Performance vs. Power: Why Management Isn't a Promotion

Today on the podcast, we're going to look at what it really means to be a sales manager. Now, the reason why we're looking at that today is because I'm currently having a chat with someone who works at Auto Check. They are a Nigerian company that's in the business of auto financing. So if you want to buy a car, you know, you go talk to them, they'll help you find a right car. They make sure the car is OK, it's been cleared by customs.

What else? You pay 3040% down. I mean, it depends on you if you want to pay up to 60 percent, 70%, you know, it's up to you. And then they finance the rest, basically. So they hand over the car to you and then you keep making payments to them, and by the time you're done, the car is yours. So that's what Auto check does. Yeah. They're the business of car financing. Now, there's somebody who works there who is. I'm not going to use his real name because, of course, I have not gotten his permission to do that.

So let's just call him Adam. OK, So let's just call him Adam. Now, Adam is a superstar sales Rep at auto check because you know, he's been hitting his targets and he's he's he's doing pretty good. He's doing pretty good. Now, the usual thing that happens, you know, world over and in Niger is this, at least in the private sector, it doesn't apply in the civil service. And you see why? So the private sector, whenever somebody's a superstar, the guy just they perform.

They perform the babe, they perform like outstanding performance. After a while, people start to say, oh boy, alpha, no, have you thought of becoming the manager? And it happens in sales roles as well. Now, for those of you who work in the civil service, you know, the opposite is the case. If you perform, you perform. You know, those are this guy's good. The guy. They do jockey work. You know, they think of you as a workhorse, they think of you as a camel, they think of you as a donkey in the civil servants, in the civil service.

Then they just ping you, they leave you in that spot. When it comes from promotion. Now they'll go and promote their guy. So that's how it works in the civil service. And, you know, that's the reason why I'm not surprised that lots of our really bright minds, you know, come back home, you get involved in the civil service because you want to make a difference. And then after a while people just cut out and leave because,

man, it's not worth it. I'm doing all the work. I don't get any recognition. I don't get no improve, improvement in pay structure, you know, stuff like that. So people just bounce, you know, they leave. But when it's private sector, you work hard. After a while, people say, how far do you want to become a manager? And it's part of the conversation that I was having with this guy who works at auto check because remember, he is a superstar performer.

So now people have been saying, oh boy, how far you want to become a sales manager? And I'm making today's podcast recording to talk to those of you who are in that situation like you are a superstar, confirm you don't. They perform now as in like nobody can deny you're subordinates, you're juniors. If you ask them, they will say you are the guy or you are the girl. Your guys are the top. If you ask them, they'll say he's the guy, he's the girl.

So now there's no contest. And now people are saying how far now 2026 is coming around. You should become, you suppose become manager. Today I'm making this podcast episode to tell you do not become a sales manager. OK, let me put it this way. If you want to become a sales manager, these are the things you need to think about properly first before you take the bait. And some things you need to understand. The first thing that the first thing that I told Adam is look,

Adam, Congrats that you're a superstar. And I can see why you're a superstar because even though you're already smashing all your targets, you listen to the podcast. Sorry, he doesn't even listen to the podcast. He came across the advertisement for the training that my partners and I are doing on the 12th of January 2026 all the way to the 23rd, where we're going to teach people how to sell over the phone, how to build relationships over the phone,

how to carry on conversations over the phone, how to follow up with people over the phone, how to do proposals, how to do presentations, how to negotiate, how to price, how to network, how to everything over the phone. So this guy's a superstar performer. He's doing well, but then he's on my advertisement on Instagram, and then the guy clicked on this and that's how we started chatting. So he's not actually a listener to the podcast.

Sorry, forgive me, but I sent him a link to the podcast afterwards, so hopefully, maybe now he listens. So if you're listening, Adam, of course, not using your real name. Yeah, this podcast episode is about you. So the first thing I told you is, look, Adam, let's be real here. The moment you become sales manager, your salary is capped. Do you know that He laughed. He said, Well, actually, yeah, his sales manager told him.

And I told you that, look, this is not a laughing matter right now. You're a high performer, which means you have base plus Commission. I don't know how much his base salary is, but let me give an example. There's another business owner that I've been chatting with who runs a production outfit and this is how much he pays his sales people. He gives them 200K flat every single month. Then for performance he gives them 45 K.

