Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint

Today, I want to talk about why your business conversations are stalling and how you can maintain a forward-looking trajectory using two critical tools: advancements and scheduling. Too many of you are ending meetings with "we'll keep in touch" or "no wahala." That is not how business moves forward. An advancement is a mutual agreement between you and your potential client...

I recently sat down with one of my students, "Cinderella," who is navigating the high-stakes solar industry where quotes often reach into the tens of millions. She was hitting a wall: prospects kept telling her, "You're double the price of your competition." If you've heard this, your first instinct might be to drop your price or get frustrated, but that is the wrong move. Selling is a highly crea...

I've noticed a major issue that is killing your business growth: you are receiving referrals - those golden introductions where trust is already implied, and you are killing the deal before it even starts. Too many of you are acting like order takers instead of consultants.  When someone calls and says a former customer gave them your number, your first instinct is to just send a price list. That...

Are you tired of opening your DMs or WhatsApp only to see messages that look "unserious" or "unprofessional"? If your immediate reaction is to just throw a prepackaged price list or a PDF proposal at them with the attitude of "if they're serious, theyll call back," then you need to listen closely. You are leaving a lot of money on the table.  In this episode, we d...

In today's session, I'm breaking down how to sell by using ROI (Return on Investment) because if you cant show your customer how their money will yield a return in "naira and kobo," you aren't really selling. I recently sat down with one of my students, lets call her "Cinderella," (not her real name) who is preparing a major solar pitch for an upscale estate in Lago...

Are you tired of that "corner-corner" dance with clients? You know the one where you're expecting a "sweet" dollar payment, but instead, you get a "next week" that never comes. I recently spoke with one of my former students, "Magic Mike," (not his real name) who found himself in this exact situation with a big-ticket client, "Chief Odomegu" (a...

Stop being tone deaf. I've been on a bit of a rant lately because I'm seeing far too many talented people blow their chances by simply refusing to listen to what their prospects are actually saying. Today in the Oracles Chamber, were looking at a case study out of Abuja. Meet "Amara Chidima," (not a real person! I made this up!) the CEO of Sentinel Wealth Partners (also a made up...

If you are an entrepreneur, a business owner, or a salesperson and you aren't using the phone as a primary tool in your "war chest," you are doing it wrong. In todays episode, Im breaking down why audio communication is your secret weapon for closing deals and moving the agenda forward. There is a clear communications hierarchy, and they are not all created equal:  1. Face-to-Face: T...

Ive been podcasting for seven years and have over 1,500 episodes under my belt, yet I still get hit with generic pitches from people promising to help me "build a consistent podcast." If you did even five minutes of research, you'd know that consistency is not my problem. The reason so many of you are struggling in business and getting ghosted is that your marketing and sales are com...

In today's episode, we dive into a case study featuring a fictional Lagos-based logistics founder, Tunde Balogun, whose business, "Swift Logistics," is facing a common but painful problem: stagnant revenue and a burnt-out sales team. Despite working 12-hour days and churning out endless 20-page proposals, their closing rate is stuck at a measly 5%. Weve all been there chasing a massi...

Weve all been there. You're busy running your business, paying rent, and managing clients when a message slides into your DM: "Hello." In Nigeria, its common to see people cut these conversations short or be rude if they think the person is a "small boy" without money. But here is the truth: how you handle these "unqualified" leads determines the future growth of...

I recently had a session with a sales team where the members were frustrated because potential customers would go silent or sound "confused" the moment they received a price quote. If this is happening to you, it is because you dont have a process for sorting seekers from buyers before you send that proposal. It is perfectly normal to run into people who are merely curious, confused, or...

Is your business actually growing, or are you just "seeing movement" without seeing the cash? In this episode, we dive deep into why structure and accountability are the real engines behind sustainable growth—whether you're running a neighborhood barbing salon or a high-tech biotech startup. 1. The Myth of Guaranteed Growth First, let’s be real: there is no such thing as guaranteed g...

Have you ever been at a networking event—or even just chatting with a new connection on LinkedIn—and someone asks the dreaded question: "What do you do?" Most of us have a prepared "elevator pitch" that we just spit out and then... silence. We give a summary, maybe throw in some fancy industry jargon like "front-end developer" and then effectively shut the door on the...

Are you frustrated because you’ve been posting content for months, but your sales are still at zero? I recently addressed this exact issue for a listener named Franklin, and the hard truth is that marketing is a long-term game, especially for coaches and consultants. Many people think that posting for five months is enough to establish themselves as an authority, but in reality, building true auth...

Are you a Nigerian entrepreneur, founder, or mompreneur wondering why your sales conversations aren't closing? Many of us make the same mistake: we talk to potential customers without ever figuring out their timelines or their sense of urgency. I’m sure you’ve been there—you give a prospect space because you don't want to be a pest, only to call back a month later and hear, "Oh, sorry...

Stop playing startup! I’ve been consulting for a while now, and I’m seeing a worrisome trend in the Nigerian tech ecosystem. I see teams of three, four, or five people who say they have a startup, but every single one of them is in full-time employment elsewhere.  When I try to schedule a meeting, everyone is busy "answering yes sir" to their bosses or going on work trips for their 9-to-...

I shared a case study today featuring Amaka Nwosu (a name I made up) and her company, Zest Way Logistics (also made up). We looked at how she might handle the "sales resistance" from a big-time retailer like Chief Okoro in Onitsha. When the Chief is skeptical about new technology, the answer isn’t a fancy Harvard accent or begging for the account.  Begging is a dangerous trap that puts y...

Stop trying to perform miracles in your business! Many of you have been reaching out lately thinking your biggest problem is that you don’t know how to convince people to buy, but I have to be blunt: you cannot convince someone to do what they do not want to do. Unless you are looking to use the psychological bamboozling techniques of a fraud or a 419 scammer, you need to erase the idea of convinc...

I had a bit of a shock recently. My wife tried to reach out to an Instagram vendor to pick up an order, but she found herself completely shut out. This business owner had somehow managed to disable every single live call function—regular calls, WhatsApp calls, even Instagram and Facebook audio calls. The only way to reach them was through messaging, which led to a generic automated reply. I get it...

Today on the podcast, I’m breaking down why your content marketing strategy might be falling flat. Many of you are out there trying to use content to get noticed, but you’re making one fatal mistake: promoting two different business interests at the same time on the same account. Content marketing isn't just about hopping on every trend or doing the latest dance challenge; it's about provi...

Have you ever worried about mixing up client details or forgetting that one critical piece of information shared during a call? I used to worry I was being a bit "weird" by typing live summaries into our WhatsApp chat while on a call, but a fellow professional recently introduced me to a concept that changed my perspective: the Second Brain.  By using WhatsApp as a repository for custome...

Let’s talk about that one phrase we all love to hate—or maybe we just use it out of habit: Please kindly advise. If you’re in sales or trying to move a relationship forward, I’m here to tell you: stop saying it. I know why we do it. We want to be polite, or we want to make it clear that the ball is in the other person's court (they are now responsible for taking the next action). And let’s be...

I was recently coaching someone who was struggling with a major frustration: about two out of every ten people were hanging up on her during the very first few seconds of her calls. What was confusing for her was that these weren't even cold leads—they were people who had actually responded to an advertising campaign and indicated interest. So, why were they cutting the call? The culprit was a...

I recently came across a powerful message from Wuraola Ogundipe, a Senior Program Advisor specializing in financial inclusion and the founder of GA Place Limited. Her words struck a chord regarding how we view the early sparks of entrepreneurship in our children, specifically our daughters. If your daughter is constantly selling things—whether it’s snacks, bracelets, or hair ties to her classmates...