The Tyranny of Doing it Yourself

Published Thursday 11th February 2021

Let’s cut to the chase. We don’t live in an ideal world and we can’t, nor should we, do everything ourselves.

I was reminded of this at the weekend when I received this picture from one of my car buddies.

Now, I confess that in my more extreme automotive moments I have indeed blasted a wheel rim at 70 degrees in the dishwasher. And yes, there was a taint of universal degreaser around the kitchen for some weeks afterwards, but I have never ever even considered setting up a home spray-booth atop the Aga – even with Rangemaster extraction.

Why? I’m really not an expert, so it’s highly unlikely prospect of doing so would end well.

Yet, “oh, we do that ourselves” is the most common objection we receive from potential clients.

It’s exceptionally common to find ancient supply arrangements in areas of indirect expenditure. Some of our early meetings with clients can be characterised by nervous shuffling when we ask whether supplier contracts from five, ten or fifteen years ago can be produced.

Buyers shouldn’t feel guilty or beat themselves up about this. After all, if a supply agreement had gone horribly wrong then of course they would have done something about it – and let’s be brutally honest about this – indirect expenditure is not the top priority for most buyers (thank goodness, or we wouldn’t exist).

This is perhaps, where the tyranny of doing it yourself sinks into the swamp of not doing it at all. And yes, it is perfectly understandable.

If it’s not broken is typically the situation presented to us when we first encounter a client. It’s also most often the easiest way for us to be able to demonstrate value by availing buyers of the opportunities presented by technological change, contemporary cost models, up to date commercial terms and service level agreements – and crucially the options of doing things differently or even eradicating the need for expenditure at all.

How do we do that? Simple. Every working day my Team uses decades of combined experience in your supplier markets.

Think about it. Markets you may approach every three, five or even ten years – we deal in on a daily basis. Which means you benefit from the deepest market knowledge, market leverage running into £billions, the broadest range of solutions and speed to savings.

About the Author: Jason Adderley, joined ERA after a 15-year career in the commercial property development and investment industry, and works with a diverse client base comprising solicitors, actuaries, chambers, patent attorneys, accountants, surveyors, consulting engineers and recruitment consultants.