Grisedale Search & Selection / BG-Demo – QBR
Callcompleted
Grisedale Search & Selection · 2 Sep 2024 15:45
Managing Director Stuart Haworth challenged value at about two daily users out of 15 and asked what next year costs. He wants more than two users and a fee income link before agreeing anything bigger.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Managing Director Stuart Haworth challenged value at about two daily users out of 15 and asked what next year costs. He wants more than two users and a fee income link before agreeing anything bigger.
What happened: Marcus Bell led the quarterly review with Lauren Pilkington, Stuart Haworth and Nadia Bashir. Usage was described as stable but carried by Lauren and Nadia.
Customer view: Stuart asked what he is paying for if consultants do not use it. He said he would want to see more than two people in there before saying yes to anything bigger.
Commercial: Marcus confirmed Starter at £20k a year, with the term running to 30 Apr 2025. Pricing is Priya's conversation as account owner, and Stuart expects a discount discussion.
Watch: Key-person risk is clear, since usage goes quiet when Lauren is away. Nadia will add the rest of the team within the 15 seats.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Value doubt before renewal
Importance
renewal
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
decision-maker
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Nadia Bashir to add the consultants to the brain this week.
- Marcus Bell to email a note on what heavier users do differently and brief Priya before the renewal.
- Stuart Haworth to tell the Friday huddle where complaints get recorded.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Stuart questions the value of the subscription at about two daily users out of 15.
- Usage depends on Lauren and Nadia, so absences make it go quiet.
- Stuart expects a discount conversation and measures value by fee income per head.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Adding every consultant within the 15 seats could widen use without a price change.
- A usage pattern note on heavier users could give Stuart something to point at.
Transcript
Lauren PilkingtonHiya, can you hear me alright? Sorry, quick one before we start, one of the consultants asked me this morning if she can see a client's old complaints from the same screen as their open roles. I said I'd ask.
Marcus BellAfternoon Lauren, yes, I can hear you fine. Good question, hold that thought and we'll get to it. Is Stuart joining?- Lauren PilkingtonHe's just coming. He's finishing a call with a client.
Stuart HaworthI'm here, I'm here. Sorry, ran over. Did you see the match on Saturday? Honestly, I'm still not over it.- Marcus BellI saw the result, that's about as much as I could take. Sorry Stuart. Nadia, are you there as well?
Nadia BashirYes, I'm here. Hello. I'm mostly listening in, Lauren asked me to join because I look after the connectors and who's got a login.- Marcus BellThat's perfect, that's exactly who I wanted on. Right, I'm going to share my screen. Can you see it? It's the quarterly review pack I've pulled together for you.
- Lauren PilkingtonYep, I can see it.
- Marcus BellGreat. So what I want to cover today is three things. How the brain's been used this quarter, what's gone through the helpdesk, and then what's coming up, including the renewal next May. I've pulled the numbers, and I'll be honest, it's a fairly quiet picture, so I'd like your read on why.
- Stuart HaworthGive me the headline. What's in it for the consultants?
- Marcus BellHeadline is that it's stable. Use is a touch up on last quarter, but on a normal day we're seeing about two people in there. You've got 15 licensed users, so there's a lot of room.
- Stuart HaworthTwo. Out of fifteen.
- Marcus BellOn average a day, yes. Some days it's more, some days it's nobody. I'm not saying that's bad, it's just the shape of it.
- Lauren PilkingtonThat's about right, to be fair. It's me and Nadia most of the time, and then a couple of the consultants when they remember. The trouble is they live in their inboxes and the phone. They don't think to open another thing.
- Stuart HaworthWhich is the whole point, Lauren. If they're not using it, what am I paying for?
- Lauren PilkingtonI know. I know. But the ones who do use it love it. That'd save us hours if everyone did.
- Marcus BellCan I show you what the people who do use it are asking? Might help with the how-do-we-get-the-others-in question. So this is the list of the most common questions this quarter. Mostly it's things like which of our clients have open roles older than a month, and what's the last contact with a named client.
- Nadia BashirThose are mine, I think. The open roles ones. I do those on a Monday before the team meeting.
- Marcus BellThat fits. Monday's the busiest day in the logs. Which is fine, that's a habit, and habits are what you want. The thing I'd gently say is that the question count is carried by two people, so if either of you is off, it goes very quiet.
- Lauren PilkingtonYeah, that's fair. When I was on leave in the summer I don't think anyone opened it.
- Stuart HaworthSo it's a Lauren tool.
- Lauren PilkingtonIt's not only me! Nadia too.
- Stuart HaworthFine, a Lauren and Nadia tool. What do I do about that? Give me one thing.
- Marcus BellOne thing. Honestly, I'd pick a single moment in the consultants' week and make the brain part of it. So, before a client call, you look the client up there first. If it's built into how they prepare, it sticks. Lauren, does that sound doable?
- Lauren PilkingtonIt does. Before a client call, check the account page. We could put it in the Monday checklist. Can the consultants see that bit on their phones, though? Because half of them prep in the car.
