RevChat

In Part 2, James continues the conversation with Anthony Stears, better known as the Telephone Assassin, about creating better sales conversations without relying on rigid scripts.
Anthony explains how “premature elaboration” can lose a prospect before the conversation has started, and shares a permission-based approach to opening calls naturally.

They explore why questions are often buying signals, the difference between following up and genuinely following through, and how to avoid the familiar “just checking in” trap.
The conversation also covers why the person behind the proposition can be the real USP, where AI falls short, and how leaders can build consistent conversation standards while allowing people to sound like themselves.

To follow the "Telephone Assassin” - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-stears/

Buy the Book - The Telephone Assassin (https://www.anthonystears.co.uk/buy-my-book-2/)

Academy - https://www.telephoneassassin.academy/courses

Communication Culture Assessment - The Communication Culture Index (https://anthony-a9btth4o.scoreapp.com/)

To learn more about RevStak
https://www.revstak.co.uk
https://www.youtube.com/@RevStakTV
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-crabtree-4802ab114/

Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:

https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

In Part 1, James is joined by Anthony Stears, better known as the Telephone Assassin, to explore why better sales results often begin with better conversations.

Anthony introduces the idea of Conversation Architecture and explains how structure can improve a commercial conversation without turning it into a rigid script. They discuss why salespeople rush to explain what they do, how introducing urgency too early can undermine trust, and what Anthony calls “premature elaboration”.

It’s a practical conversation about slowing down, listening properly and earning the right to move a sales conversation forward.

To follow the "Telephone Assassin” - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-stears/

Buy the Book - The Telephone Assassin (https://www.anthonystears.co.uk/buy-my-book-2/)

Academy - https://www.telephoneassassin.academy/courses

Communication Culture Assessment - The Communication Culture Index (https://anthony-a9btth4o.scoreapp.com/)

To learn more about RevStak
https://www.revstak.co.uk
https://www.youtube.com/@RevStakTV
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-crabtree-4802ab114/

Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

A full pipeline looks good on a dashboard. But are the conversations helping buyers - or just moving us closer to a yes?

Marcus Cauchi joins James Crabtree, founder of RevStak, for “The Price of Pipeline”: a RevChat conversation about the pressure to close, whose interests we’re serving and whether winning the deal is always the right outcome.

For founders, sales leaders and B2B salespeople, the question is straightforward: would we give the buyer the same advice if we had nothing to gain from their decision?

Where do you draw the line between helping someone buy and pushing for a sale? Let us know in the comments.

Subscribe to RevStakTV for more honest conversations about sales, leadership and building a business.

Learn More about Principled Selling:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuscauchi/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/principled-selling/home/

To learn more about RevStak

https://www.revstak.co.uk

https://www.youtube.com/@RevStakTV

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-crabtree-4802ab114/

Prefer to listen? Find RevChat on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

#RevChat #MarcusCauchi #B2BSales

James Newell, founder of Clear Sales Message, joins RevChat to talk about making sales simpler, clearer and more human.

We discuss honest selling, stronger pipelines, building trust through reputation, and how businesses can explain what they do in language buyers actually understand.

To learn more about Clear Sales Message
https://www.clearsalesmessage.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@jamesnewellsells
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesnewelluk/

To learn more about RevStak
https://www.revstak.co.uk
https://www.youtube.com/@RevStakTV
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-crabtree-4802ab114/

#RevChat #SalesMessaging #B2BSales #BusinessGrowth #RevStak

Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

Inconsistent enquiries, low conversion and customers who don’t return. Where would you start?

In this short bonus demo, RevStak founder James Crabtree walks through RevEngine 1.4 using a fictional five-person agency.

See how the assessment creates a RevStak Profile covering seven commercial capabilities, with relative strengths, areas to investigate and a practical suggested next step for each capability.

James explains how to interpret the Profile and use it as the starting point for a more informed commercial conversation.

The example is fictional. The Profile reflects the assessment answers; it is not a completed diagnosis. A Diagnostics Review explores the context before agreeing what needs to change.

