The greatest salespeople aren’t always the greatest CRM experts… and it doesn’t always matter. Every sales department has one. And, sadly, new recruits born into a world of web often sneer at them. The experienced sales executive who prefers landlines to telepresence, remembers the birthdays of his clients’ children and writes stuff down on paper. […]
About Grant Stanley
Grant Stanley is an experienced Sales & Marketing Leader with over 20+ years coaching, training, and developing New and Existing Business. With experience in IT, Telecom, Capital Equipment, and FMCG, Grant shares his business experiences and expertise on his blog, CSM Consultants (Inspiring & Enabling Change). Grant is also an author on Flevy, where he has published materials from Business Fundamentals to Management and Leadership Excellence. Take a look at all of Grant's Flevy best practice documents here. You can also connect with Grant Stanley on LinkedIn here.Author Archive | Grant Stanley
A Comprehensive Guide to Staff Retention
Between 2002 and 2008, I was employed by British Telecom as the Central Regional Sales Director. This afforded me the ability to influence, coach, mentor and deliver results through a staff of over 300; across 2 call centres and Field based consultants. I wrote this article a few years ago but never published it, but […]
Persistence or Annoyance
I was recently visiting an established client and saw the opportunity to “drop In” on a potential client that I had been repeatedly trying to contact. Why wouldn’t you, I hear you ask? I approached reception and introduced myself and asked to speak to the principal of the college (let’s call her Bernie for anonymity’s sake) […]
Marketing Spend in 2015
There’s no better time than the New Year to bring fresh ideas to your business. Last year we saw the rise of crowdfunding, the announcement of exciting wearable technologies, and a continued effort to engage customers through social media and mobile. It was a year of thrilling trends in consumer development. How many times have […]
I’m Your Boss, Not Your Friend: 10 Reasons Why Your Boss Shouldn’t Be Your Friend
Is it ever OK for a manager to be friends with their employees? Believe me, this isn’t just a question brand new manager’s struggle with (and most of them do). It’s an issue a lot of experienced managers are questioned about as well, and many of them don’t think it’s a problem at all. The […]
Digitizing Your Business Model
What, another clarion call urging executives to fundamentally rethink their business models through digital technology? The business media have had no shortage of these. Many such bulletins focus on radically changing the nature of competition in an industry, as Apple did for music and Uber did for taxis. While there is certainly merit in questioning […]
Delivery Innovations for e-Commerce in 2015
Changes and improvements in parcel delivery options will give a boost to e-commerce sites in 2015, according to a new report by Fastlane International. The internet retail delivery and international parcel market is poised for some “significant developments” next year, including increased delivery options, the growth of Sunday and same-day delivers, better ‘signature’ proof systems […]
Customer Service in 2015
As 2014 wound down, I took the time to pause, and look ahead to what top customer service trends will surface in 2015 and beyond. Good service — whether it’s to answer a customer’s question prior to purchase, or help a customer resolve an issue post-purchase should be pain-free, proactive at a minimum and pre-emptive […]
The 2015 Outlook for Big Data
Big Data. It’s a buzzword uttered by both industry experts and business professionals; a marketing term and industry description bandied about by techies and creative types alike. Everyone acknowledges how important it is and its unlimited potential in affecting how decisions are made in various areas of our lives. However, that’s all it has actually […]
Selling the Solution, Not the Product
Selling can be sleazy when it’s manipulative. “Let me convince you to do something, so I’ll get what I want.” If you want to grow your business, and feel good about yourself at the same time, it’s necessary to change the way you think about “selling.” Everyone buys things. If you provide a product or […]
