Providing Clarity

Jay Abraham, in his "The Strategy of Preeminence", uses a curious analogy:

People in business are strikingly like people on a cross-country trip. They are in one of two places. They either know where they are but they have no idea of where they’re going. Or they know where they’re going but they have no idea where they are!

If you want to become a trusted advisor, it’s important to help your clients define for themselves their biggest frustrations, challenges, and opportunities.

In most cases, they are paralyzed or stuck to the status quo because they can't put them into words. They just have a vague idea of what they really want, or a feeling of what they would like to change. Without clarity, they can’t take action.

What you want to do is ask the Dan Sullivan question or some variation of, “what would the picture look like if your business were operating the way you really want it to?”

The simple act of asking it with genuine interest provides enormous value for your contacts, builds trust, and opens up new opportunities to serve them.