OUR LATEST INSIGHTS

Up to date, high-level business information that is relevant to our clients and contacts, helping keep up to date on the ver-changing business world of today.

Ian Nairn / September 24, 2025

wsever – Negotiations – How to Get the Best Deal

Ian Nairn / September 18, 2025

gcrusnell – Automotive Savings

IS YOUR AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS BEING OVERCHARGED FOR VITAL BUSINESS SERVICES?

Your team has more important things to do than conducting thorough audits of your expenses. Thankfully, that’s what Schooley Mitchell does, all day, every day. We optimize your expenses so you can focus on doing what you do best.

At Schooley Mitchell, we’re entirely independent of any vendors. Our consultants receive no incentives or bonuses from services providers. In fact, we’re so confident in our ability to negotiate savings for our clients, we’ve based our business model on that very fact; if we don’t deliver savings, we don’t get paid.

Waste

How predictable is your waste every month?

Variability in your waste from month-to-month makes a big difference to certain service providers.

Is your container size and collection frequency optimized?

Finding a provider that is both cost effective and meets your needs can be challenging.

Are your waste disposal fees changing frequently over the course of the year?

A professional audit of your expenses can get to the bottom of it.

Merchant Services

Do you reference the "effective rate" to evaluate how competitive your processing fees are?

A blended pricing structure makes it more difficult to fully understand all the factors impacting your fees.

Do you know how your current processing environment impacts your processing fees?

How you process payments and capture data can have a big impact on your monthly fees.

Have you asked your processor to provide you an "interchange-plus pricing" quote?

This pricing structure is often the least expensive and most transparent option.

Telecom

Have you conducted a recent usage audit across your telecommunications system?

In many cases, we find inefficiencies and redundancies in the number of lines and features.

Have you considered moving to a Voice over IP platform?

Cloud based telecommunications systems typically provide unique features at lower costs.

Do you know when your current plan automatically renews?

Companies typically only have a 30-day window to make changes to their current contract.

Getting Started is Easy!

Step 1

Provide Us Invoices or Online Access

First, you provide us with the bills or online access to your vendors so we can establish a baseline of your current cost structure.

Sign our Letter of Agency & Service Agreement

You also sign a letter of agency so we can negotiate with your current vendors, because chances are you’re not looking to switch. You also sign our service agreement which covers our business terms.

Step 2

We do the Analysis & Negotiating.

This is where we use our benchmarking data to research options and negotiate better deals for you.

Set Up a Call to Introduce Our Specialist

We don't need much from you during this step, just a quick call to introduce our specialist who is doing the work.

Step 3

We Share Our Recommendations

Then we share our recommendations with you. You choose what to implement and we take it from there.

Ian Nairn / September 18, 2025

ddougall – Veterinary Savings

IS YOUR VETERINARY BUSINESS BEING OVERCHARGED FOR VITAL BUSINESS SERVICES?

At Schooley Mitchell, we’re entirely independent. Our consultants don’t accept kickbacks or incentives from service providers, and our process is completely risk-free. In fact, we’re so confident in our ability to generate savings for our clients, we’ve based our business model on that very fact. If we can’t deliver on savings, we don’t get paid.

Case Study

The Client:

Signs a Service Agreement that covers our business terms
Provides us with bills, or online access to their accounts, so we can establish a baseline of their current rate structure
Signs a letter of agency, so we can negotiate with their current vendors
Describes their current processing environment

Schooley Mitchell:

Uses our benchmarking data to research options and negotiates better pricing for the client
Requests, reviews, and validates competitive quotes from other processors
Negotiates with the current vendor for a re-rate
Compiles our research and recommendations into a Value Report
Assists with the cancellation of services if needed
Assists with compliance standards
Implements pricing and changes
Confirms the new price 30 days after implementation

DOWNLOAD PDF

Part 1: Client Background

Client A is a single-location veterinary practice focusing on family pets. Client A engaged Schooley Mitchell to ensure they weren’t overpaying on their non-veterinary expenses, like payment processing.

Important Factors - Payment Processing:

Payment processing was a considerable expense for Client A.
They were on a tiered pricing structure with their incumbent payment provider.
They were not under an appropriate rate structure leaving room for savings.
They were spending $46,220.04 per year on payment processing fees.

Part 2: Savings Results

Schooley Mitchell negotiated with several payment processors, including Client A’s incumbent vendor, who was willing to provide a more competitively priced rate structure.

This resulted in an estimated reduction of $16,970.52 per year - or roughly 37%

This was all achieved without any changes to Client A’s payment processing structure.

Across the term of our engagement, Client A is saving $50,911.56!

Part 3: Implementation & Post Audits

Schooley Mitchell provided a timeline for implementation, including accurate instructions for steps involving Client A’s vendors.

Schooley Mitchell verified implementation within one month, dependent on the necessary invoices presented.

The client received a detailed implementation report outlining a savings summary for the next three years.

Following implementation, Schooley Mitchell continued to monitor Client A’s invoices quarterly, to ensure the agreed upon rates were being honored, and ensure any billing errors were caught right away.