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FirstBank of Nigeria Limited is set to host the third-quarter edition of its SMEConnect Webinar, with the session focused on equipping small and medium-sized enterprises with practical sales strategies to attract customers, improve conversions and drive revenue growth.
The webinar, scheduled for September 9, 2026, is themed “The SME Growth Blueprint: Practical Sales Strategies to Win Customers and Boost Revenue.”
The session is designed to provide business owners and entrepreneurs with practical knowledge that can help them strengthen their sales processes and improve their ability to turn customer interest into sustainable revenue.
The webinar forms part of FirstBank’s SMEConnect initiative, which provides small and medium-sized businesses with access to business knowledge, insights and resources aimed at helping them improve their operations and achieve sustainable growth.
Webinar to Focus on Customer Acquisition and Sales Growth
For many small businesses, having a good product or service is only one part of building a sustainable enterprise. Businesses also need effective strategies to reach potential customers, communicate their value, convert prospects and retain existing customers.
The upcoming SMEConnect session will therefore focus on some of the practical issues entrepreneurs encounter when trying to grow their customer base and increase sales.
Participants are expected to gain insights into strategies for attracting the right customers, improving sales conversion and building stronger relationships with customers.
The session will also examine how businesses can develop more effective sales processes and identify opportunities for increasing revenue without losing sight of customer needs.
The focus on sales comes at a time when businesses across Nigeria are operating in an increasingly competitive environment. SMEs are expected to find new ways to reach customers, differentiate their offerings and maintain revenue while dealing with changing consumer behaviour and rising operating pressures.
For entrepreneurs, developing stronger sales capabilities can therefore be an important part of moving from simply operating a business to building one that can grow consistently.
Business Leaders to Share Practical Insights
The webinar will bring together business owners and banking professionals who are expected to share practical experiences and strategies with participating entrepreneurs.
The speakers include Helen Mojisola Ijaola, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Bags Warehouse; Onome Gbenga-Adewara, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mamalicious Products Nigeria; and Olusola Ogunsakin, Group Head, Retail Banking Group, FirstBank.
The session will be hosted by Helen A. Willie, Head, SME Banking, FirstBank, while Olajumoke Moyo-Ladipo, Team Lead, SME Engagement & Advisory, FirstBank, will moderate the discussion.
The inclusion of business owners in the session is expected to give participants an opportunity to learn from practical experiences of building and growing businesses, particularly around the challenges of winning customers and sustaining sales.
Rather than focusing solely on theoretical approaches, the session is expected to provide entrepreneurs with practical lessons that can be applied to their own businesses.
FirstBank Highlights Importance of Sales Strategy
Speaking ahead of the webinar, Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive, e-Business and Retail Products, FirstBank, said many SMEs have strong products and services but may lack the practical sales strategies required to maximise their growth potential.
According to him, businesses need to understand how to create value, win customers and convert opportunities into sustainable revenue.
Ezirim said the SMEConnect platform is intended to expose entrepreneurs to knowledge and experiences that can help them strengthen their businesses and improve their prospects for growth.
He also noted the importance of equipping businesses with the capacity required to expand, create employment opportunities and contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
The focus on sales and revenue generation reflects the wider need for SMEs to develop capabilities beyond access to finance.
While funding remains an important requirement for business growth, entrepreneurs also need the skills to effectively market their products, attract customers and generate sufficient revenue to sustain their operations.
Why Sales Skills Matter for Small Businesses
Sales is a critical part of business sustainability because it directly connects a company’s products or services with its ability to generate income.
For SMEs, weak sales processes can limit growth even when the business has a viable product. A company may have a good offering but struggle to identify its target market, communicate its value proposition or convert potential customers into paying customers.
A strong sales strategy can help businesses better understand their customers and build a more structured approach to generating revenue.
Customer retention is another important part of the equation. Businesses that consistently provide value and maintain strong relationships with their customers may be better positioned to generate repeat purchases and build a more predictable revenue base.
This makes sales strategy particularly important for SMEs that are trying to move beyond short-term transactions and establish sustainable businesses.
The SMEConnect webinar will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to explore these issues while learning from professionals and business leaders with experience in the market.
Supporting SMEs Beyond Access to Finance
FirstBank’s SMEConnect initiative reflects the growing recognition that supporting small businesses requires more than providing access to financial products.
SMEs often face several interconnected challenges, including limited business knowledge, weak operational structures, difficulty accessing markets and limited capacity to scale.
Business education and advisory support can help entrepreneurs strengthen some of these areas and make better decisions as they grow.
Through SMEConnect, FirstBank has created a platform where entrepreneurs can gain exposure to information and practical insights across different areas of business development.
The initiative also provides an avenue for businesses to learn from other entrepreneurs and professionals who understand the realities of running a business in Nigeria.
For SMEs, access to such knowledge can be particularly valuable as they seek to adapt to changing markets and improve their competitiveness.
Building More Sustainable SMEs
The ability of SMEs to generate consistent revenue has implications beyond individual businesses.
Small and medium-sized enterprises play an important role in economic activity by providing goods and services, creating employment and supporting livelihoods across different sectors.
However, businesses need sustainable revenue models to survive and create long-term impact.
When SMEs improve their ability to acquire and retain customers, they can strengthen their financial position and potentially create room for expansion, additional employment and greater market participation.
This makes capacity-building programmes focused on practical business skills an important component of broader SME development efforts.
The September SMEConnect webinar will therefore place sales strategy at the centre of discussions around business growth, giving entrepreneurs an opportunity to examine how stronger customer acquisition and conversion strategies can contribute to their overall business performance.
Webinar to Provide Practical Growth Lessons
As businesses continue to navigate Nigeria’s competitive operating environment, entrepreneurs are increasingly required to be deliberate about how they attract customers and generate revenue.
The upcoming FirstBank SMEConnect session is expected to provide participants with practical lessons on building effective sales strategies, understanding customers and improving business performance.
By bringing together entrepreneurs, banking professionals and SME development practitioners, the webinar will create an opportunity for participants to learn from different perspectives while considering strategies that can be applied to their own businesses.
The September 9 session is part of FirstBank’s continued focus on supporting SMEs through capacity building, knowledge sharing and business-focused initiatives.
For participating entrepreneurs, the central message is straightforward: having a product is not enough. Businesses must also understand their customers, communicate their value effectively and build sales systems capable of converting opportunities into sustainable revenue.
Interested entrepreneurs can register to participate in the SMEConnect Webinar through FirstBank’s official registration platform.
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