Assess. Prioritise. Build. Repeat.

Take the assessment:
https://www.revstak.co.uk/revengine-assessment

Explore RevStak:
https://www.revstak.co.uk

RevChat — a RevStak podcast
Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

The best sales methodology isn’t the most popular one - it’s the one that fits how your business actually sells.
In this five-minute RevStak minisode, James explains why qualification, discovery and deal management are different disciplines, where frameworks such as BANT, MEDDICC, SPICED and Challenger can add value, and how to identify what your team genuinely needs.
You’ll learn how to diagnose where opportunities are breaking down, avoid turning methodology into CRM administration, and build the smallest useful system for improving sales conversations, coaching and forecast confidence.
Choose the behaviour. Fit it to your sales motion. Coach it, measure it and keep tuning.
Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

When sales performance needs improving, the conversation often jumps straight to the technology.
HubSpot. Pipedrive. Salesforce. Zoho.
But we think that's actually the second question.
The first is: what do you actually need your CRM to do?
In this five-minute RevChat mini episode, we look at:
When a well-designed spreadsheet might genuinely be enough
Where lightweight CRMs start earning their keep
When enterprise platforms like Salesforce make sense
How AI is changing what even simple commercial systems can do
Why automating a bad process just makes the confusion travel faster
The principle is simple: start with the process, then choose the simplest technology that makes it easier, more visible, more consistent and more measurable.
Technology is only one part of the commercial engine — and it works best when it connects properly with your process, intelligence, leadership, demand generation and customer growth.
Assess. Prioritise. Build. Repeat.
Connect with todays hosts and guests
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-crabtree-4802ab114/
Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

What does working in revenue actually teach you?
In this episode of RevChat, James is joined by former colleagues and friends Lachlan Thomas and Hamish Vahder for an honest conversation about the highs, lows and lessons that come from building a career in revenue.
From their early days in retail and high-volume sales through to complex B2B and SaaS environments, they unpack what experience has taught them about qualification, stakeholder management, sales process, lost deals, internal relationships and knowing where to spend your time.
They also explore why great salespeople don't operate in isolation, how businesses can unintentionally make selling harder, why learning from losses matters, and what really contributes to more predictable revenue.
No polished success stories or sales methodology masterclass - just three mates talking openly about what they've learned from doing the job.
In this episode:
Why qualifying out can be as important as closing
The difference between relationships and real stakeholder influence
What lost deals can teach you
Why revenue is a team sport
The importance of understanding the wider commercial engine
Why more leads don't necessarily solve sales problems
How technology is changing the day-to-day role of sales
What founders and revenue leaders can learn from the people on the front line
Assess. Prioritise. Build. Repeat.
www.revstak.co.uk
Connect with Todays Hosts & Guests
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-crabtree-4802ab114/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamish-vadher2230/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachlan-thomas-24371b85/
Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL

Most growing businesses don't lack ambition. They lack commercial clarity.
In the first episode of RevChat, James Crabtree, founder of RevStak, explores why so many businesses focus on solving symptoms instead of the commercial constraints that are actually limiting growth.
Rather than investing in new CRMs, hiring more salespeople, launching new marketing campaigns or adopting the latest AI tools, this episode explores why better commercial decisions begin with better diagnosis - and how understanding your commercial engine can transform the way you prioritise growth.
Why growth often feels inconsistent, even with a talented team.
How disconnected commercial capabilities create friction across your business.
Why businesses often solve the wrong problems first.
The difference between symptoms and commercial constraints.
How RevEngine helps identify the capabilities that will have the greatest impact on commercial performance.
If you're a founder, CEO or commercial leader looking to build a more predictable approach to growth, this episode provides a different way to think about commercial performance, prioritisation and decision-making.
Assess. Prioritise. Build. Repeat.
Complete your free RevEngine Assessment and receive your personalised RevStak Profile at www.revstak.co.uk
Listen to RevChat on Spotify and follow for new episodes:
https://open.spotify.com/show/033JI3634x0HGzGfZCcNJL