I was once working as a sales manager and the largest opportunity in my region was tied up in a long term contract. However, I met and kept offering advice to the contract owner, expecting nothing in return. One day a call came in. 'Chris our supplier has gone bust - come in now'. I was 300 km away heading in the opposite direction! When I arrived my heart completely sank - my main rival was already there, however, they were walking towards me. 'Take a good look at this man, you could learn a lot from him' and he asked her to leave. I had inadvertently established 'trusted advisor status' and
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