ELEVATE
From Supplier to Trusted Advisor:
Walking the Client Journey Together
SEPTEMBER 2025
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Kate Liu-Bevan
Author
Once upon a time, I was with a prospective client for what was supposed to be the final sign-off on a project we had been pitching. I sensed they had concerns. Something in the room felt uneasy. Yet instead of pausing to ask the personal question — “I can see you have some concerns. Let’s step back, and I’d love to hear what’s on your mind and what I can do to build confidence” — I pressed on with content and process, hoping that would reassure them.
We didn’t win the engagement.
It never feels good to lose. But in hindsight, the loss was a gift. It forced me to reflect on my approach. Client interactions aren’t confined to content, process, or technical expertise. They extend into strategic priorities, organisational dynamics, and at times the deeply personal — trust, confidence, and connection. And that’s where the real shift happens: elevating from the role of consultant or supplier, and stepping into the role of a trusted advisor.
“Advisors are not valued for the answers we give, but for the questions we help our clients to ask.”
- a mentor of mine
Most of us in client-facing roles (whether it's in the external marketplace or with our internal stakeholders) spend our time on opportunities, solutions, and execution. It’s natural — those are the things we know how to deliver. But when that becomes our only focus, we confine ourselves to being specialists. Trusted advisor relationships are built differently. They are less about transactions and more about journeys.
A trusted advisor doesn’t just provide answers; they create space for clients to think through their questions. That requires slowing down, listening deeply, and asking open questions that go beyond the project at hand. It means understanding not only the organisation’s strategic agenda but also the personal concerns and pressures that decision-makers face. Over time, this shifts the relationship into something more balanced — a peer-to-peer dialogue where trust is the real currency.
The advisors who succeed are the ones who become more than service providers. They evolve into confidants. They are the people clients call to brainstorm ideas, to test assumptions, or simply to have an open and honest conversation. It’s no longer about closing the next deal. It’s about being present throughout the client’s journey, in both the short and long term.
So how do we get there? A few principles stand out:
Active listening: not just hearing the words, but understanding what lies beneath them.
Powerful questions: the kind that challenge thinking and open new possibilities.
Perspective over information: offering insights that help clients see issues differently.
Partnership in solutioning: walking alongside clients to explore and shape options.
Trust building: showing consistency, discretion, and genuine care until trust becomes natural.
Becoming a person of interest: broadening relationships across the client organisation so that your value isn’t confined to one project or one stakeholder.
When we approach relationships this way, something important happens. We move beyond the immediate focus on sales revenue or technical deliverables. Instead, we become the advisor clients rely on — their sounding board, their challenger, their partner in navigating complexity.
That’s what it means to move from supplier to trusted advisor: walking the client journey together, built on trust, openness, and shared commitment to their success.
