If you are a SACCO, you probably have already met Salome in person as she conversed with you about leveraging on our SACCO management platform. Today is a very special day for her and also for Kwara, since we are celebrating Salome’s 2-year anniversary! 🎉 She enlightens our Sales team with her great personality and sense of commitment. 

Meet Salome, Sales Account Executive of Kwara. She has a degree in Sociology, Language and Communication, and is a Certified Human Resources Management Practitioner. Her personal experiences in administration and operations influenced her career trajectory. We sat down with her to hear the full story.

How would someone describe you?

Someone called me a mother of the company 😂. I don’t know exactly why but they said it because I am always keeping everything amicable so that everyone can work. Other than that I would describe myself as a persistent person. It takes a lot to break me and it takes very little to excite me. I take pride in my team and the work that we are doing. Therefore, I want everyone to stay on the same page so that we achieve our goals.

How did you come to work in the fintech space?

I have always been interested in working for a start-up. It is my nature to do many tasks within one role and when Kwara was in stealth mode, I heard about the vision, I reached out and here we are.

What got you interested in sales?

The people aspect is the most attractive thing to me. Human nature in all its variations is very uniquely expressed through a sales process. I would also say the high of getting a customer buying into a vision that looks at changing people's most important facet- their financial management was a major attraction to me.

What’s it like to work with Sales in a startup? What are the best parts and what do you struggle with?

Everything is a thrill! At the beginning, so many changes in strategy were necessary. Adapting to the feedback from the market, reactions to us and our product was important, so I had to keep an open mindset while adapting in the best way possible. That is and was the best part of working in a startup. The struggle is that the market is still large and at some point there was a need to expand the sales team which has now happened and it feels like traction is easier and more widespread.

As a Sales Account Executive, what does your day look like?

Looking at the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for:

• The specific tasks pending
• Going through deals in my pipeline to see where things are stuck and contacting the customers, and
• On some days preparing documents for customers.

In all, this liaises with the team for different tasks that come from time to time.

What have you been working on lately that you are excited about?

I wake up thinking of what tactics and strategies to apply when dealing with customers to ensure that the targets are being met.

What do you like best about working at Kwara?

The people, since we care about each other. I like a management that doesn't show double standards and practices fairness both internally and to the customers. It is exciting to work in an environment where people want to be the best and give the best output.

What makes you excited about Kwara products?

This is the product of the future, with the best technology behind it and a team dedicated to seeing the success of the same. It is exciting to be able to equip institutions with what they require to face the coming years in which technology will play a key role.

What was your biggest learning?

Be patient and have faith in what you are doing. The customer will only believe as much as you do.

What inspires you to keep going?

My daughter, the desire to show her a work ethic, continuously inspiring her to do the best, that's the reason I wake up.

When you look at the sales trends in the fintech industry, what excites you the most?

The fact that even institutions that are considered a bit conservative are seeing the trends and are coming awake to the need for investing in technology to meet their customer needs, that is exciting for me as a sales person.

Are there any leaders in tech that you are particularly inspired by?

I may not be inspired by individuals but I am drawn by people who have done disruptive tech like Uber, startups in the blockchain vertical, even WhatsApp and the work that Twiga Foods is doing. They are disrupting the way things are done in very simple ways by using tech.