That's if they're able to bring in. I think it's one client he gives them, sorry, 450K. So in other words, that salesperson, average salesperson in this company, assuming you're bringing in one customer every single month, what you're making is 200 + 450. That's 650K. Now of course, there's some people who do more than that, who carry millions home every single month. So yes, it's possible that in Nigeria you can make that kind of money.

But remember, this is a production outfit. I'm not going to say what kind of production outfit because I've spoken about the guy before and I don't want people to put two and two together and realize that, OK, this is how you know, he does his own things, but he wants people properly motivated and so that's his own. Every single month, January 1st you receive 200 K February, March, April, May, you always receive your 250K.

Every single client that you bring for that much, you get 450. You bring another person, then that is 45450 has 900 + 2, that's 1.1 M if you bring 2 clients. So I was just trying to get Adam to understand that the moment you become sales manager, none of that like yes, again, your salary is now fixed. So if they pay people in accounting, people in HR, people in marketing, if their salary is, you know, 350K, that is it.

Your salary is fixed, flat, forever, 350, no up, no down. You work hard, nothing for you. Your salary will still be there, 350K. But then your boys and your girls, the people that you'll be managing, they'll be making good money, the superstars making good money. You will now remember the time when you used to make good money and now you're on a fixed salary. Believe me, that thing is not for everybody. It's not. Those of you who've been listening to the podcast, you know that I sold insurance for a while, although I'm a former lawyer now turned business consultant.

But I sold insurance for a while and there was one guy who was the top of our team and the year before, because he was now a manager when I came in, but the year before, the bonus that he collected was for him end of year bonus as per good job, you've done a good job, blah, blah, blah. Collect this for him. That was the bonus. Now that he's sales manager, or rather back when I was still with the company, now that he was sales manager, none of those things were coming in.

And of course, the guy started saying that he doesn't even know why he did this himself. This thing doesn't ever make sense. Of course, it does not make sense. If you're somebody who is used to a variable performance. If a variable performance just means there's a fixed part of your salary, then the rest is uptake. The rest is Commission for the business that you bring in. Remember the production office that I spoke about?

If you bring in one customer every single month with that guy, it is 200 + 450. If you bring 2 customers, that is 454-5900 plus 201.1 M Imagine if there's somebody who is bringing 4 customers every month or 5 or 6. By the way, he doesn't have anybody who is bringing in costs. On average everybody's bringing one, one person. But you see how the thing works, the harder you work, the more you earn. Once you become a sales manager foul, your salary is fixed.

So for those of you, you are superstar Anna and people are saying how far they only become a sales manager. Think about it too. This one I saw a live my sales manager in the insurance firm the year before his end of year bonus. I mean he had already collected all the award, all the prizes, all the every every every management just say oh I take this for him. Well done my boy, good job. Sorry 1 moment. OK sorry about that.

I'm back. I'm making today's podcast recording home because travelled for Christmas, so home with mumsy aunties, uncles and everyone. Then you know how NEPA can be now, especially in these parts of the world, in this part of the country, because we're all from Benoit State. So yeah, NEPA has done their thing. So I just want to go and flip the flip the switch to put us back on solar because we're doing laundry because NEPA

finally came and it's like, Oh well, we can finally do laundry because I don't like running the washing machine on solar. I prefer to do it on NEPA. So, so now that NEPA came back, I had to go and flip back quickly as to solar. And by the way, in case you haven't figured it out, I've been saying on this podcast, look, see these these people, the politicians like they don't mean us honestly. So we have to take care of ourselves.

Solar is the way forward. I remember growing up in Abuja, I was giving somebody this when because I grew up in Abuja in the 80s when light was steady and when water was steady, then we had to move to Lagos when I was about 13 or more. Kai, it was a baptism of fire was then I knew that there are people that are suffering in this country because this is what NEPA did to welcome us and moved to Lagos. For that first day that we landed Lagos, there was light 247 and I was tripped because they had Clapper board television.

