Can You Really Trust a "Trusted-Advisor?"

When it comes to cloud communications and computing or just generic telecom services, why would you choose to work with a "trusted-advisor" (aka, agent, consultant, etc)? We examine the pros and cons for you (don't worry, you can trust us on this):

Pros:

• For starters, an advisor is someone that is more impartial than a sales representative that works for only one provider or who has a financial incentive to say whatever needs to be said to "win the sale."  
• An advisor offers many solutions and can bring information to you, rather than you having to seek it out and discern the relevance of it for yourself. 
• An advisor is someone that sits on your side of the table and evaluates solutions from your perspective rather than the supplier.  Two heads are always better than one before making an important decision. 
• The relationship with an advisor doesn't end after the initial decision is made.  You have an "advisor for life" that will help you interact with your suppliers and help you make modifications or changes in the future, especially as technology evolves.  

Cons:

• Not all "advisors" are created equal.  Certainly many are financially motivated and to be fair, they aren't entirely impartial as suppliers know that offering incentives to the "advisors" will sometimes help drive business their way.  
• Advisors don't always have the background to really help you make a decision that is right for you.  Well-meaning advisers can steer you in the wrong direction if they lack the business experience or understanding of how technology will impact your organization. 
• Not all advisors are partnered with enough suppliers.  Some choose a limited portfolio (which means they'll make more money).  Unfortunately it also means that you'll have fewer choices and that is never a good thing. 
• Some advisors only work with you initially and therefore don't proactively stay in touch with you or keep you informed about important advancements in technology that could help your business. 

We at Stellis of course believe in utilizing a trusted advisor and so it should be said that our strong bias is that you choose to work with us or someone like us to help save you time and help make your decision a more informed one.  It should be noted of course that choosing the right advisor is the first important decision you'll make.  Here are a few questions that we recommend you ask of us or anyone that you might consider working with:

1. What is your professional / educational background and how many years have you been working in the industry? 
2. What makes you a "cloud" expert? (Advisors may have a lot of experience selling telecom solutions but if they haven't been involved in the more complex "cloud" side of the business they may not know enough to help you in the best way). 
3. How many suppliers do you work with and how can you assure me that you'll act in a neutral way on our behalf?  
4. Do I have any obligations to work with you?  Will you charge me for your time? 

Like any question that you might ask someone who wants to impress you, you'll have to discern for yourself whether or not the advisor is worthy of your time. The goal of working with an organization like Stellis is that you will save time, save money and in the end have the absolute best solution available to your business.  You of course could get there on your own and are completely capable of that, but the demands on your job are many and a trusted advisor is like hiring someone to help you, without having to pay that person to do so.

So what is our "advice" on this subject?  Choose your trusted-advisor wisely and it may just be the best choice you'll ever make.