Gertrude Umeh never imagined she would end up in tech sales. She didn’t even know it was a thing when she started. Today, she is the Sales Operations Lead at Big Cabal Media and the co-founder of Tech Sales Nexus, a fast-growing community helping professionals build careers in tech sales.
But before all that, Umeh was a teacher and a media enthusiast and even dabbled in selling Forever Living Products. She went from the classroom to closing tech deals in no time, and it all started with a single Twitter DM.
From teaching to tech
Like many people trying to switch careers, Umeh had that nagging feeling to do more. Speaking with The Benchmark, she said:
“I taught for about 4 years before I felt I needed to do more with myself. Did I love teaching? Yes! Did I love my kids? I did. I was teaching in a revolutionary kind of school. Eventually, when I started to feel the need to do more and be more, I started researching the different roles I could play in tech.”
She wasn’t quite sure where to start with no experience in data analytics (which she originally wanted to pursue). Then, she came across Eke Urum, the CEO of Risevest, who always spoke about his company’s excellent work. She reached out to him on Twitter and told him she was interested in working in tech, and to her surprise, he responded.
“Luckily, he said a sales role was open if I was willing to explore that. And I was like, ‘yeah. ’ I jumped on it. That was how I started my journey in tech.”
And just like that, her tech journey began. At first, she didn’t even realise she was working in tech sales; she just thought she was doing sales. Meanwhile, she continued taking courses in data analytics, believing that this was the path she wanted to pursue. But as she gained more experience in sales, her passion for it grew stronger.
Umeh figures things out alone
Breaking into a new industry is never easy, and for Gertrude Umeh, one of the biggest challenges was feeling lost.
“One challenge I had at the time was feeling like I was being thrown into this wild. I had to find myself. There wasn’t a lot of hand-holding, although people were sharing resources online. But I still felt like I didn’t get the kind of support that I needed to stand on my own.”
Things improved when she received a scholarship from Ingressive for Good, a program that helps people transition into tech. This gave her the foundation, and everything soon fell into place. For Gertrude Umeh, the best part of tech sales is the people. She enjoys engaging with professionals from diverse backgrounds and sees her role as more than just selling tech products.
“I get relationships across different sectors, and that alone changes my perspective about life.”
Co-founding Tech Sales Nexus
After entering tech sales, Umeh noticed a lack of support in the field. At first, she didn’t even realise she was in tech sales, highlighting the low awareness of the field. Many others also overlooked sales as a viable tech career.
To change this, she partnered with Akachi Omeri to launch Tech Sales Nexus, a community that provides learning resources, job opportunities, and industry guidance, offering the support they once lacked.
“Right now, we share learning resources and job opportunities. We hold sessions now and then. It just helps to ensure that those coming after us don’t experience what we experienced during our time.”
They aim to reshape how sales are perceived in tech. While businesses acknowledge their importance, sales roles are often undervalued, with some companies even using alternative titles to avoid the term. Yet sales are essential for growth, and these founders want more people to recognise their value.
If Gertrude Umeh hadn’t gone into tech sales, the tech sales professional says she would probably be in media or education.
“One industry I’ve always been passionate about is the media. I did news casting and radio presenting. And if l had not left and remained a teacher, maybe by now I would be working towards owning a school, and developing my curriculum.”
But even now, she doesn’t feel like she has entirely left teaching, as she still does a lot of teaching differently. Now, she helps people learn about tech sales. Her journey proves that tech isn’t only for coders. Sales is a crucial part of the tech ecosystem, and Umeh ensures more people see it that way. Through Tech Sales Nexus, she is building a successful tech career and encouraging others to do the same.
Career Hack
Umeh’s advice for aspiring tech sales professionals is simple: start. She recommends taking a course to learn the basics, applying for an entry-level role for hands-on experience, or doing both to learn while working.
“You don’t get 100% clarity while standing on the threshold. You need to keep moving. If you get the nudge that you need to do something differently, and it’s tech sales, you need to take a plunge.”
