Trusted advisors face challenges in maintaining their credibility and effectiveness. One challenge is building and sustaining trust with clients over time. Trust is fragile, and any misalignment between advice and outcomes can lead to skepticism.
Another major challenge is getting that lead. There are the likes of increasing competition, consumer behavior often changing as well as market saturation.
To talk about how to solve challenges for trusted advisors, Stephen Semmelroth, vice president of cyber resilience at AVANT, walked onto the main stage for a keynote presentation at ITEXPO 2025, part of the #TECHSUPERSHOW.
He started off by saying this:
“I was a trusted advisor, so I know what you go through,” said Semmelroth. “I know how you feel. So, how do we help you to get a lead?”
Semmelroth wanted to provide some background first, and revisited one of his experiences in Afghanistan.
“I turned to one of my mentors, Greg, from Afghanistan,” said Semmelroth. “He was a great leader. Five minutes with him and you change. I was his last line of defense. If things went sour, I had to make sure he was protected. Asked if we could step behind a barrier because there were snipers around. My leader said no. Him standing on the hilltop in the eyes of friends and foes showed a message that we are here and not wanting to turn around. There is a difference between doing things right and doing the right thing.”
With that, three speakers were brought onto the stage. They were Anthony Difuria, of Secureonix; Alvaro Gonzalez, of Thrive; and Stacey Osenburg, of Expedient.
The first question asked by Semmelroth: How do you get the lead.
“Leads come from variety of places,” said Difuria. “We are doubling down on trusted advisors. Tradition cold call, people coming to website requesting demo, for example.”
A follow-up question came: How to set calls?
“Talk about the problems that are not getting solved,” said Gonzalez. “To be able to start that conversation, there is an opportunity to provide real-world insight. Trusted advisors lean on our team to solve broader problems. This creates better success.”
So, then, how do you help your trusted advisors?
“We help our trusted advisors to ask better questions and provide stories that they can use to get a bit deeper to ask that one question that would really help,” said Stacey Osenburg, Expedient. “If talking about network, talk about their disaster recovery plan.
Semmelroth turned to the audience and said that these three companies are the ones that should be looked at when an answer is not there when it comes to getting a lead.
Success lies in understanding client pain points, asking the right questions and leveraging strategic partnerships. Learning from experienced professionals like Semmelroth and the panel of industry experts. Only then can trusted advisors refine their approach, strengthen relationships and drive growth.Edited by Greg Tavarez