What else? Those Clapper board. There was this guy's own Ray Power. They had this TVTV station that was new at the time. That's why I watch this, this Eddie Murphy movie, the one where Eddie Murphy was a vampire because the movie was fresh back then. Then also this Jet Li film where you know was a time traveller, I was trying to catch somebody who was a criminal. So I got to watch all those correct films. So anyway that was the first time I saw 24 hour TV in my life as a 24 hour TV.

And I watch our light, I watch TV for 24 hours straight. But then never the desire to show themselves. They took light. We did not see light for two weeks straight. And the place that I was staying at the time we didn't have generator. So was then I realized so people are softening in this country like 2 weeks, no light because growing up in Abuja back then, you've never take light. 2 hours, light is back maximum. In fact, the thing reached 2

hours. You know that. The serious problem that now was more water. We stayed like 3 months without water from water board. We had to be going downstairs. There's one business there where you drop, I can't remember how much it was per Jerry Khan, 25 liters. Now how we used to go out fetch, you know, you go, you pay the guy, you fetch. And we did that for three months straight. It's like, hey, this is how people are living in this country.

This is how Lagos life is because growing up back then in Abuja, you know, you just go to the top now, just turn your tap water is flowing. So anyway, I'd love to see that's living in Lagos back then because we moved to Oba Alba is in Akbar now Akbar is, should I say he's a catcher and be as close to a catcher. Well, anyway, so the folks in certain parts of Akbar who are living really rough, like power means your responsibility, water is your responsibility.

You know, unfortunately, it is what it is. So if you can, if you can't afford it, man, solar is the way forward. Because spending time in the villa now and seeing how like excess sunshine everywhere heat up and down, but then solar power is enough for you to power TV power fridge power AC power D freezer. Ah, man, solar is the way forward if you can afford it. So you guys start saving. I see. This is the reason why I do this podcast, because money is good.

Solar is not free. Solar is not cheap. Anyway, where was I? OK now. Yeah, Basically I was just trying to tell you that once you become a sales manager does it, you're lacking less, less money immediately. So if you and your wife have been living that kind of lifestyle, 200K and then 450 for every single customer and then at the end of the year, they're not going to dash you for him on top. That's the lifestyle you've been living.

The moment you become sales manager, better let your wife know, like, man, that lifestyle is stopping immediate. Your paycheck will be fixed if you're a big Yeah. And your boyfriend. Yeah. And your husband. You guys have been, you know, of course, hopefully your husband, your boyfriend is also working hard. But if you're making good money, you know, it helps. Let your husband know. Let your boyfriend know that the moment you collect that position, sales manager big title, that money stops immediate.

No Commission for you. So as I told Adam, now look, you want to be a sales manager in school, Just know that this sweet lifestyle you're living now, nothing like that again. Now for people who are terrible salespeople, of course, then is worth it. If you've been struggling to do 200 K every single month plus one extra person and then they want to promote you the sales manager and your salary is going to be fixed at 400 K every month.

Oh by all means take that deal because at least now you have a guarantee 400K. So in that case actually will be a step up. Your wife will be happy for you, she would thank God, but you're a superstar for me. Stay where you are, continue to superstar. Yes, you won't have the title of sales manager to put on your CV. Maybe I'm being short sighted because I'm young and I'm still trying to, you know, carry the bag, trying to make that money.

But my own opinion I bet. Freshly title for what? Management Back when I was in Aberdeen in Scotland and my line manager, because then I worked with the civil service and I was in benefits processing officer and there was one time that they promoted her and we threw party for her, you know, Josh office party, you know, she was happy and everything. But then she just let it slip that even though she's accepting the promotion, she did not decide she'd not agree to go up the sales rung.

So the, the, the next salary ladder because when you go up the next salary ladder, because the UK has a progressive tax system. By the time she, they gave her promotion and she went up the 1st pay scale, the tax increased. So because of that, the money that I enter her pocket, the thing crashed, the thing went down. She said is it like that? She said no problem, I accept the promotion but do not give me the higher money because when you give me the higher money and I'm taxed higher, my take home,

the money that went on my pocket is less. I'm just trying to say that it's not all promotions that are good. That's not promotions that are good on paper because you have a big title. But then when you look at the money that is entering your pocket at the end of the day, you know to anyway, let me leave it like that then. Another reason why I don't think it's a good reason for you to become a sales manager, especially if you are superstars, because if you're a superstar, you are used to getting progress based on your own effort.

