Inspiration

At Cortech we value the views and opinions of our partners and customers as well as encourage engagement and discussions around a variety of different subject matters.

One of the latest topics is trusted advisors – what does the term mean, what makes a trusted advisor and what are the benefits of being and having one?

What is a Trusted Advisor?

In basic terms, a trusted advisor can be an individual or company that has extensive knowledge and experience in a given field and is able to develop a collaborative partnership with customers and become a strategic partner. They provide tailored and trusted advice and guidance that allows their customers to meet their business needs and objectives.

In order to explore this subject further Cortech recently ran a poll on our LinkedIn channel, where we asked our followers “In your opinion what are the key characteristics of a trusted advisor?”

63% of the voters all agreed that the key traits are:

• Credible and reliable
• Active listener
• Client focused

So, these characteristics are clearly key requirements to being seen as a trusted advisor, but it also takes commitment!

What does it take to become a Trusted Advisor?

Earning the status of a trusted advisor takes time and commitment; effective relationships need to grow and be built on solid foundations. Yes, trusted advisors need to be credible, reliable and always have their customers’ best interests at heart, but they also need to be honest and challenging when necessary.

As David Maister puts it in The Trusted Advisor*, “There is no greater source of distrust than advisors who appear to be more interested in themselves, than in trying to be of service to the client. We must work hard to show that our self-orientation is under control.”

Bona fide trusted advisors are authentic, genuine, and real; transparency is a critical factor for building long-term successful relationships. Offering valuable insight, being an active listener, showing a vested interest and learning about the problems customers are facing with their current solutions will help gain trust, which is the first step to building the bond and confidence required.

What are the benefits of a Trusted Advisor relationship?

A trusted advisor can help steer a partnership in a direction that will benefit both parties in the long term. They can help their customers better understand how to use the trusted advisor’s products or services most effectively, and they have the potential to upsell or cross-sell if their customers could benefit more from anything else they do not currently purchase.

The trusted advisor can also build a sustainable competitor advantage for themselves; competitors can look to copy anything a business does, but they cannot easily copy relationships that have been built on certitude. True customer loyalty is a key differentiator in business because it represents something incredibly personal.

In conclusion, being seen as a trusted advisor does not happen overnight and at the heart of this earnt status lies trust. Everything we do in business should lead to …

Professionally delivered training is essential for people working with medication, as the implications of errors can have a serious impact on those involved. Patients rely on their medication and trust that it is correctly prescribed and administered, so meticulous management of medication administration is vital.  The Medication Awareness and Administration course delivered by Centaur Training Services is predominately aimed at people working in a range of care and medical sector settings. Designed to help them carry out their duties in a safe and professional manner, the course is suitable for anyone who deals with medication or works around medication. It provides students with vital knowledge on how to correctly store, administer, and dispose of medication in line with government legislation and guidelines, covering legislation aspects of medication, as well as local policies and procedures.

The half-day program will familiarise attendees with the different classifications and common types of medication and emphasise the importance of good, clear record keeping and maintenance of medication records. It also covers the principles of safe handling of medication including the collection, storage, and safe disposal of medication, plus identifying and demonstrating safe administration procedures. The correct reporting of mistakes and the need for monitoring service users for any side effects will also be covered.

The overall aim of the course is to increase the student’s knowledge and understanding so they are able to safely administer medication to service users within the legal framework, as well as the policies and procedures of their workplace.

Attendees will learn to identify and describe:

• Legislation around the medication in their workplace.
• The classification of medication.
• Types of medication.
• The importance and need to maintain accurate medication records.
• Safe collection, storage and disposal of medication.
• The principles of safe medication handling.
• The value of supporting self-administration.
• The correct administering of medication.
• The requirement for and correct procedures for reporting mistakes.
• The importance of recognising side effects and reporting changes to the individual service users.

Find out more about Centaur Training courses.…