Closing deals 24/7: the BlackBerry way

by Rebecca Burn-Callander - Friday, 24th October 2008 -

Philip Crowshaw, founder of internet TV company Expertsonline.tv, invested in BlackBerries for all his staff earlier this year. As a result, productivity, transparency and sales are at an all time high.

The Experts Online business channel features short movie clips of entrepreneurs, business gurus and academics. “We do a lot of interviews with business celebrities,” says Crowshaw. “They expect you to be really responsive. If they want to confirm an interview, you have to get back to them straight away.”

Crowshaw’s BlackBerry allows him to keep abreast of emails as they happen, day or night. But it’s not just the soft skills that get a boost. The gizmo also helps the firm pull in more cold, hard cash.

“I was in the supermarket with my 20-month old daughter when an email came through from a client,” says the Expertsonline.tv founder. “Their questions were urgent. So, while I was walking along the aisles, I was pinging emails back. I managed to close a £5,000 deal before I’d even reached the check-out.”

Experts Online has a turnover just under £1m. Despite being a small business, Crowshaw reckons that the ROI on the new BlackBerries was a mere two weeks after purchase.