- Marcus BellIt's in the browser so it works on a phone, it's not a dedicated app. I'd want you to try it and tell me honestly how it feels, because I don't want to oversell it.
- Lauren PilkingtonOkay. I'll try it on mine tonight.
- Marcus BellBrilliant. Now, your consultant's question from the start. Complaints next to open roles. Let me go to a client page so you can see. Right, so this is a made-up client, but this is the layout. Open roles are here, the recent emails and notes are underneath, and anything that came through as a complaint is tagged and sits in this block.
- Lauren PilkingtonOh, that's what she wanted. So that's already there? I thought we'd have to ask for something.
- Marcus BellIt's there as long as the complaint was captured in a mailbox or the CRM, and the nightly refresh has run. If it only lived in somebody's head, no. That's a data habit more than a feature.
- Nadia BashirRight, and that's the bit I'm worried about. Some of the consultants log things in the CRM and some just email the client and move on. So it's patchy.
- Marcus BellThat's a really useful thing to say, Nadia. It's not a brain problem, it's a source problem. If I can suggest it, a short note to the team about where complaints get recorded would do more than anything I could change on my side.
- Stuart HaworthI'll say it. Where do they put it? Just tell me and I'll say it in the Friday huddle.
- Lauren PilkingtonIn the CRM, on the client record. Same as always. We just need everyone to actually do it.
- Stuart HaworthRight. Friday. I'll say it Friday.
- Marcus BellPerfect. Okay, let me move on to tickets. You've had one ticket in the last month, and it was a how-to, nothing urgent. It was answered well inside what your plan covers. Nadia, was that yours?
- Nadia BashirYes. It was about adding a colleague. I wasn't sure whether I needed to do anything on our side first. It was sorted the same day, I think.
- Marcus BellThat's what I see. No problems with the connectors, nothing stale, nothing outstanding. That's the good news, honestly. Your set-up is quite clean.
- Stuart HaworthGood. Cash. Are we up to date with you lot? Nobody's chasing me?
- Marcus BellNobody's chasing you. Accounts show nothing overdue, so you're all clear.
- Stuart HaworthLovely. Then what's that cost next year? Go on, I'll ask it.
- Marcus BellHa, I thought you might. So at the moment you're on Starter at £19,500 a year, and the term runs to 30 Apr 2025, so the renewal date is 1 May 2025. Any conversation about the renewal price is Priya's, she's your account owner. I don't want to guess at it and get it wrong.
- Stuart HaworthRight. So Priya rings me and we have the discount conversation.
- Marcus BellShe'll be in touch well ahead of the notice period, and I'll make sure she's got this usage picture before she does.
- Stuart HaworthFine. But I'd want to see more than two people in there before I say yes to anything bigger. And I'd want the consultants seeing something for it. Fee income per head, that's what I care about.
- Marcus BellUnderstood, and I think that's the right test. What I can do is look at what the consultants who do use it are doing differently. If there's a pattern, say they're finding open roles faster, then you've got something to point at. I can't promise a number on placements, but I can show you the behaviour.
- Lauren PilkingtonThat'd be really helpful actually. I've got a feeling it's the same two consultants every time and they're the ones who are best at it anyway.
- Stuart HaworthHa. Chicken and egg.
- Marcus BellCould be. Let me look at it properly rather than guess on a call. Right, a few bits before we finish. Nadia, one thing I wanted to check with you, the connectors. You've got four live. Is there any system you'd have liked in there and haven't?
- Nadia BashirNot really, not at the moment. The CRM and the mailboxes are what matter. We talked about the shared drive once, with CVs and that, but that's a bigger job and I don't think anyone has time.
- Marcus BellOkay. Worth noting, I won't push it. If it comes back up, shout, and we'd look at whether it fits within what you have.
- Lauren PilkingtonQuick one on that, Marcus. If we did want more consultants in, is that a conversation about price, or can we just add them within the fifteen?
- Marcus BellYou've got room inside the 15, so you can just add them. Nadia can do that from the admin side. It's only if you went past that that it becomes a commercial thing.
- Nadia BashirOkay, good. I'll add the rest of the team this week then, if Stuart's happy.
- Stuart HaworthAdd them. If it's in the price, it's in the price. Everyone gets a login, and I'll say it in the huddle.
- Marcus BellBrilliant, that's a good practical step. So to recap. Nadia, you add the consultants. Stuart, you mention it and where complaints get recorded on Friday. Lauren, you try it on your phone and tell me how it goes, and put a client check into the Monday routine. And I'll send you a short note on what the heavier users do differently, and give Priya the picture ahead of the renewal.
- Lauren PilkingtonSounds good. Can you send that by email? Stuart won't read it but I will.
- Stuart HaworthI heard that.
- Marcus BellHa. Short bullet points, I promise, Stuart. Shall we book 30 minutes in a couple of months to see whether the numbers have moved?
- Lauren PilkingtonYes, let's do that. Ta, Marcus.
- Stuart HaworthCheers all. Speak soon.
- Marcus BellThanks everyone. Speak soon.
Callsmade from