A record start to 2009

Auditel's January '09 intake of new franchisees

Auditel specialise in cost and purchase management and are the UK’s leading home-based executive franchise. In January the company celebrated a remarkable record in the number of franchisees recruited for any single month since the company began franchising in 1997.

As Laurence Knott, Auditel’s Head of Marketing, explains, “We opened our doors for business after the Christmas break at 9 am on Monday 5th January and by 11 am we had our first signing! Since then there has been a steady flow of new franchisees joining us. Among the first intake were professional men and women from retail, energy, marketing, recruitment, engineering, IT and the healthcare industry.”

Nottingham-based Phillip Godwin, ex- Governance Manager of a large energy company joined with his wife Pam. “I had wanted to do something different for some time and had looked at a number of franchise opportunities before coming across Auditel. What made them stand out for us was first all the people – professional and dedicated. Next, the business model – adaptable to the lifestyle that we wanted to achieve and also the commitment to personal development. Finally, the support and expertise of the network – a company I would want to do business with.”

For Pam Auditel was the right opportunity because, “It gives me the opportunity to work together with my husband in a business partnership in which we  can both contribute and use our different but complementary skills. Auditel and its support team were professional from our first contact with them. They were fully supportive and able to answer all the questions that we posed in the decision-making process.”

Wokingham- based chartered accountant Kien Lac, who worked in healthcare before becoming an Auditel Consultant, says, “As an ex-Finance Director, I felt that the Auditel business model offered a compelling proposition to the client which has a direct benefit to their balance sheet.”

According to Tom Endean, Marketing Manager at the British Franchise Association, “While businesses are battening down the hatches and hoping for the current economic storm to pass, many franchise businesses are enjoying good health”. A trend that Auditel’s success so far in 2009 certainly seems to confirm.

As Auditel’s Managing Director, Chris Allison, explains there are very good reasons for this. “Despite, or perhaps because of, the current economic climate our cost and purchase management services are in great demand. Most businesses are beginning to realise that they simply don’t have the in-house resources to effectively manage their overheads in an ever-changing and complex marketplace. And at this time, with sales revenue falling for many companies and staff under increasing pressure, organisations are taking a fresh look at their expenditures and are turning to outsourced providers of specialist cost management services. As a result, our consultants are busier than ever and our franchise recruitment is breaking all records.”