Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors: Covert Techniques for a Remarkable Practice

I liked the book very much. Just finished it and start to read one more time. Many great insights about being a consultant

I recently finished reading The Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors. Physically, the book is unintimidating—it’s small and concise. However, don't let the size fool you. It is packed with easy-to-read yet deeply profound wisdom that forces you to pause and savor every page. It provided me with breakthroughs and answered many questions I’ve had about this business. It taught me that my "Thinking" is the asset, and protecting that asset through boundaries, clear processes, and confidence is the key to longevity. Highly recommended for anyone selling their expertise.

This is a solid resource packed with information on advising and consulting. The content is practical, high-level professional advice. The illustrations are a standout feature; the visuals really helped paint the picture and drive home the points being made. Although the material felt a bit too advanced for the current stage of my business, it’s a book I plan to revisit as I grow.

Most books I read leave me thinking "man, this is mediocre at best, I should write a book and blow all these authors away!" So I did just that and began authoring my own tome. However, once in a while, you come across a book that leaves you thinking "OMG, this is so profound, I have no business becoming an author!" This is one of those "F*#&ing Books." With my imposter syndrome now firmly in place after reading, I am re-writing this mini-review because David has put me back on my toes and has me sharpening my sword again to just be better. David C. Baker has done it again with his latest (link below.) Even if you are not a consultant you owe it to yourself to read this book. As Christopher Voss states in Never Split The Difference every aspect of your daily life consists of negotiations, this book will help shape those transactions both large and small. David's book will completely reframe your perspective and emotion when presenting creative work and/or strategy to clients or any other line of business where you have to present ideas.

For any one who wants their prospects and clients to respect them and their expertise, I highly recommend this book. It is a quick read, but dense with actionable advice. For those who want to build a differentiated consultancy or professional services firm, chapters 12, 14 and 20 are game changers. 12: Productizing your services 14: Using data to get clients to listen 20: Building and Monetizing your intellectual property

I admire the author, and just expected more insight. It's a fine, well-written read with lots of metaphors, which make the story easier to digest. It's expensive for what it is.

Having owned a creative firm for 16 years, I can say that this advice is relevant whether you're just starting out (and probably won't believe it and will need to mess it up yourself a few hundred times) or have been doing it for years and have started to wonder "Isn't this supposed to be easier by now?" This book confirms many of the things you may have suspected but didn't quite believe could be true, and puts it into clear and actionable advice. I read this cover to cover in one sitting, and absorbed a great deal of value, and yet there are parts I want to sit with repeatedly to ponder. Well worth the time it takes to read it.

Everything piece of advice in this book is excellent. If you provide creative services then this book is for you. My routine is that I read in the morning then listen to audio books when I run right after reading. During the same time period that I was reading this book, I was also listening to his other book, The Business of Expertise. It didn't take me long to realize that many parts of this book are identical to parts of his other book. I'm a fan of repurposing, but was surprised that the same passages were in each book. Not new and improved content. Repeated. This is why I took one star off off my rating. Other than that, it is a great book, a quick read, and I recommend it.

This is not a long book, but it has at least an insight per page. I initially read it as part of my Kindle Unlimited membership and I ended up buying it because I will be going back to again and again. Highly recommended especially for solo practitioners but any advisor in internal or external positions can learn and apply what’s in this book. Thanks David!

I have been waiting for this book from David C. Baker since the moment last year he first posted on LinkedIn that he was publishing it. I found his earlier book the Business of Expertise foundational for my own late-career evolution into advisory work for leaders of human scale companies, helping me to understand the rules and parameters of the advisory activity in which I now found myself and was already convinced of his authentic and hard-earned right to opine on this subject. David knows his onions. Secret Tradecraft has more than doubled down on the previousl level of insight and I probably would not have been ready for the full impact of his rigorous, deeply honest and thoughtful examination of the life and paradigm of an expert advisor 18 months ago. This a book that speaks directly to my soul. It feels personal and resonates at a very personal level. It shines a light on the hidden truths of this odd business of thinking, writing, listening and talking which, as he writes, is “a foundational tenet of being grateful for what you have accomplished and for how rich you really are by getting the opportunity to help people in need. To get paid to think, essentially, and paid very well at that.” The book has given me validation, a framework in which to reflect on what I do, on the choices I should be making, on the real nature of my work. It has encouraged me to do more of what I love, to be more than OK with not wanting to scale my work, to be even more selective about who I work with and more courageous in both asking and receiving. It resonates personally and professionally and I am profoundly grateful that he has written it. Secret Tradecraft is a book for experts written by THE experts’ expert. This is one of those very few books that for the right person, become an indispensable vademecum, to be constantly referred to, always at hand, consulted for both inspiration and reassurance and always in reach on the journey. If Amazon had the opportunity for more stars, I would be giving them for Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors without hesitation. Thank you for sharing your wisdom in your unmistakable and inimitable “if-you-don't-like-it-piss-off” style that I find both reassuringly self-confident and humblingly authentic. You have earned your label.

Perfect for individual consultants but also valuable for small entrepreneurs providing niche services