid to take the plunge? Are *you*?

    • Make it OK for Your Client to Take Risks

    • Reflect on an uncomfortable situation

    • Take one risk to build trust

    • Mind your Ps (and take the plunge)

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources on making it OK for your client to take risks
  • 9

    Be Great Off Script

    • Overview

    • Are you ready for your moment of truth?

    • Be Great Off Script

    • Reflect on a defensive reaction

    • Two easy ways to practice being off-script

    • Think out loud

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources on being great off-script
  • 10

    Lead *and* Follow

    • Overview

    • Are you in step with your partners?

    • Lead *and* Follow

    • Reflect on a successful past partnership

    • Be a better partner

    • Partnering traits

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources to help you lead and follow
  • 11

    Know Your Strengths, Find Your Blind Spots

    • Overview

    • How well do you know yourself?

    • Know Your Strengths, Find Your Blind Spots

    • Be honest with yourself ...

    • Find and address your blind spots

    • Five practices that help you look inward

    • Check your knowledge

    • Explore additional resources to help you know your strengths and find your blind spots
  • 12

    Next Steps

    • Course Completion

    • Before you go...