How to Create a Client for Life

**Brian Buffini** (0:00)
Give me just a minute. I wanna talk to you about how to be somebody's trusted advisor. Now, before you become somebody's trusted advisor, you have to answer one question. Why should people trust you? Trust is built in three ways. First, consistency. Yeah, not very sexy. Do what you say you're gonna do. Every single time, not once in a while. Reliability is remembered long after impressive words and social media posts are forgotten. Second, communication. You gotta keep people informed. Return the call. Deliver the update before they even ask. Even when the news isn't what they hope for, silence creates doubt. But communication builds confidence. And third, conscientiousness. Care about the little things. Be prepared. Follow through. Think ahead. People can tell when they're just another transaction, and they can tell when they're genuinely valued. Here's the truth. People don't stay loyal because you know the answers. They stay loyal because they know you'll show up, tell them the truth, and always have their best interests at heart. That's what turns an expert into a trusted advisor.
So, here's today's blueprint on how to become a trusted advisor. Consistency, communication, conscientiousness. Nothing anybody's really talking about in the marketplace anymore. However, something that everybody values at the highest level. So let's talk about consistency. You know, the ladies love the exciting guys, but try bringing one home. That's the problem. Oh, he's a wild child. Good luck with that. The consistent guy, well, he's kind of a boring, right? You think of the Clark Kent instead of the Superman. He's got the glasses, he shows up at home at the right time, says nice things, kind of duck on a pond. Boring. Well, that's what the way the world views it. The dynamic, though, in all human relationships is the most valuable thing of all, is trust. The key is every time. What do you do every time? What do you do all the time? I'm married to a super consistent human being. Maybe that's why she became an Olympic athlete. But she's consistent emotionally, she's consistent with her day, and consistent with her processes. You know, I try to be consistent myself, and I'm more Irish, Italian, more nuclear fusion, linked together, nitro and glycerin, my mother used to call me. But I realized in my professional life, I had to be consistent. I've done 2,500 speaking engagements. Now, when a speaker does a speaking engagement, it's typically an hour. Over 50% of my speaking engagements have been two days, usually five to six hours per day. You do that over time, you know, I've probably done as much public speaking and as anybody in the world.
However, when I go to do an event, it's what I do that day, that minute, and how I prepare for that event. I am not judged on what I did 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago. And I have clients who've been with me for decades, who've heard me speak more than a hundred times. I recently did an event in Las Vegas. I had pneumonia. I want to share with you a truth, nobody cares.
Not that nobody cares and people are hard. Nobody cares because they want to know what does it mean to me. Actually, when I went out, the audience was actually harder to work with because they'd heard I was ill. And I had to work them a little harder to get them going, that they knew, ah, Brian's okay. Oh, this is going to be a good day. Brian cracked a few jokes. Things are good. The fact of the matter is, consistency is what builds trust. Imagine a restaurant. You go there once in a while. And the first time you go, you get a great meal and a great waiter.
You send your friend over there. They have a nice meal and not a great waiter. They send their friend. They get a nice waiter, but not a great meal. That's how restaurants die.
It's not the chef has a great night. It's not the one great dish. The truth of the matter is trust is built with consistency. And it's irrespective of circumstance. And that's why in a world that is very inconsistent, I mean, can you tell what's going to happen in the news on any given day?
Who we're going to be at war with? What the prices of anything is? What's the latest? And because the society is so dramatic now, and even little things are, foreclosures at an all-time high. No, it's really foreclosures at a high for this month. And based on the last 20 years, it's infinitesimally small.
So we live in a drama queen world. We live in a hyped up world. We live in an inconsistent world. You want to stand out amongst the competition? You want to really be trusted? Be consistent. And I will say this, the only way that I have been able to be consistent in my life is an absolute maniacal commitment to routine.