5 Signs You Have Become a Trusted Advisor

Do Your Clients Consider You a Trusted Advisor?
Becoming a trusted advisor in B2B solution sales is the ultimate milestone for any salesperson. It goes beyond executing transactions or closing deals — it’s about becoming an indispensable partner to your client. Trusted advisors are not simply vendors; they are valued voices in strategic conversations, consistently influencing decisions with credibility and insight. How to become a trusted advisor as a salesperson should be part of every B2B Business Sales Training program.

Buyers, especially executives, want to have meaningful, thought-provoking, and insightful conversations with someone at their altitude and level of expertise.  They do not want to be asked standard sales questions by a “salesperson” trying to meet their quota.  Research from the Harvard Business Review shows that buyers are five times more likely to consider advice from a salesperson they trust than from one they perceive as transactional.

The Benefits of Being a Trusted Advisor
A McKinsey study found that trusted advisors increased cross-sell and upsell opportunities by up to 30% — demonstrating that trust directly correlates with business impact. In this coveted and hard-earned spot, you have proven your value to the company, enjoy the confidence of the decision maker, can influence the sales process, and are able to present insights, products and solutions early in the game to help your client succeed.

How do you know when you have achieved this lofty standing?

Five Signs You Have Become a Trusted Advisor
According to executive selling training and sales management training experts, here are five key signs you have become a trusted advisor:

1. They Reach Out to You for Advice
   When clients rely on your expertise to inform business strategy — rather than simply asking for a price quote — you have earned a seat at the table.  According to Gartner research, 57% of B2B buyers believe that salespeople are most valuable when they help frame the problem and define the solution early in the process.  If your client asks for advice, that is the first sign that they trust your character and trust your competence enough to involve you.

   Just imagine if the opposite was true and you had a tough time getting in touch with your client to offer them insights, advice, or value as a salesperson.

2. They Bring You Into their Inner Circle
   If your client makes you privy to confidential information about the company and, perhaps, to the executive’s personal and professional goals, problems, and needs, they consider you part of their team.

   Just imagine if the opposite was true and your client withheld important information from you because they felt you were just trying to “sell them stuff.”

3. They Involve You in the Strategy and Planning Process
   If your client invites you to attend key strategic planning meetings and asks for your thoughts regarding key directions, strategies, initiatives, and decisions, they appreciate the value you bring in shaping their decisions.  Just imagine if the opposite was true and your clients only reached out to you after all the decisions were already made..
4. They Refer You and Ask for More
   When clients ask for more and actively recommend you to other stakeholders or departments within (and outside) of their organization, it’s a definitive sign of trusted-advisor status. Advocates speak on your behalf, increasing your credibility and expanding your footprint. Research by Salesforce found that clients who refer salespeople internally are 70% more likely to increase spending with that salesperson’s company, proving that trust fuels growth.

   Just imagine if the opposite was true and your clients always had you compete against others and did not introduce you to others.

5. They Give You Special Privileges
   If your client provides you with long-term employee badges, parking, office space, email, portal access, and other “rights” more associated with employees than vendors or sales reps, your relationship, and status as a trusted advisor is headed in the right direction.

The Bottom Line
The ability to become a trusted advisor is not about being liked — it’s about being respected, credible, and indispensable. If clients seek you out, you have achieved this elite status. Trusted advisors don’t just close deals; they create lasting business value, deepen relationships, and drive measurable growth. Sales leaders who nurture these capabilities within their teams can transform sustainable growth.

Worried about your status as a trusted advisor at your key accounts?  Download 3 Critical Sales Warning Signs at Your Strategic Accounts