YOU ARE HERE : Home / FAQ's  FAQ's Your Partner in Profit Improvement   Frequently Asked Questions   We understand that you may have questions about our service and abilities. Common questions are answered below. Should you have additional questions not answered here, please call us at 847-844-0484. 1) Can you guarantee that you’ll save us money? No, we cannot guarantee that we’ll be able to save you money but we are virtually certain that within every company there are opportunities to lower costs and improve profitability. Therefore, we developed a gain sharing plan that makes the entire process risk free to you. Basically, we share in a percentage of the savings we uncover. So, if we cannot find savings for you, we congratulate you on a job well done and you owe us nothing. 2) What is a spend diagnostic? A spend diagnostic is the tool we employ to look at every possible category where your organization spends money. Using this tool, we are able to pinpoint the opportunities for the most dramatic savings and work with you to develop a strategy for securing cost savings by spend category. 3) Can’t I do that myself? Sure, companies can work on their own spend diagnostic although few have the right combination of time, talent and expertise in house to complete such a strategic project thoroughly and accurately in a short time. We know from experience that those with the know how are so involved in the day to day work of solving problems that they often cannot get to strategic planning and the detailed data mining involved. The advantages of partnering with Cost Reduction Experts  are that we have the time, talent and expertise available for you without your needing to add additional headcount. And, since we share in the cost savings, there is no risk to trying out our services. 4) Is the client obligated to implement the cost savings steps suggested by CRE? Our signature is on all of the work we perform. Our reputation depends on client satisfaction. While we will be bound to find all possible cost reductions for you, your only obligation is to implement the cost savings found through price reduction. If you do not wish to utilize any of our other recommendations, then that is your choice. 5) Why do I have to tell you what I am currently spending and give you the name of my current suppliers? Without adequate information, we may not be as effective in working on your behalf. It is important to know current sources of supply so that we can respect your wishes in who to contact and who to avoid. 6) How can my company be certain the information we provide is safeguarded? CRE completely understands this concern and the importance of managing whatever information is provided with the most strict confidence and respect. CRE is committed to the complete privacy and security of all information released and will comply with all data parameters your company requires. If desired, CRE is prepared to provide our own signed confidentiality agreement or accept your company’s confidentiality terms.   7) What prior successes have you had? Both the founding members of CRE, Richard Rafdahl and Susan Walker, have saved the companies they have been involved with literally tens of millions of dollars over the last 6 years. Most recently, we have secured several million dollars in savings as a result of various auction events we managed. To name just a few, we have realized significant savings in the areas of corrugated cartons, plastic bags and plastic resin based products, trash can-liners, towel and tissues, janitorial cleaning chemicals and hand soaps, stretch film, air bubble wrap, tape products and freight during the last 18 months.   8) How much can we expect to save? Our goal is to save 15 – 50% on the categories being reviewed although savings may vary.   9) How much time will all of this take? Our goal is to keep the time invested on your part at a minimum. After we receive the signed agreement, the majority of time spent is on the client side in getting CRE the required information. This means someone on staff making copies of invoices and contracts as instructed. Once we collect all pertinent information, we may do an on/off site survey with key personnel and then we usually don’t meet again until it is time to present our savings strategies.   10) What are the next steps to saving money? Call us at 1-847-844-0484 or email us at CRE1@comcast.com CRE will come to your facility to conduct an initial consultation. This meeting will help us to better understand your business and your particular needs and concerns. After the consultation, if you are ready to proceed, we will establish a service agreement tailored to your business needs.  Once this is finalized, CRE will proceed with an initial review of all available supplier, product and payment information.  Afterwards, we will craft a comprehensive information gathering strategy in support of the critical data mining process.