General News
The Foundation: Sales is Still a People’s Game, Even at Scale – Isoken Aigbomian
In every leadership role, one fact remains non-negotiable: the way you lead directly determines whether your teams deliver sustainable growth or not, whether your team will thrive or struggle.
Sales is not just about numbers on a dashboard. Strategy, process, and technology all matter, but people make the difference. At scale, your leadership style becomes the multiplier (or limiter) of your team’s performance.
Strategies matter, processes matter, but how you lead will always influence whether those strategies succeed. When I shifted my focus from simply managing results to leading with intent, I noticed a dramatic change in how my sales unit delivered.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to share my experience with other leaders about what it really takes to drive growth through sales and how managers can build teams that are both productive and resilient.
Here are five leadership principles that transformed how my teams performed:
1. Communicate Vision, Not Just Targets
It’s tempting to throw out numbers and expect people to deliver. But numbers alone don’t inspire.
Before I assign a target, I make sure my team understands the bigger picture: why the target matters, how it connects to the company’s growth, and what role they play in achieving it.
When people see the “why,” the work becomes personal. Hitting a target shifts from being “the company’s win” to “our win.” That shift builds ownership, and with ownership comes motivation.
Practical takeaway: Don’t just say “Here’s your quota.” Show how hitting it helps the whole team and organisation move forward.
2. Master the Art of Active Listening
Salespeople are trained to listen closely to customers. You listen to their words, nonverbal cues and uncover those needs they have not even verbalised: The same applies to leadership.
As a manager, you need to listen with intention: not just to hear concerns, but to spot opportunities. For example, one of my team members once pointed out inefficiencies in how we tracked leads. As soon as they broke down the gap they had detected, I reviewed that particular process, and we ended up redesigning: that course correction saved us from an inefficient system.
When people feel genuinely heard, they become more engaged and more committed.
Practical takeaway: Don’t just wait for your turn to speak. Ask questions, listen deeply, and act on what you learn. Also, encourage your team members to speak out.
3. Balance Accountability with Support
High-performing teams thrive on clarity and ownership, not micromanagement.
As a manager, it’s your job to set clear expectations and then provide the support needed to meet them. This means:
Explaining how each person’s role contributes to the bigger goals.
Being clear about rewards and consequences.
Giving your team a safe channel to share strategies or challenges, and offering guidance when needed.
Encouraging autonomy, so people can make decisions and grow.
When accountability and support work together, you create an environment where people take ownership and push themselves to succeed.
👉 Practical takeaway: Hold your team to high standards, but back them with the tools, resources, and trust they need.
4. Build a Culture of Curiosity and Continuous Learning
Sales is constantly changing: new tools, new customer behaviors, evolving customer requirements, new competition. If you keep using yesterday’s strategies, you will lead your team to redundancy.
I train my managers to remain curious, try out new approaches, and learn continuously. For instance, when we adopted a new sales automation tool, I made it a point to test it with the team and show how it could reduce manual work. Within weeks, adoption skyrocketed because curiosity and learning were already part of our culture.
👉 Practical takeaway: Create space for your team to experiment, share lessons, and explore new technology.
5. Lead with Empathy
Empathy in leadership doesn’t mean being “soft.” It means understanding your team’s challenges and guiding them through with clarity and confidence. Your can be firm and empathetic, these two words are not mutually exclusive.
I’ve found that incorporating empathy helps me inspire trust in my team members. And when people trust you, they’ll follow you through tough targets and difficult quarters.
👉 Practical takeaway: Show your team you’re invested in their success, not just their output. That builds the loyalty and collaboration needed for long-term results.
Overcoming Challenges: The Reality of Leadership
No leadership journey is smooth. I’ve faced moments when:
Motivation across the team dipped.
Targets looked unreachable.
Competitors gained an edge.
In those moments, my role wasn’t just to push harder. It was to reframe these setbacks as learning opportunities and build a strategy to overcome these setbacks. I often share my own past mistakes with my team: not to excuse failure, but to show how to bounce back stronger.
Encouraging a growth mindset and focusing on solutions helped us keep momentum even in tough times.
👉 Practical takeaway: Don’t shy away from failures. Use them as teaching moments and opportunities to build resilience in your team.
What Next? Invest in People
If you’re managing a team today, remember this: processes and tools can only take you so far. People deliver the results.
Improve your communication skills.
Balance firmness with empathy.
Practice active listening.
Create a culture of continuous learning.
The Bottom Line
Sales success is not just about chasing numbers. It’s about practicing genuine leadership.
That sometimes means making tough calls, even when you’d rather be liked. Many new managers struggle here but real leadership is about making those decisions that will help your team succeed long-term, not just in the moment.
Do your team members see your targets as their goals too? If not, that’s your first leadership challenge to solve.
Isoken Aigbomian is a consummate professional who serves as Regional Sales Manager, Enterprise Network Sales Division at Moniepoint Inc
Nigeria’s startup ecosystem received a fresh injection of momentum as top emerging ventures secured funding and investor attention at the iHatch National Demo Day, where Interface Africa clinched the highest prize of $15,000.
