Hey everyone! Lisa F. here from Arlington. After 3 months of cold calling and getting hung up on constantly, I finally landed my first audit client - a small manufacturing facility. They were paying $8,200/month on TXU Energy Schedule GS-2 and I found $1,850 in monthly savings by catching an incorrect demand billing multiplier. The facility manager was skeptical at first but the numbers don't lie. Anyone else have success with the manufacturing sector?
Cold calling success - finally landed my first client!
Congrats Lisa! Ed T. from Tulsa here - manufacturing has been good to me too. Just did an audit for a metal fabrication shop on PSO Rate Schedule LPL and found they were being billed on the wrong voltage level. Saved them $2,400/month. Keep hitting those industrial parks!
Excellent work Lisa! Randy Dawson here - manufacturing clients often have the biggest billing errors because their load profiles can be complex. I always recommend checking the rate schedule classification first, then verifying power factor charges and demand billing periods. These facilities typically have lower power factors due to motor loads, so make sure they're getting any available power factor discounts if they've installed correction equipment. What was their power factor running?
Thanks Randy! Their power factor was actually pretty good at 0.94, but the billing multiplier was set wrong in the utility system - they were being charged as if they were getting power at 4kV when they're actually fed at 12kV. Simple fix but big savings. I'm definitely going to focus more on manufacturing now.
Michael R. here from Albuquerque. Been doing this for 15 years and voltage classification errors are probably the most common mistake I find. PNM has gotten better about it but still see it regularly. Lisa, did you charge a percentage of savings or flat fee for your first client?
I went with 50% of first year savings Michael. Figured I needed to be competitive for my first one. Got $11,100 which isn't bad for a week's worth of work! Planning to raise my rates as I get more established.
Bernard P. from Roanoke here. That's solid pricing for a first client Lisa. I usually start new auditors at 40-50% until they build up credibility. The key is getting those testimonials and referrals flowing. Did they agree to be a reference for future prospects?
Yes Bernard, they're happy to be a reference! The facility manager even said he's going to mention me to his buddy who runs a plastic injection molding plant across town. Word of mouth is already starting to work.
Helen K. from Little Rock. Lisa, how many cold calls did it take before you got this client? I'm about 200 calls in with no luck and getting discouraged. Any tips on your pitch?
Helen, I probably made 400+ calls before this one hit. My pitch was simple: "Hi, this is Lisa F. with Texas Utility Audit Services. I specialize in finding billing errors on commercial electric accounts. Most of my manufacturing clients are overpaying by 10-20% due to rate schedule mistakes. Can I take 5 minutes to explain how I found $22,000 in annual savings for a similar facility?" The key was having a specific example ready.
Keith D. from Eugene chiming in. Lisa's pitch is solid - specific dollar amounts get attention. I always lead with my biggest win even if it's not the same industry. Just closed a brewery audit that was miscategorized on PGE Schedule 32 instead of Schedule 38. $1,200/month savings and they bought me a case of their IPA!
Thanks Lisa and Keith! Going to revise my pitch with specific numbers. Helen K. signing off - back to the phones tomorrow with renewed energy.
Gary T. from Knoxville here. Great thread everyone. Lisa, one tip for manufacturing - always check if they qualify for any industrial development rates or economic development discounts. TVA has several programs that facilities don't know about. Could be additional savings on top of fixing billing errors.