In other words, if you're staying at the office late, if you're making extra phone calls, if you're making extra proposals, extra meetings, things like that, you're used to that giving you progress. You put in more effort, you make more progress. Unfortunately when you're a sales manager, it's not your effort. Again though, it's other people's efforts and there's nothing else frustrating because believe me, I saw it on my line managers face because remember he used to be a superstar.

The year before bonus they gave him was 4 million. Just take. This was before, you know the fuel price increase and blah blah blah. This was at a time when for some Nigerians 4 million was annual salary. That's how much they gave him as per take. Good boy, well done. He was now in a position where he had to look at people like us. His success not dependent on people like us. In other words, if I slacked off and I didn't work, well, you will make him look bad.

The organs will now begin to blast him. It's a young man. What's going on? We thought you were a superstar. We'll put you in charge of five people. What's going on? Where the results? His success didn't now depend on his own effort anymore. It now depended on my effort and a bunch of other idiots in the in the team because, you know, we all come from different backgrounds and, you know, we all have different things that we're chasing.

And, you know, some people are there, some people are hungry, some people are there, some people are OK. But as a sales manager, when you're not responsible for hiring and firing, if that is your team, that is your team, what will you do? Nothing. Your success now depends on other people. I mean that is a different ball game altogether when you are a solo person, a one man show, you know that look, if I work hard Monday to Friday and I maintain that tempo 2-3 months at the end of first quarter, second quarter, I will smile.

I will see something good. As a sales manager, I'm sorry it's not that easy anymore. Now the reason why is because now you are in charge of other people, so you need to bring a different skill set to the table. You're going to have to work on leadership skills. Now when you are an individual person, leadership skills, do you really need it? Not really, because you are leading yourself, that's all. So which leadership skill do you need?

Again, nothing. As long as you can lead yourself, wake up on time, do what you're supposed to do. Call when you're supposed to call. Make proposal when you're supposed to make proposal. Book meetings when you're supposed to book meeting, follow up when you're supposed to follow up. So long as you lead yourself, you manage yourself, you're OK. But now as a sales manager, you're responsible for other people. You now have to Start learning leadership skills.

All these maloud that I have under me, how do I coordinate them? How do I get them to move? How do I incentivize them? Leadership skills. You now have to bring leadership skills to the table as an individual salesperson. Before, leadership was none of your business because you're only leading yourself. Then you also know how to learn people management. It's hard enough managing yourself. What is my calendar? Am I fully booked?

Am I booking it well? Am I coordinating myself well? I mean, that is hard enough. Now you have to start coordinating the bunch of malou under you. Now be coordinating 1015 people. That's a different skill on his own now. Selling is hard. Selling is hard. Very, very hard. There's a whole bunch of skills you have to learn to be good at sales. But now you don't have to learn all these extra skills that involve managing other people.

Learn how to use people as resources. Learn how to deploy resources effectively. Not just people, but money, because you'll be in charge of budgets for training. You'll be in charge of several kinds of campaigns. You know, things like that. You know, other kinds of resources at your disposal, people management, I mean, who went to school and then people management. You have to learn that as a skill. Then you also have to be able to be good at managing people's productivity.

That's hard work. Now, to be honest, when I was talking to Adam, yes, I was trying to discourage him. Don't take up the sales manager job. Don't because the title is good, but it's not as sweet as it seems. But for those of you who I don't know, I'm just trying to make sure that I'm giving you objective information so that you can decide. If you take that promotion in quote and become a sales manager, you will make less money.

Your success will now depend on other people then. Plus you would have spent a long time learning how to sell well. You know how to Start learning some extra skills. You need to learn leadership. You need to learn people management. You need to learn productivity. There's a whole bunch of other stuff you need to learn that I can't remember right now, but I'm just saying you have to learn a whole lot more stuff. So that's the reason why I told Adam don't take that promotion.

