Clearview National January 2020 - Issue 218 | Page 24

DIRECTOROFTHEMONTH
Exclusive and
‘Extreme’
Andrew Miller, Business Development
Director at Conservatory Outlet, kicks
off our Director of the Month feature for
2020. In this exclusive interview, Andrew
gives some unique insight into his role
and the strength of the Conservatory
Outlet Network, as well as detailing
a particularly unique role model.
Name/job title:
Andrew Miller
Business Development Director
When did you join
the company?
July 2015
Describe your working day...
It’s difficult to describe my
‘typical’ working day as I spend
the majority of my time in the
field with our Conservatory
Outlet Network members. My
role as Business Development
Director sees me formulating
plans and strategies; devising
ways in which to best enhance
their businesses. I have a close
working relationship with each
and every member. On the days
that I’m office-based, I’m working
on operational and marketing
planning.
What is your
workspace like?
My workspace for the most part
is my car. If I’m out on the road
you’ll generally find me on the
phone with one of our network
members or fielding calls from
businesses that are interested
in getting involved with the
network. Typically, I’m armed
with my laptop and iPad, ready to
set up camp at whichever member
I’m visiting that day.
First thing you do when
you get to your desk?
Aside from checking my emails,
the first thing I do is pick up the
phone and start making calls. I’m
a big believer in the importance of
verbal communication and, whilst
emails are obviously a hugely
important tool, a phone call will
always take preference. My role
is ultimately about working with
our existing membership base and
ensuring we offer an unrivalled
commitment to quality,
innovation and customer service.
In reality, my working day from
start to finish is geared towards
ticking these three boxes.
‘I work really closely
with our in-house
marketing team’
What websites help you?
I spend a lot of time on our
members’ websites analysing the
ways we can grow and develop
their brands to maximise revenue.
I work really closely with our
in-house marketing team and
an external digital agency to
understand the ways in which
customers navigate our members
websites and how we can use that
data to generate high quality sales
leads.
24 » JAN 2020 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
Most useful business tool?
We have an internal, bespoke
CRM system which I use on a
daily basis. This provides me with
an incredibly accurate minute-
by-minute sales analysis tool and
enables me to track which of
our products are proving most
popular amongst our network
members. From this analysis, we
are able to make fully informed
business decisions and identify
areas of our offering that may
need strengthening.
Best business decision
in your current role?
The development and launch
of the ‘Extreme’ brand in 2018
was a real watershed moment
for Conservatory Outlet. We
put the collection together with
the goal of creating a clearly
defined, trailblazing brand that
would resonate with both our
network members and, crucially,
homeowners. ‘Extreme’, and
the substantial collateral we put
together around it, provided
our network members with an
unrivalled collection of products.
The decision was ultimately
justified throughout 2019 as the
sales figures and feedback have
well exceeded our expectations.
Favourite role
models and why?
Perhaps a little out of left field,
but I owe a lot of my success to
the work of J. Douglas Edwards.
In many ways he’s the original
pioneer of sales and sales process
training. Making his fortune
back in the 1950s, he went on
to produce an audio cassette
that became a hugely important
tool for me. It was given to me
by Nick Dutton, then Sales &
Marketing Director at Synseal,
and in many ways taught me
everything I know about sales
psychology and, crucially, how
to close.
How do you unwind?
I try and go to the gym as
much as possible first thing in a
morning, depending on where
I have to be that day. I find it
helps clear my mind and set me
up for a productive day, before
I inevitably have to face the
traffic. My stress levels are then
elevated again by the fact I’m a
life-long Leeds United fan. I’m
not sure you could class that as
‘unwinding’, though.
www.conservatoryoutlet.co.uk