Luwam Bokure: From First-Generation College Student to Software Client Leader

From First-Generation College Student to Software Client Leader

I had the opportunity to interview Luwam Bokure, a top tech sales leader, about her journey from being the first in her family to attend college to become a sales leader assisting Federal agencies with IT modernization efforts.

Tell me about your journey to becoming a Tech Sales Leader.

I’m a first-generation college student, so I am the oldest in my family to go to college. I actually had no background about what life would be like after college, even what college would look like for me. I attended the University of Virginia and majored in public policy and leadership. I knew I wanted to be in a profession that impacted changed, something that I could do and have a purpose. I thought that I was going to become a public servant. I thought I was going to go to law school afterwards. I graduated in 2017 and there was a hiring freeze in the government. I knew that my whole life I had to go to college, but I never knew what the next step was after college because my parents didn’t go to college. At that point, I just knew I had to get a job and start making money. And I thought, let me just investigate the business side of the house, the private sector. 

I started looking into roles that had a government focus but required the type of skill that I gained with a public policy and leadership major. IBM appealed to me because it had longevity, it’s been alive and doing well for so long that they’re obviously doing something right. I can work for a company that has continued to rebrand and change with the times in order to adapt. They had a really good sales track, but I didn’t even know what sales entailed. I didn’t have any family members that were in sales. I didn’t know any mentor, anybody in my life growing up that was in sales. I saw it had some travel and thought traveling sounds cool. And they also had a federal track and it had six months of intensive training. That made me feel comfortable, knowing that I could go in with a different background and still gain the training that will help me do well in my role. 

The way I pitched myself was: “I’m a public policy major. I write memos to try to persuade congressmen in order to look at my side. Everything we do in life is persuasion. We’re trying to get someone else to see our viewpoint.” So, I just told them I could transfer that skill that I’ve learned from writing to speaking. Essentially my interview is what really made me want to go into sales, because I really liked the people interviewing me. After my first interview, she told me I was going to the second round, but she also told me what I should do better for the second round. I didn’t have anyone else tell me that when I was interviewing. I felt that she had my best interest at heart. At IBM, I worked in the Federal sector and my role was a Software Client Leader. I focused on selling any software that could be used on the mainframe. It could be security solutions, it could be analytics solutions, it could be cloud solutions.

Today, Luwam is a Product Account Manager – Federal Civilian Accounts at BMC Software. 

How did Keeping an open mind lead you to sales?

“One thing my family told me before I started my first year at the University of Virginia was to keep an open mind. I never knew what majoring in public policy was until I had a chat with someone during my second year of college who told me what a public policy major could do for me. I researched the major more and knew that it was the best fit for me. All I knew in life was that I had to get good grades to go to college and ultimately to get a good job. At first, I categorized a “good job” as being a lawyer, doctor, or engineer. I am happy I kept an open mind and learned about all the other career options that were available to me once I graduated college. 

I mentioned before that when I was graduating college there was a hiring freeze for government jobs. As a public policy major, I thought my path in life was to work in the government. Then, I met a recruiter at IBM who told me about a role where I can still work with government agencies but in a business aspect and also learn new skills such as sales and technology. I looked into the role, kept an open mind, interviewed, and ultimately decided being in tech sales is the path I wanted to take. All of that happened by keeping an open mind. 

What were the keys to your success?

The keys to success: Networking, collaboration, marketing, problem-solving

I think sales is big on networking, making connections with people, not just internally, but within your clients’ fields as well. It’s about working together. A lot of times sales can feel like you’re just on your own, because it’s your numbers, your quota that you have to meet. But I’ve actually had a really good team throughout my time at IBM where my managers have been pivotal in my sales growth. So even after my training was done, the message at IBM is always, “we work together in order to be successful.” 

Also, I’ve learned that marketing is the messages you send and thinking about innovative ways to get your message to your customer. Sales is also about how you differentiate your solutions through marketing. One thing that I’ve done is I’ve started to do monthly newsletters to my clients, so they can be aware every month what’s getting published, the offerings IBM offers, and what they could possibly do in their organization in order to modernize to the next level. 

