As Nigeria’s technology ecosystem matures, industry leaders are increasingly emphasising that growth in tech is no longer driven by engineering talent alone, but by professionals who can combine customer understanding, data literacy, and commercial insight.
This was the central message at a recent Techeconomy Business Series webinar, which brought together senior leaders across fintech, telecoms, advertising, and business consulting to examine how professionals can build scalable careers in tech sales and growth roles.
The panel featured Ogechi Okwechime, divisional head, Growth Marketing (Enterprise) at Interswitch Group; Ekundayo Ayeni, co-founder of BusinessPlus; Adepeju Ajayi, manager, mobile Advertising at MTN Nigeria; and Bukayo Ewuoso, Business Growth Consultant.
Imoh Anselem, a tech product manager, functioned as the host.
Sales as Problem-Solving, not Pressure
Opening the discussion, Ogechi Okwechime challenged conventional perceptions of sales as a numbers-driven, high-pressure function.
According to her, effective tech sales begins with understanding the customer’s problem across the entire value chain, from product and marketing to revenue operations and client retention.
“Sales is not about pushing products or chasing targets,” she explained. “It’s about solving real customer problems. When you solve the problem, revenue follows naturally.”
Drawing from her career journey, Okwechime stressed that non-technical professionals can successfully enter tech through roles such as customer service, account management, and customer success, where daily interaction with users builds deep product and market understanding.
She also highlighted internships, graduate training programmes, and entry-level customer roles as critical foundations, describing them as “paid learning grounds” that equip professionals with empathy, resilience, and product fluency.
Soft Skills as the Separator of Good from Great
On what differentiates high-performing professionals, Okwechime identified three core soft skills: strategic empathy, curiosity, and problem-solving backed by data.
Customers, she noted, increasingly expect sales professionals to speak in measurable outcomes rather than generic claims. “They want to hear how a solution improved transactions, reduced costs, or delivered growth, not just what the product does,” she said.
This ability to link data to customer outcomes, she argued, builds trust and long-term relationships, turning one-time transactions into sustained partnerships.
Hiring for Mindset, not Just Credentials
From a founder’s perspective, Ekundayo Ayeni offered a candid look at what business leaders look for when hiring sales talent in the tech sector.
Ayeni, who has built and scaled technology products across multiple African markets, said he prioritises learning ability, tenacity, and resilience over polished resumes.
“Some of the most effective salespeople are not the most refined,” he said. “What matters is whether you can follow up, handle rejection, and keep going.”
He explained that strong sales professionals often bring value through their networks and industry exposure, particularly when selling enterprise or sector-specific solutions. For Ayeni, candidates with experience in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, or manufacturing often perform better because they understand the language and realities of end users.
Rejection as a Career-Building Tool
A recurring theme across the panel was the importance of learning to handle rejection early in one’s career.
Ayeni described rejection as an unavoidable, and necessary, part of building resilience in sales.
“If you can’t handle rejection, sales will break you,” he said, adding that persistence, follow-up discipline, and emotional control often determine success more than technical skill.
The panel agreed that rejection should not be viewed as failure, but as feedback, often signalling a need for clearer communication, better timing, or improved alignment with customer needs.
Stakeholder Management and Business Acumen
Bukayo Ewuoso expanded the conversation by emphasising stakeholder management and business acumen as critical differentiators in today’s competitive tech market.
According to him, many deals stall not because the product is weak, but because sales professionals engage the wrong decision-makers or fail to understand the customer’s business context.
“You can talk for months to someone who cannot sign off on a deal,” he noted. “Understanding who holds decision power is just as important as understanding the product.”
Ewuoso also stressed that professionals must tailor their communication to each organisation’s culture, financial position, and strategic priorities, especially in skeptical markets where trust must be earned.
Positioning for Regional and Global Opportunities
On accessing global opportunities from Africa, the panel advised professionals to focus on solving bigger problems, building visible impact, and participating in professional communities.
They encouraged young professionals to measure their work by business impact rather than activity metrics, and to communicate results in clear commercial terms.
“Opportunities compound when value compounds,” one panelist noted, adding that visibility, consistency, and contribution to industry-level problem-solving often attract cross-border roles and partnerships.
A Blueprint for Sustainable Tech Careers
In closing, the webinar reinforced that success in tech sales and marketing and growth roles is less about aggressive selling and more about empathy, insight, and long-term value creation.
As Nigeria’s digital economy continues to expand, the panel agreed that professionals who combine customer understanding with data, resilience, and strategic thinking will be best positioned to drive growth, both for their organisations and for the broader ecosystem.
You can listen back: Spotify or Audiomack | Watch on YouTube.
