A CMO's Warning: Stop Calling Yourself a "Trusted Advisor"

"Jumping the shark" is that moment when something legitimate becomes a parody of itself.

Recently on one of my podcasts, 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰, Jessie Broussard, Chief Marketing Officer of top 50 accounting and advisory firm Frazier & Deeter, made a vital observation: "trusted advisor" has jumped the shark in professional services.

"How can you be trusted if you haven't built trust?" she challenged. As she notes in this clip from the interview, it's like claiming to be "new and improved," empty words without the work behind them.

Note that this critique comes not from a practitioner but a marketing authority—making it even more telling.

Legitimate trust that resides deeply in the hearts and minds of clients isn't built through marketing claims. It’s certainly not built by calling yourself that.

It's built by delivering consistently excellent work. By remembering everything your clients "do and feel and think and say," as Jessie notes. By being a true consultant, not just another vendor, "that tax guy" who gets cut when times are tough.

But clients aren't fooled.

They know the difference between someone trying to sound credible and someone who 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 credibility through consistent excellence.

As I write in my book, The Generosity Mindset: “The first and most essential aspect of a successful personal brand is to DO GREAT WORK FOR CLIENTS . . . You can have the loveliest headshot ever taken, the most compelling LinkedIn profile ever posted, the most beautiful website ever conceived, social media feeds which jump off the screen . . . None of that will compensate for poorly done work.”

If you're a service provider, whether a consultant, CPA, attorney, or coach, it's time to retire the self-applied term "trusted advisor" and live into something better.

Trust isn't something you claim. It's something you earn by delivering value, time and time again.

No self-applied slogan is needed.

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Are you frustrated by your pricing? Need help articulating your value? Do you need a better way to identify and close your best-fit clients? Do you want to restore the joy you used to have for your business? I may be able to help you.

I’m John Ray, a business consultant and coach, author, and podcaster. I advise solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their two most frustrating problems: pricing and business development. I’m passionate about how changes in mindset, positioning, and pricing change the trajectory of a business and the lifestyle choices of its owners. My clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners. Click here to learn more or contact me directly.

I’m the author of the national bestseller, The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices. The book covers topics like value and adopting a mindset of value, pricing your services more effectively, proposals, and essential elements of growing your business. The book is available at all major physical and online book retailers.