How SalesSense and Clive Miller started producing video testimonials.
One of the many things I have neglected over the years has been capturing feedback, telling customer stories, and providing social proof. Producing two testimonial videos has led me to the point of a pivot to provide a service that produces and strengthens social proof for small businesses. Especially, those selling to other businesses. While it is something that most businesses could produce for themselves, having a practised third party on the case gets the job done and leads to increases in sales conversion rates of up to 30%.
So now, more than 45 years since I first took on a sales role, I am turning my hand to producing social proof.
Clive Miller
Early years working in avionics and electronics developed Clive's technical and problem-solving abilities. Building instruments for the nuclear instrumentation industry and programming the earliest microprocessors provided his hardware and software foundation.
Clive Miller's sales career commenced in 1979 when he joined Intel Distributor, Rapid Recall. He progressed through field sales and product management roles before joining a PC reseller and then Sun Microsystems, focusing on new business territory sales. After setting up and managing Sun's UK reseller programme, he joined SGi to do the same.
In 1992, he was assigned the role of managing SGi's UK national territory sales team. In his last full year at SGi, he led a team of 26 to achieve £39m against a £34m sales target. This is reflective of the sales performance generated through his seventeen years in sales and sales management.
In 1996, as the market for technical workstation solutions shifted towards PC technology, Clive left to fulfil his longstanding ambition to start a business and founded SalesSense.
Notable customers whom SalesSense have helped achieve significant growth include WorldCheck (now Thomson Reuters Risk Management) nCode, (now HBM Prenscia), Hand Held Products (now Honeywell Productivity and Workflow Solutions), and Wheel, ( now DigitasLbi).
For World Check, an 18-month programme of sales training workshops for the EMEA team led to an average per-person performance increase of 32% compared with the rest of the world, including the US. Following this programme, Reuters acquired World-Check. They now form part of Thomson Reuters Risk Management.
For nCode, we designed and delivered a 2-year programme that helped them merge software and hardware sales teams. The programme commenced with a comprehensive sales skills, abilities, and habits assessment using our tools. A series of workshops and coaching sessions followed. The average per-person sales yield increased by 9%. Overall improvements helped attract HBM, a large German instrument manufacturer that acquired the Company. They now operate as HBM Prenscia.
Hand Held Products asked us to help them increase sales performance to achieve a 50% two-year growth target. We delivered a series of workshops and coaching sessions. Soon after the successful completion of the effort, Hand Held Products was acquired by Honeywell. They are now part of Honeywell Productivity and Workflow Solutions.
A series of key account management programmes for Wheel established consistent handling of high-profile accounts. The increased performance and status of this Digital Agency led to a merger with a number of similar companies to form DigitasLbi.
Assignments have taken Clive around the world to deliver programmes in China, Singapore, Australia, South Africa, Europe, and America. He has led and facilitated large-scale simulations for training and development, advised on sales and marketing strategy, and conducted hundreds of sales training courses. He has pioneered co-creation training, a facilitated enquiry process, and developed numerous assessments.
Clive has written more than twenty specialised sales training courses and is the author of articles, videos, and tools on this website. He has trained and coached thousands of salespeople and hundreds of managers in the skills and habits essential for success in a sales career.
Clive Miller's LinkedIn Profile
If you would like to learn more about Video Testimonials or ways to strengthen your social proof, get in touch. Arrange a Zoom call here, telephone +44 (0)1392 851500, or send an email to clive@salessense.co.uk. He will be pleased to respond and learn about your interest.
