Significant Career Lesson From a Director M&A Advisory at PricewaterhouseCoopers
David from PwC Advisory Services emphasizes that mastering "the relationship piece" is the most significant lesson in a consulting career, as building rapport and genuinely caring about clients fosters long-term partnerships that ultimately make sales easier when those connections advance professionally and seek assistance. Maintaining relationships with a client base will benefit the career professional's career in the long-run.
Relationship Building, Client Prioritization, Communication Skills, Career Progression, Sales and Business Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
David Samuel
Director, M&A Advisory
PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC
New York University
University of San Diego, MScGL and MBA
Film, Media Arts, Visual Arts
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Technology
Consulting
Veteran
Video Highlights
1. Mastering soft skills, especially relationship building, is crucial for long-term success in consulting.
2. Building rapport, listening to people, and demonstrating genuine care for clients are essential for fostering lasting relationships.
3. Maintaining relationships with clients throughout their career progression can lead to future opportunities and easier sales when you advance in your career.
Transcript
What is the one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
This goes back to soft skills, mastering the hard stuff. Most people will figure that out pretty quickly.
It's the relationship piece that you need in order to be successful in consulting long term. It's all about relationships.
Learning how to build rapport, listening to people, and being empathetic are important. Making sure your clients understand they're a priority and that you genuinely care about them is super important.
Over time, they'll want to keep working with you. As they progress in their careers, you progress in yours.
Someone who was a manager or director when you were a senior associate or manager on a project years ago may get promoted to vice president or president of a business unit later. This is as long as you maintain that relationship over time.
When it's time for you to start selling work and growing in your career, you can look back at that relationship, and they may come to you and ask for your help. It almost makes sales ten times easier when you know the person you're selling to, rather than trying to penetrate a new account where you don't have a relationship.
So, I would say that building rapport and maintaining relationships is key.