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As a child, it was not unusual for Wilson Dike’s friends to travel outside the state, moving in and out of the neighbourhood for one reason or another. Separated, they developed a “pen pal” culture, writing letters to one another to stay in touch. But letters took weeks to deliver, and replies came back even slower.
Then came the email. He remembers the thrill of sitting in a cybercafé, sending a message to a friend, and seeing their response appear instantly on his screen.
That moment, small as it seemed, opened his eyes to what technology could do. He graduated from college with a degree in information technology but went into consulting.
“I started as a consultant in one of the top 4 firms [at KPMG] in the world,” said Dike. “I worked at a Lagos office, but I always knew I was going to eventually work in IT.”
Even in his early career, he had a clear sense of where the future was headed. He saw how businesses were shifting from owning entire operating systems to subscribing to services. He saw how the cloud was emerging as the next great platform for companies everywhere.
“I knew that cloud was going to be a big thing in the future where people had full-on control of their security and access,” he said.
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Consulting days
Dike spent a little over two years at KPMG, where he worked on tax automations and computations for corporations in Nigeria. His work exposed him to the challenges of multinational companies, mid-sized firms, and indigenous businesses trying to operate across multiple tax regimes.
It gave him perspective on how businesses function in different environments. That experience would later prove valuable.
In 2015, he quit consulting and joined a software company with operations across Africa as a sales lead. Here, Dike’s consulting experience in multi-legislative contexts became invaluable.
Soon, he was on planes across the continent: Ghana, Togo, Benin, Kenya, South Africa. He spent long stretches attending Big Tech events, onboarding clients, running demos, and putting out fires in markets where his company’s products were in use.
But consulting knowledge alone could not carry him. Moving into sales meant starting again. He went through company-sponsored training, shadowed senior colleagues, and picked up experience directly in the field.
At times, he was sent outside Africa to countries like the UAE and Kuwait, where he assisted with product training and supported local teams. It was at this company that Dike began to find his feet as a tech salesperson.
Pulling weight in tech sales
After a few years, Dike joined a UK-based cloud infrastructure company, his first role outside Nigeria. The firm was small—barely two years old—and was looking for ways to expand into Africa. Dike understood what they wanted to achieve, and he knew the market well.
“Being Nigerian, I had a fair knowledge of the market,” he said. “And I already had relationships that could be leveraged.”
He built a sales playbook to capture the strategy. Soon, the company secured its first multi-million-dollar deal in Sub-Saharan Africa. With that, the floodgates opened. Contracts, new clients, and expansion into new markets. Before long, Dike was leading the company’s sales and country expansion across Africa.
Yet, as the business grew, he was planning his next move.
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Big Tech experience
“I had to move to the UK due to personal reasons and other challenges,” he said.
In 2022, he relocated to the UK and joined Siemens, the global technology firm, where he led customer discovery. His role focused on creating awareness around a blockchain-based financial product.
“Global tier-1 banks have built layers,” he explained. “These banks were building systems that allowed them to process transactions faster and more securely using blockchain, while reducing reliance on traditional channels.”
Dike’s job was to convince financial institutions and insurers to take notice and embrace what was being built.
Alongside this, Siemens also had IoT-based—internet of things—emission sensors for manufacturers, which helped them monitor output and calculate hydrocarbon taxes. Dike was responsible for introducing these solutions to clients as well.
With Siemens, his work often crisscrossed Europe. He frequently travelled across cities in the UK and other countries in Europe, where cultural lessons often mattered as much as technical skills. In one country, he learned quickly never to turn down a client’s invitation to dinner; respect for culture was as crucial as closing the sale.
Early this year, Dike left Siemens to build his venture. With partners, he is developing a regulatory technology (RegTech) product that simplifies legislative language for companies expanding into new markets, helping them remain compliant while growing.
The world of enterprise tech sales
Enterprise tech sales is as old as technology itself. For large firms, it is the engine that turns innovation into revenue. Sales professionals pitch, demo, persuade, and often take the heat when things go wrong.
“It’s crucial to build a sales plan from scratch, to stay patient, and check in with clients constantly,” said Dike. “You need product knowledge, and you need to build a tight-knit community and relationships.”
Today, the role is more borderless than ever. Remote professionals prospect clients on LinkedIn, log every detail in customer relationship management systems (CRMs), and conduct pitches over Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. Tools like Trello and digital calendar apps keep them on track. Yet, as Dike shares, the best tools cannot replace character and enthusiasm.
The appeal of global tech sales lies in its reach. Selling across borders allows companies to manage costs, spread revenue across currencies, and grow in markets that balance one another. Those who master this work are often rewarded with mobility, higher compensation, and equity opportunities.
Yet, enterprise tech sales is hardly an entry-level role. Dike had his consulting experience to lean on. But many others find themselves shut out without a foothold in business or IT.
This is why Dike created a podcast show. Every week, he brings on global tech sales professionals who share their stories of closing large deals and building careers. The show serves as a mentorship and a guide for newcomers who want to break into the field.
“As I joined tech and moved further [in my career], I was getting more validation on why I must remain in the tech space,” Dike said. “I’m simply giving back.”
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Source: TechCabal | Read Full Story…
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