By Elizabeth Osayande

Pertinence Group, a leading people empowerment and enterprise development company, hosted a first of its kind retreat for its sales affiliates, tagged Elevate 2025 on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at the Pertinence Place in Akowonjo, Lagos.

Reinforcing its commitment to empowering real estate actors, the company brought together over 300 sales professionals for a dynamic and impactful program designed to equip them with the skills, strategies, and insights needed to thrive in the competitive industry.

The retreat began with a keynote session by Co-founder of Pertinence Group, Mr. Wisdom Ezekiel, followed by insightful presentations from corporate trainer and founder of RCV, Mrs. Bosede Olusola-Obasa; Co-founder of Eazipay, Dr. Emmanuel Efosa-Zuwa; and Co-founder of Pertinence Group, Dr. Sunday Olorunsheyi. Together, they provided attendees with valuable knowledge and strategies for navigating the opportunities and challenges in the real estate and related sectors in the year ahead.

Ezekiel inspired the audience with his thought-provoking address on the massive opportunities available in Nigeria in 2025. He set the tone by emphasising the interplay between strategy and culture in personal development and business growth, reiterating the importance of behavioural changes in achieving planned goals.

He noted that while having a strategy is important, real growth requires behavioural changes that align with one’s goals; hence he urged attendees to align their actions with their strategic aspirations.

Second keynote speaker, Mrs Olusola-Obasa challenged attendees to “own their game” in the new year. Her session focused on the importance of delivering exceptional customer service as a competitive advantage in the real estate sector.

“If you want customers to choose you over other people offering similar services, you must prioritize great customer service,” said Olusola-Obasa, who went on to introduce her CUTE framework – courtesies, understanding, trustworthiness, and experience – emphasizing that strong customer relationships lead to better sales outcomes.

Dr. Efosa-Zuwa took the stage next with a compelling talk on leveraging technology to enhance sales and personal value. He encouraged realtors to integrate digital tools into their workflows, from managing client relationships to setting reminders for key dates like customer birthdays and anniversaries.

“It’s not about the 2,000 contacts on your phone but how you manage them. So, how well are you leveraging on, or taking good advantage of those contacts on your phone?” he asked, urging participants to be intentional about building meaningful connections with their clients.

Dr. Olorunsheyi rounded off the keynote sessions by delivering an enlightening breakdown of the Pertinence Group’s diverse companies and products. He shared numerous opportunities available to realtors, offering them practical pathways to scale their businesses and achieve unprecedented success in 2025.

A major highlight of the retreat was the breakout sessions, where participants were trained in critical digital skills to boost their sales and marketing efforts. Led by seasoned professionals within the Pertinence family, these sessions included classes on digital marketing, content writing and copywriting, graphic design, and video production.

Realtors left these sessions equipped with actionable skills to enhance their online presence and drive bigger sales in 2025, with one participant, Ms. Chidinma Okafor, saying after the event: “This is a great way to begin my sales journey this year, and I am so glad I attended this event. The energy from everyone here has been incredibly motivating; every session meant a lot to me, and I am grateful.”