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Our Founder Leena Parmar answers your FAQ’s

23rd February 2022

Leena Parmar in a black dress

Q: What industry does Citrus Connect Recruitment work in?

I founded Citrus Connect Recruitment in 2009, after seeing a gap in the marketplace for the recruitment of self-employed sales staff. With no recruitment experience, but a heart and desire to serve and provide a solution to clients, I perfected a recruitment process that was simple, easy and efficient and together with my launch client, the Automobile Association grew their direct sales force by over +200%.

Today Citrus Connect recruits for all types of sales roles (telesales, field sales, digital sales), with a particular focus and niche in self-employed direct sales roles. We work across all industries and pride ourselves in our track and evaluate service providing real-time recruitment stats to support the growth of our client’s businesses.

Q: What are the average earnings when in a self-employed direct sales role?

The average earnings of a self-employed direct sales role is in the range of £40-60k per annum. Top performers are earning 6 figure incomes in most companies we work with. And with the tax benefits of being self-employed, you will keep more of what you earn.

Some companies offer a small basic, but the common thread with most of the roles we recruit for is that earnings are completely uncapped – you write your own paycheck!

Q: Why should I consider a self-employed sales role?

Although the perception of direct sales roles is changing, especially in the last 10 years, candidates consider a self-employed sales role for a plethora of reasons.

Some are tired of the bureaucracy in their corporate career, would like to earn £60k+ but with less stress. Some are new graduates wanting to pay off their student loans fast and get onto the property ladder. Some have always worked in sales and reached the top of the income and the career ladder at their current company – direct sales seem to be the answer to using their transferable skills but increasing their earning power.

There are many more reasons that our candidates consider a direct sales role, but most consider it for three main reasons a) uncapped earnings b) an opportunity to maximise earning power and c) to work with a company that shares their values and ethos.

Q: What are the short term and long term gains of this?

Short term, you work with a company whose goals become your goals – with training and support, you can improve your conversions and therefore earning power. Long term, you can look at what personal sovereignty means to you – does this mean saving for your child’s education, investing in property, or planning lifetime holidays you want to tick off your bucket list? You decide!

Q: Do I need to have sales experience?

Sales has changed in so many ways over the last few years. Consumers have become savvier, the ‘old hat direct sales man’ is longer welcome in people’s homes. For this reason, many of our clients have found that sales experience is not always beneficial for positive business results. Clients are looking for candidates who can understand the new consumer, who can follow directions and follow a proven sales process.

We are happy to share that most of our clients no longer require sales experience. In fact, in the last decade, we have seen huge success with candidates who come from armed forces, police backgrounds.

Q: Is there room for career progression?

YES! For the right person, progression into management, senior management and training are ALWAYS available.

Q: Do you have any work from home roles?

The pandemic has changed the way many companies work, and we are delighted to offer various work from home roles. The sales process is conducted via various video platforms and high earning potential is still possible.

Q: What are candidates and clients looking for in 2022?

A lot has changed since the pandemic, many businesses lost valuable scale up time during times of lockdown, therefore you find that most businesses even the ones that grew during COVID-19 are looking for aggressive growth.

I am a firm believer in keeping things simple, in my opinion, at any given time all companies are looking for 4 basic areas

for candidates to add value;

  1. Bring in new clients
  2. Retain existing business
  3. Reduce costs
  4. Refer good talent

As a candidate, as long as you can add value in these 4 areas, you will be valuable to a business. All of this with the addition of following directions, following your shot and delivering on your word!

In the last 10 years, there has been a real shift in why people go to work. Apart from money and lifestyle work gives someone, there is a huge philanthropic part of candidates that want to connect with the ‘why’ of a company. What difference does this company make and how? What is the culture of the company and do their values align with me.

Finding a job has almost become synonymous with finding a partner – it’s about the match, the reason, the bond and the ultimate success of both!

My team and I would be honoured to support you to grow your sales team or in your job search, please feel free to reach out to us at hello@citrus-connect.co.uk.

Wishing you a wonderful end to the week.

Best wishes,

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