Licensed trade operators may be paying far more for their utilities that they need to be and as Raymond O’Reilly of David Brown Consulting tells Karen Peattie, there is money to be saved
HOW often has a publican or hotel owner answered the phone to hear the words: “We can save you money”?
Raymond O’Reilly, a partner at David Brown Consulting, isn’t one of those cold callers who irritate the life out of us. Instead, he cuts to the chase. “Utilities aren’t sexy,” he says. “Most people prefer not to think about them but actually we should because we’ve got to pay for them and we absolutely can’t live without them.”
The Linlithgow-based firm has joined forces with the SLTA to offer a free health check on water, electricity and gas bills. “All you have to do is give us your invoices and we’ll do the rest,” says O’Reilly. “It maybe sounds too good to be true but we do all the hard work for you, hopefully saving you some money while you get on with running your business and dealing with your customers.
“We will carry out a full health check on your utilities free of charge, take that information to the market, get the best options for you then put those options on the table for you take a decision,” he continues. “There’s no pressure from us if you then say no – it’s your business and your choice. But in our experience there are always savings to be made and when you consider that in the SLTA’s recent survey some 74% said they’re now paying more, why wouldn’t you want to try to save some money?
“We want you to think of utilities like other aspects of your business – it’s an outgoing like beer and food.”
O’Reilly explains that his firm uses market-leading technology to secure the best business rates for electricity and gas. “We’re the experts so not only do we know where to go to get the best deal for your business, we will manage it for you – and that means you don’t have to worry about paperwork or hanging on the phone in a queue waiting to speak to someone.
“You won’t have to negotiate complicated contracts because we do all of that – in fact, you’ll never have to speak to your supplier because that’s our job.”
Some businesses, he goes on, have found themselves tied into five-year deals that they can’t get out of. “This is a bad situation for some operators because you are tied in to these deals and you’re stuck with them. But even in these cases we can help you save money. For example, we managed to save a client 20% on his water bill which took a bit of the pain away until we were able to get a new contract for his gas and electricity.
“Another key point to remember is that when you are nearing the end of a contract and you don’t want to continue, you absolutely must terminate it – many people don’t know that they have to or they forget. We will keep you informed of what you have to do and when you have to do it.”
For David Brown Consulting, business is all about people and building trust. “For us, relationships are hugely important and we treat every business individually,” says O’Reilly. “We know that all businesses are different – you might have 15 outlets or just one but you are equally important to us.
“Working with the SLTA in this way and having ‘industry partner’ status means that we can work with other industry partners to get the best deals for members.”