The 4th cohort of the NITDA–JICA-backed accelerator brought together founders, policymakers, and venture stakeholders in Abuja, showcasing innovations ranging from clean-energy financing and digital food marketplaces to next-gen fintech tools.
The startups went rounds of running through state-level selections and regional competition. iHatch was established in 2021 as a strategic partnership to create an enabling environment for young Nigerians to develop and scale their innovative solutions.
The iHatch National Demo Day (4th Cohort), is an initiative by NITDA and JICA which provides a clear pathway for homegrown talent to contribute significantly to economic diversification and digital transformation.
After rigorous selection processes, the top founders converged to pitch their innovations, recognised the standout performers, which are:
Interface Africa with $15,000, the firm is driving Nigeria’s clean energy transition by enabling structured and affordable solar financing.
Ahioma with $12,000, the firm enhances food accessibility with a digital marketplace connecting consumers directly to trusted vendors.
Linia Finance with $10,000, the firm is helping Nigerians take control of their finances with tools for budgeting, tracking, and smart money planning.
Chapta got a laptop reward. They delivering an offline-capable school application ensuring consistent, accessible learning for students everywhere.
Softdrop also got a laptop reward, they solve logistics challenges through a modern delivery platform designed for speed, convenience, and efficiency.
Fidelity Bank Plc, a leading financial institution, will host a free virtual training on the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 (NTA) as part of its commitment to helping small businesses prepare for the upcoming legislation.
Fidelity Bank
The masterclass is scheduled for 10:00 AM (Nigerian time) on Friday, 12 December 2025. It will provide participants with clear insights into changes in the tax framework, the impact on income and business operations, and practical steps to avoid penalties in 2026.
Attendees will also learn strategies to stay ahead in an evolving regulatory environment.
The Nigerian government enacted major tax reforms on 26 June 2025 when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed four tax bills into law.
These Acts will take effect on 1 January 2026 and represent a significant overhaul of the country’s tax system.
The reforms aim to modernize and harmonize Nigeria’s tax framework, improve revenue generation, broaden the tax base, and create clearer rules for individuals, businesses, and government agencies.
“Our decision to host this masterclass reflects our commitment to empowering businesses with the right information ahead of the commencement of the new tax regime.
“Information is money and a well-informed business owner is already steps ahead in the race to success.
“This is why we are bringing experts to provide accurate details and demystify the tax act,” said Osita Ede, Divisional Head, Product Development, Fidelity Bank Plc.
Interested participants can register via https://bit.ly/2026TaxLawMasterclass .
PalmPay, Nigeria’s leading digital banking platform, has renewed its commitment to deepening financial inclusion across the country. At the CeBIH Annual Conference 2025, themed “Reimagining Financial Inclusion through Cultural Shifts in Consumer Credit,” PalmPay’s Managing Director, Chika Nwosu, urged industry players to deepen financial inclusion by embracing community-aligned solutions and customer-centric innovations that can better serve Nigeria’s underserved and unbanked populations.
Speaking during a panel session titled “Social Inclusion, A Veritable Tool for Financial Inclusion,” Chika Nwosu joined other industry leaders to share insights on strengthening participation among women, rural dwellers, low-income earners, and other financially excluded groups.
Chika Nwosu highlighted PalmPay’s commitment to inclusive finance through its 500,000-strong agent network, which enables seamless cash-in/cash-out services for unbanked users across Nigeria. He also emphasised the importance of PalmPay’s USSD platform, 861#, which allows users with basic phones or limited internet access to perform essential financial transactions.
“Financial inclusion goes beyond access; it must be equitable and tailored to real-life needs,” Chika Nwosu said. He shared how PalmPay leverages behavioural insights to design impactful services, including affordable health insurance, reliable bill payments, merchant solutions, and automated savings features that support financial discipline among users.
The session further examined the role of grassroots agents and community touchpoints in driving last-mile adoption. Chika Nwosu noted that PalmPay’s widespread community presence continues to build trust and encourage excluded populations to embrace digital financial tools.
The session was moderated by Ronke Kuye of the CeBIH Advisory Council and featured representatives from E-Doc Online, SmartCash Payment Service Bank, SANEF, and EFINA.
PalmPay reaffirmed its commitment to driving accessible, secure, and inclusive financial services for all Nigerians. PalmPay is a leading digital banking platform driving financial inclusion and economic empowerment in underserved emerging markets. Through its secure, user-friendly, and inclusive suite of financial services, PalmPay empowers individuals and businesses with tools to manage and grow their money.
PalmPay offers a comprehensive range of products, including mobile payments, savings, and micro-insurance via its app and mobile money agent network.
Since launching in Nigeria in 2019 under a Mobile Money Operator license, the platform has grown to over 35 million app users. PalmPay has operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Bangladesh.
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