Zenith, like Anglian and Everest sell Home improvements. Like everyone else they have a website so clients can and do contact them, get an estimate, a survey, and get work done.
However in a competitive market it is hard to expand.
so what they do is never these little franchise branches to recruit local business. The manager is not a company employee, he needs to send the company real contracts so they can go and install their products and charge the customer for the work.
Most jobs are done on finance, through Barclays. The client takes out a home improvement loan, Barclays pay Zenith the cost of the job, the client pays back the bank over time with interest, as with any loan.
The branch manager is actually called the Area Sales Agent.
He has self employed Sales Agents working for him, trained by the company, who sit the leads and get paid a commission if a sale is made.
The agent uses his own car and petrol and is totally self employed and self sufficient, responsible for his own taxes.
The way leads are made in by cold calling on phones and, more so by Zenith and Anglian than some other companies by canvassers knocking doors to get the rep an appointment.
The plan is that a canvasser is self employed and, if a lead you make turns into an appointment that becomes a sale, you get a cut of that money.
How much it is depends to vary, as the ASA needs to pay the marketing manager who then pays his team members. It seems to be a set amount for each pitch, and it is unclear whether you get paid if a pitch is made from your lead or just when it becomes a sale.
As the ASA pays the marketing manager who pays the canvasser you can imagine they would try to keep as much back for themself as possible. This is of course an individual thing, not a company policy. The company pays commission, a percentage of the profit back to the sales agent.
Of course if everyone does their job right everyone will make money so it can be viewed as a lucrative business opportunity whichever role you are doing, or a rip off or con, depending on how well you do.
Would you carry on knocking doors to make leads if you never made any money, if those leads never became sales?
Would you want a canvasser on your team if he never made any decent leads that became appointments which sold?
Would you be a rep if you never got any leads or got crap leads that never sold?
Would you run a branch and hire people who could not make leads or who could not turn those leads in to sales? Would you give leads to a rep who could never close a deal?
As with any business, you can look to blame anyone else if you fail, or you can make it work for yourself an succeed.
Are you a canvasser knocking doors and getting great leads that those reps can sell?
Are you a rep taking those leads you are given and doing your best to close those deals at the house?
Are you a manager who is recruiting and training great canvassers and great reps so the leads are made, the sales and made and you are all getting paid?
Ultimately it is up to you.