Opus Energy
A week with…Business Development Manager, Jon Daniels
Position at Opus Energy: Business Development Manager for flexible purchasing products
Monday
I have a great start to the week – Stagecoach UK Bus are renewing their Opus Evolution contract today. So my first task of the day is to liaise with the customer and their Corporate Account Manager to ensure they receive a smooth seamless service throughout the renewal process.
With the imminent release of our flexible purchasing product aimed at the smaller corporate customers, I have a busy week ahead, visiting customers and brokers to keep them up to date with product developments. I spend a few hours preparing for the week’s meetings; confirm appointments and fine tune presentations. Then it’s on to booking future appointments; developing current relationships and kick off meetings with potential new brokers and customers.
Tuesday
I am out on the road today heading up to Leeds for a meeting with a new broker I met at The Energy Event earlier in the year. For me this is the most enjoyable part of my role, getting out and meeting face-to-face with customers and partners. Introductory meetings are an important part of our business growth. They present the opportunity to introduce Opus Energy to people that might not have heard about our products and services and offer the chance to understand more about their business strategies, customers and needs.
Establishing strong two-way working relationships has enabled us to tailor product offerings to suit specific brokers, such as our non-half hourly flexible baskets. These relationships help us to shape future product development such as our soon-to-be launched product Opus Extra, which will enable brokers to automate and implement flexible energy purchasing strategies for individual customers.
Wednesday
Another early start as I travel to London to meet with a potential new customer at one of our brokers offices. Whilst enjoying a morning treat, a bacon roll (I couldn’t resist as I was waiting on the train platform in the cold), I review the weekly IT product development update. We are at an exciting stage in Opus Extra’s evolution; completing the final fine tuning and tweaking to get the product ready for testing.
I have a short pre-meeting briefing with the broker; who relays how pleased they are to be able to offer the customer a flexible energy purchasing alternative to the traditional electricity contract.
The meeting with the customer was a great success. The customer has some very specific billing requirements and is working to a tight deadline. We have a tailored approach to our corporate customers and are happy to work together to meet their needs. I was able to impress the customer with examples of similar account tailoring for existing customers and talk through the support they would receive from their individual Account Manager. Also we discussed the cost and energy efficiency benefits of using Opus Evolution, I answered their questions and alleviated any concerns of switching away from a fixed term contract – they have now signed up to Opus Evolution.
The customer leaves feeling confident that they are signing with the right energy supplier, who can deliver on their bespoke requirements. I go home with a smile on my face, which is almost wiped away when I discover that there is a 45min delay on my train home!
Thursday
Today I am off to a conference where Opus Energy has a stand so I am there to answer any questions that the delegates may have. Our attendance at the conference is important for us to build brand awareness and enable delegates to have a direct comparison with the other energy suppliers in the market who are also exhibiting.
From the start of the day our stand attracted a lot of attention. We use a 100% recyclable stand which is really eye catching and different to the usual pull up stands that the other exhibitors had. Using clear, simple messages to let people know what products and services Opus has to offer. Questions focused around Opus’ free Smart Metering offer as well as our ability to offer flexible deals to consortiums who wish to do group purchasing. It also provided the platform to raise the profile of Opus Extra, which has been developed for our smaller consuming corporate customers.
With businesses keen to cut costs, installing Smart Meters and purchasing as part of a group can significantly reduce energy costs. Smart Meters can also help business’ monitor and reduce their impact on the environment which is very hot topic, with the introduction of the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC).
The day flies by, as our stand has a constant stream of delegates. We have made some really strong new contacts which I will have to follow up on when back in the office.
Friday
After 3 busy days on the road I am back in the office today for some well needed administration time. After I have updated the Corporate Sales report it is straight into a morning of meetings. The first is with the Corporate Pricing Team to feedback on my meetings, go through the business leads generated at the one day conference yesterday and review the week. It is important that the whole team are fully up to date and aware of any meetings and tenders coming up.
Our Corporate Account Managers are based in the Northampton office whilst the Corporate Pricing and business generation team is in Oxford so it is equally important to keep them up-to-date. Via a conference call we discuss the imminent Smart Metering installations and then a WebEx presentation from the Risk Management Team gives us an overview of the energy pricing market and what they are working towards.
Then it’s back to my desk to start the follow up calls with the brokers and customers I met earlier in the week. In order to develop long-term relationships I am eager to stay in touch on a regular basis.
Off to another meeting! This time with the IT department to discuss the user feedback of the latest customer driven updates to Opus Evolution. We are keen to continuously develop our energy solutions, making sure our offerings meet customer needs and stay ahead of our competition. Opus Evolution was developed by our in-house IT department which enables us to simplify our business processes and respond quickly to any operational changes and suggestions.
The end to a very busy but successful week, I am looking forward to a restful weekend to recharge my batteries. With new functionality on Opus Evolution soon to be released and a flexible purchasing solution for our smaller consuming corporate customers, 2010 is set to be an exciting and successful year for Opus Energy.
Find out how your business could experience energy savings with Opus Evolution by calling Jon Daniels on 0845 4379411 or email quote@opusenergy.com
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