From parties, drinking and dropping out of university: how one entrepreneur turned his life around and is now transforming the world of sales with AI

When Manchester-based sales expert and entrepreneur, Scott McNicol, moved to university as a fresh 18-year-old, it was an excuse to party, drink and avoid responsibility.

Fast-forward 14 years, with an incomplete degree and a commitment to sobriety, Scott is a driven Co-Founder of a new innovative AI outreach service, Harper, which is now celebrating unprecedented growth as it looks to transform the world of digital sales.

Having racked up clients all around the world since its inception earlier in the year, the 36-year-old reflected on the previous two decades: “I studied Graphic Design, but my biggest regret in life was going to university because I used it as an excuse to party.

“Obviously I understand that certain careers require going to university, but I really think there are other ways to succeed, especially if you want to be an entrepreneur. It just wasn’t for me, I knew I wanted to run my own business.

“Sobriety has had a massive impact on me,” Scott explains as he lists the benefits, such as clearer thinking and creating better decisions. “It’s one of the hardest but best decisions I ever made.

“Reflecting on our first months at Harper, I am incredibly proud of the strides we’ve made. Our innovative approach to sales, driven by AI, has exceeded our expectations and set new standards in the industry.”

With a renewed purpose for success, Scott is the driving force behind Harper and has helped many businesses secure new clients and propel growth.

By utilising Artificial Intelligence, Harper’s access to more than 250 million contacts allows the firm to curate a focus list and engage with key decision makers around the world.

The company’s email and LinkedIn sales outreach strategies, allows warm and conversational introductions, showcasing its client’s solution and ability to address specific challenges.

The convenient monthly subscription model enables Harper to diligently follow up, and employ advanced analytics to closely monitor campaigns, fine-tuning strategies for peak efficiency.

As the realm of AI continues to expand and integrate into sales and marketing, Scott emphasises that his company’s success is fundamentally rooted in human expertise.

“At Harper, we revolutionise lead generation by combining human expertise with advanced AI technology, delivering fully-managed, multi-channel outreach campaigns that consistently fill your calendar with high quality meetings.

“Our solution helps businesses engage with decision-makers and drive business growth without the overhead of hiring in-house staff.

“Traditional marketing strategies like cold calling are a dying art and have a very bad reputation, so digitalising this aspect has not only speeded the potential of the outreach, but allows businesses to reach new heights faster and cheaper,” he explained.

“We stand out from other lead generation firms through applying unique tools for each communication platform. This increases the efficiency of automation, leading to better results for our clients.”

Having previously run a managed services company, Sastech, Scott discovered the unparalleled benefits of digital outreach for that business, which planted the seed to start Harper.

He was able to leverage the success by crafting personalized sales messaging to highlight the benefits of Sastech’s solutions.

This creative and pioneering approach resulted in a 27% increase in appointments for the firm and a lead rate of 6.78%, which generated qualified leads and paved the way for meaningful discussions and partnerships.

Now at the helm of Harper, Scott said the base level of sales approach is changing and as the audience, people and companies are not as receptive to traditional strategies as they once were.

“I’m very excited about the future of AI and what it can do for sales, but I’m sure it has to be combined with human interaction. That is key.

“Eighteen-year-old me would never have dreamt I’d be in the position I am today, serving clients around the world, without even completing my university degree.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in the future. This is just the start.”