I also do monthly calls with my clients just to check in and see what things are going on, especially in virtual format now, since we don’t have that face-to-face contact. I’ve had to adapt, and sales is about adapting. When a problem comes up with a client, how do you fix that problem? What steps do you take? Problem solving is also necessary in sales. You don’t just go in and say, “Hey, this is a good solution. And then they’re going to buy it. I realized that a lot goes into a sale. Seeing that there’s a solution that could really help my client when they tell me their problem and going through those steps and having them purchase that solution, I feel fulfilled. I feel like I did something that just helped my client reach their goals. I never knew I would have a rush with closing a deal. The rush of making your number or exceeding your number is incredibly gratifying. 

I’m very competitive and always been in different areas of my life. Sales is also very, very competitive. So that skill set just transferred over and allowed me to do well in sales. I played softball and soccer when I was in high school, and I have two brothers. I’m the only girl. So, you know, having two boys and being the only girl, I always wanted to identify myself as being different. I slowly started to realize, I can see why I’m in sales. I’ve always tried to set myself apart from my brothers. I tried to compete with them when there’s video games or sports. Everything in my life was always like, I want to be the best in school and to my family. It just made sense.

What was one key to your success?

Putting yourself out of your comfort zone is key. When I went into sales, I wasn’t comfortable. I didn’t know what to expect. I was a public policy major, but other people came in with that confidence, “I’m going to take this training and take myself to the next level.” Be confident in yourself that you’ve made it to the point where you’ve gotten a job. Feel confident and be okay with the change that this life is going to give you. 

What’s your advice for sales managers on managing Next Gen Sales professionals? 

We’re wired differently

I would tell managers today that next generation sellers are wired differently. We always look outside the box and it’s because our minds are always going, with social media and different ideas that are always popping up. I feel like we’re just always on the go. And we think of new ideas at a faster rate. It’s a hard thing because in my training I realized that all of us came from different backgrounds and majors, but we all brought something different into the environment, into our job, into our role. So, I would tell a manager that even though we might be young, or a little bit ‘inexperienced’, we have the drive and the hustle and the passion because we are competitive now more than ever. I feel like my generation is extremely aware of technology and that we have to change with it. There’s always going to be continuous change and whether it’s how you sell or what you sell, you have to be open to change. And I feel like we’re used to that. We’re used to the change. I mean, we just went through a whole pandemic and now we’re going to have to adapt. Our generation is continually adapting through the different things that happen in our lifetime. We’re good with the change, we hustle, and we work hard. I didn’t know how I was going to make it, I just knew I had to, at the end of the day. I knew I had to get a good job. So, I knew I was going to work hard in order to get there. 

In closing, what was one of your biggest challenges?

Taking risks

Taking risks was my big challenge. I think when I was in sales, I felt like I was in a territory that, if I’m being honest, I was maybe in over my head. Maybe I really shouldn’t be in business. But then I also have to realize, I don’t know any better. I’m thinking that because I don’t see someone in business, someone successful, that looks like me or has my background. I wish that I was more confident going in because that was the challenge that I had. And then when I took my role now, my former manager who had hired me, told me he had pushed this role for me. I remember I was thinking, “I’m going to say no, because this was a higher role than what I wanted to be. I want to just be a regular seller.” But he wanted me to be a software client leader where I have to manage the client space. And I was like, I can’t do this. Like, I can’t like, I’m just too much for me. I don’t have the experience and whatnot. But then eventually I ended up saying yes, because I really liked the manager. And I knew that I wanted to be on his team and I figured I’m going to learn what I don’t know. 

It was funny because I had peers that kept saying, “you’re thinking like a woman.” And I was like, what does that mean? But in their minds, they were saying you’re analyzing too much. If a man was presented with this opportunity, he is going to take it. It’s a higher paying opportunity, it’s a new role. At first, I felt very offended. In sales, you take the opportunity that is given to you, and you go in, and you learn, and you adapt, and you change with the times. And this role actually ended up being the best thing that’s ever happened to me. So, the challenge was being okay with the change, and continuing to be okay with change. 

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