Thoughts on relationships

Do you really need a pre-existing relationship with someone to sell them advisory services ? Many people say yes and work on the basis of only hiring people who can demonstrate they have pre-existing relationships. But, whilst selling consulting is about leveraging relationships, what is more important is the quality of the relationship, crucially it must be a TRUST relationship. Anyone, no matter what level in an organisation must trust in you to buy consulting from you, as failure when using external advisors is typically career limiting ! My experience is that you can build a trust relationship with someone you do not know quite quickly as long as you employ effective approaches and methods. The good news is that for the most part believe me, you will already be aware of how to do this.