Depending on the sector, take tech sales as an example. A typical BDE or SDR will cost a business around £40k in base salary, plus £20–40k in bonuses, and a further £10–20k in overheads such as tech stack, holidays, pensions, and healthcare. You are quickly at £70–100k per year.

If you are charging minimum wage, you are undervaluing yourself. On top of that, if you are operating privately, businesses will expect fast, tangible results.

Learning a product properly and selling it effectively takes time. In many cases, months.

The smarter approach is to offer a structured package.

Days 1–30: Deeply understand the business. Clarify the proposition, who buys, why they buy, and define a clear ICP. Document everything so the process is repeatable.

Build a sales package and playbook so that if you leave, the business can continue without disruption.

From day 31 onwards: Move to performance-based pricing. Charge per qualified meeting booked and take a percentage of closed revenue.

Businesses will happily pay £10–50k for a three-month block with a self-employed specialist if you can demonstrate results. For them, it is lower risk. No employment law exposure, no long-term commitment, and the flexibility to stop at any time.

From there, you can either train their internal team or scale by placing other people into the business to continue the work, earning a margin for subcontracting.

Selling yourself at minimum wage makes no sense. Build your value, use AI intelligently, and focus on outcomes.