Now for those of you who are thinking about taking our promotion, these are the things that you have to balance that you have to consider whether it's going to be good for you or not. Please, those of you who are married, don't forget to talk to your spouse or because if your wife has been OK with our lifestyle every single month, 200K fixed. Then if you sell three people, that is 454-5450. That is one point to 5 million +

200. Again, that's almost 1.5. That means on a good month you can earn 1.5. If your wife is used to that lifestyle, believe me, you take this promotion. He didn't tell her quarry in the marriage serious quarrel when they since he's a good woman, I think she loves you. You won't scatter the marriage, but I'm just saying that there will be quarrel. The same thing for a woman. You know times are hard, so your husband is also looking at you for support now and then.

You know he's used to some things coming from you. If that thing is going to dry up, please tell your husband ahead of time just to make your marriage easy. It's part of the reason why I make this podcast because people quarrel about money, they quarrel about sex, they quarrel about in laws in marriage. I want to make sure that at least the money aspect will remove it. So that is only sex and in laws will be quarreling about let the marriage be easier.

Let our relationships be easier. Anyway, so 30 minutes, that's it and that is all for today. Now remember, if you'd like to take part in the training like Adam wants to, it's going to be from the 12th to the 23rd of January 2026. The focus will be on learning how to sell effectively over the phone from beginning to the end, prospecting, looking for people who might be interested in your product or service. How do we do that over the phone?

Now that we found the people starting the conversation, building relationships, How do we do this effectively over the phone? Now that we're having the conversation and we need to know, do some lead analysis, figure out what they need so that we can make an effective presentation or an effective proposal. How do we do this over the phone? Now that we know their needs, we've come up with some proposals. Maybe they're in another state.

We can go and visit them or whatever. We want to send them the proposal and we want to keep the conversation going. How do we do that over the phone? You send over the proposal. The next step is you want to go to Mazzy's office so you can have a meeting. Because once you're doing the meeting, you know that you'll be able to give, you know, full correct impact on this presentation. So you now want to secure this meeting.

Now that you sent over the proposal, how do you secure this meeting over the phone? You've had the meeting with Mazzy. You've looked at the proposal, looks as if he's interested. You guys have said you're going to chat. You have to follow up. You make sure this thing doesn't die. How do you do this effectively over the phone? The deal has finally closed. You call back later on and he's happy and you'll be nice if Mazzy can introduce you to other people who are high net worth individuals just like him.

How do you do this over the phone? These are the kinds of things that we're going to be discussing during the training. So whether you are in vehicle financing like Adam's, because like Adam, remember not his real name, prospecting will look different for him than the other person who runs a media productions office. Prospecting will be different. Then there's also another person there who is, let me see, who else do we have?

What do we have OK with somebody who is involved in real estate in Orca not going to use his name? So prospecting for real estate is different from prospecting in vehicle financing and is different for prospecting in media productions. That is the reason why the format of this training is live online. I am here but not just going to discuss principles. We are going to come up with very practical and tactical applications to show how we meet your own situation, you die selling finance, your own situation you that is selling vehicle financing, your own situation you that is selling real estate in the East and your own situation you that is selling media productions in Lagos.

That is why for this training, we're not just going to record some videos and then send you video to watch after you watch and I give you certificate. Now, certificate is not the main thing. The main thing is that I'm here, we're talking every single day for 10 days or troubleshooting or brainstorming. How about we do it this way? How about we do it this way? We're trying to get results for you in 2026 and that's why we're scheduled.

We've structured the training the way it is. If you are interested, call me, send me a text message, send me a WhatsApp message on 0806466 2140. Let's see if this is going to be something useful for you that you can add to your arsenal for business growth or for personal development in 2026. If this your first time listening to the podcast, you're afraid that you don't have money, you think it might be too expensive, so you just want to say what's up.

You just want to say hello, that's not a problem. My name is Tavishima Ayede. I'm the host of the podcast. You can follow me on LinkedIn, we can chat there, or you can also call, send me a text message, send me a WhatsApp message. Just say what's up, say hi, say thank you, say nice to meet you, say whatever it is you need to say on 08064662140. But I'm hoping if there's somebody here, you're a superstar, your superiors.

I've been telling you it's time to be sales manager. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, this is me telling you, reject that promotion. My brother, my sister rejected that promotion. But if you must accept it, well, I've told you the things you need to consider. So that's it. I'll catch you guys some other time.