How successful are non‑American Maker School members, considering barriers like time zones, language, and accents in sales calls?

#255 · how to use sales math to triple revenue

youtube ↗Client Acquisition

How successful are non‑American Maker School members, considering barriers like time zones, language, and accents in sales calls?

I acknowledge that most of the Maker School interviews I’ve shared feature American members, which leaves a gap in showing how international participants perform. I haven’t featured many European, Asian, MENA, or Latin American members yet, and that’s a blind spot I plan to fix by seeking out and interviewing more diverse members. Just as I’ve made an effort to include women despite the male‑dominated hustle‑bro narrative, I need to do the same for geography so viewers can see that people who look, sound, and share their background can also succeed.

internationaldiversitymaker schoolinterviews

Related answers

youtube ↗Hiring & Team

I'm going hard on lead gen sales — is anyone with a strong tech background interested in partnering up? Also, is this a good option for people not based in the US who struggle with US time zones or with English as a second language?

I've come to realize Maker School has way more value than just the community content itself — I hire from it now. It's thousands of people who've specifically learned how to be effective at generating revenue. I'm not saying you have to hire from there, but people from my daily updates channel and Maker School are a great place to hire from — and when someone makes a hiring post in the community, it adds value back to the group too, so the incentives line up well.

finding partnershiring from communityinternational

youtube ↗Pricing

Nick says Princeo I'm planning to start my cold outreach. I just had one doubt. I'm an Asian, specifically Filipino, and I know without a doubt that also affects how people from US or UK view us. How can I confidently quote around 2,000 American dollars to them? So far, with my experience on Upwork, those who are more successful are those from US countries. When people know I'm from Philippines, they immediately lower the ceiling of the quote that I send them. What are your thoughts on this? And so on and so forth. Do you have any student wins that are from Asian countries who are successful with cold outreach? Would help a lot. Thank you.

Anyone who tells you where you are in the world doesn't matter is not being entirely truthful. If you're selling primarily to a United States audience where offshoring has a negative connotation for quality but a positive one for affordability, they'll apply that stereotype to you wherever you are. I'm not saying this to give you limiting beliefs, but because sometimes hearing a harder truth is better than hearing a nice perfect story that says location doesn't matter. Yes, you can make it, but there are tactical things you can do to improve your chances if you're from Southeast Asia or Indonesia selling to a Western audience. First, understand the cultural norms there. I've worked with people worldwide and lived in the Philippines for a few weeks; I learned that in more collectivist Asian cultures, people often avoid pointing out mistakes or speaking up about negative changes for fear of losing face or job security. In contrast, Americans and the British Commonwealth generally reward you for providing information that helps them make better decisions. A minor cultural difference like this is worth implementing across the board. There are also superficial tactics to improve your ability to land higher-paying jobs in American markets: speak with an American accent, adjust your name (e.g., shorten 'Sandep' to 'Sam' to avoid immediate offshore associations), and reduce your accent to align with the target market. These aren't about denying your identity but about communicating effectively. I wish we lived in a world where people were judged by character alone, but that's not the case right now. Aside from that, I've been experimenting with a faster podcast format—doing minimal prep and diving in—to cut runtime from 35‑40 minutes to 20‑25 minutes. Maker School now has about 2,500 members and is growing slowly. I'm also curious about the unfiltered channel's reception and have looked at beard‑shaving videos for any odd patterns, though it's likely just coincidence. Thanks for watching.

pricingcold outreachasianfreelancer

youtube ↗Sales

Does improving my American accent affect conversion rates in cold calls for a non-US entrepreneur?

Yes, improving your American accent would help because people buy from those they like and who seem similar to them. However, using accent as an excuse to delay outreach is the real problem. The issue isn't the accent; it's avoiding action due to imperfect circumstances. Success comes from taking action despite flaws—just start selling, and you'll improve your accent and skills along the way. Waiting for perfect conditions will hold you back in business and life.

accentcold callsconversion rate

youtube ↗Niches

What are the best niches to target for a lead generation qualification nurturing offer in the Middle East, or should it be more general? Is that a good start?

I don't really think that whether you're doing it in the Middle East or somewhere else matters; it's more about human psychology. I understand there are slight cultural differences in how offers are received, but geography shouldn't slow you down—it's often just an excuse. People sometimes say, 'Everything works in your country but not in mine,' and assume you're American, but I'm English and work in the American market, which is a competitive advantage. However, you don't need to be American to make a lot of money; the same approaches that work in American markets work elsewhere because they rely on human beings and psychology, which are similar everywhere. I've already answered this question before, but hopefully that gives you some context.

middle eastlead genniches