The Franchise Marketing Awards recognise the franchise industry’s most innovative and effective marketing campaigns and we’re delighted to announce that Auditel have been shortlisted in the Best Marketing Support category. Judged by an independent panel of experts, the Franchise Marketing Awards recognise organisations that have raised their public awareness and as a result have achieved sustainable growth. The results will be announced in a special Awards supplement to the May edition of the Business Franchise Magazine, available in April.

L to R: David Batten, Denis Sprague, Lee Freeman, Mary Murphy, Ian Jarman, Derek Brown

Congratulations and welcome to our newest intake of Auditel Consultants, who have just completed the first stage of their initial training programme here in Winchester. They bring a wide range of industry and professional experience with them - from property consultancy and IT development, to marine sales and construction - and it’s great to know this knowledge now forms part of the Auditel network. We’ve had a really fun week getting to know them all and wish them all the best with their new businesses.

The recession has been very difficult for organisations of every type but none more so than in the charity sector where over 170,000 organisations are competing for fewer funds. With both corporate and individual donations down since the start of the credit crunch, a study carried out by the Charities Aid Foundation and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations estimated a fall in funds of 11%, or £1.3 billion, between 2008 and 2009. The Earl Mountbatten Hospice on the Isle of Wight has experienced this fall at first hand and, like many other charities, was keen to reduce overheads and improve profitability without negatively impacting on the vital medical and nursing services they provide. Having been recommended the Auditel service by a colleague at another hospice, (more…)

We’re pleased to announce that our Facilities Services Director, Howard Ward, has been re-elected to the Council of the Utilities Intermediaries Association (UIA), as one of two representatives for Small Businesses. Howard was a founder member of the UIA Council back in 2006, when the Association was established in response to growing concern among legitimate third party intermediaries about sharp practices being used by some in the industry (a ‘third party intermediary’, or TPI, being anybody who facilitates energy purchasing contracts between consumers and suppliers, for example a consultant, broker or agent).

Since then 23 TPIs have been awarded Full Membership by demonstrating compliance with the Association’s code of practice and are entitled to carry the UIA approval logo, while all the major energy suppliers, Energywatch and the industry regulator, Ofgem, have pledged their support.

According to the results of a survey carried out the Carbon Trust to launch it’s new Best Advice campaign, the UK’s finance professionals are more worried about energy prices and possible tax riases than a change in government or environmental compliance.

With Ofgem estimating that energy prices may spike by 60% over the next seven year, it’s not hard to see why this is such a concern, nor why Auditel consultants are in such high demand to help FD’s and UK organisations manage both their energy purchasing and usage policies.

Although the UK is technically out of recession, many companies and public sector organisations are still finding it very tough to pull through the global downturn and few are doing so unscathed. Not only do organisations of every size and in every sector urgently need to manage their costs and minimise unnecessary expenditure, but redundancies mean they often have fewer in-house resources to manage and implement these changes. As a result, these are very busy times for Auditel consultants (more…)

Last Friday saw over 100 Auditel Consultants gather at Whittlebury Hall, near Towcester, for our annual National Conference. The theme for this year’s event was ‘Excellence through Leadership‘ and, as usual, it was a packed day with presentations, workshops and quizes all designed to help consultants with their planning for 2010. Our excellent keynote speech was delivered by John Neal, who entertained and educated delegates in equal measure with a thought-provoking presentation about the characteristics of successful leaders, based on his own detailed conversations with some of the UK’s leading sports and business personalities. (more…)

Congratulations to Auditel consultant Nick Beaumont-Jones who has been elected Vice-President of the Swindon Chamber of Commerce.

Having spent many years in senior retail management throughout the UK and overseas, Nick joined cost and purchase management specialists Auditel in January this year. As an Auditel Consultant, Nick works as a specialist outsourced management resource for small and medium-size businesses across the UK, helping them to manage their critical business costs. As an active member of the Swindon business community, he has also been heavily involved in the regeneration plans for the town centre for a number of years. (more…)

Congratulations to Auditel consultant Daryn Dodge who has completed the 2009 BUPA Great North Run to raise funds for the charity Diabetes UK. Given that, in his own words, the last time he ran for anything was during football training over 20 years ago, and has been nursing a calf injury, this is quite an achievement.

As Daryn said before the race, “I’m not quite sure how I got here but here I am about to embark on a half-marathon! Actually I do know, as I specifically choose to run for Diabetes UK for a couple of reasons. My late mum had diabetes, and as I do too, I thought the training would help me.”

Daryn didn’t set himself a target time, as raising money and getting to the finish without the assistance of the St. John’s Ambulance were his main objectives. Once he’d got his breath back after the race Daryn said, “It was an amazing experience. As I had some really generous donations - £1,000 so far - I thought it was important to make a serious attempt and not just walk round. Considering that my restricted training had not let me go beyond five miles I was surprised that I felt quite comfortable up to ten miles. Then it was a different story as my shortened training was seriously exposed. I didn’t know you could experience such pain but once I was into the last three miles I was determined to make it to the line. I certainly managed that. I ran every step of the way without stopping or walking even once and finished in 3 hours 33 minutes and 19 seconds! This morning, I can’t believe that I ran for over 3 1/2 hours, but my legs are definitely reminding me that I did!”

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If you’re looking for a fresh challenge or a new direction in your career and want to explore the possibility of self-employment then the National Franchise Exhibition will be well worth a visit. Being held at the NEC on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd October with over 100 BFA accredited franchisors it’s an ideal opportunity to explore the many opportunities franchising offers to start your own business.

The Auditel recruitment team will be on Stand F190 and would welcome the chance to meet with anybody interested in developing a home-based professional business as a member of the UK’s leading network of cost and purchase management consultants. In addition, our Business Development Manager, Ed Brewer, will be presenting a seminar called “In Business for yourself not by yourself - how to choose your perfect franchise” at 12:15pm on both days, while one of our consultants, Denis Brennan, will be on the whichfranchise.com Franchisee panel on Friday 2nd.

For more information about the exhibition or to register for a free ticket, contact Tara Martin on 01962 863915.