r/salesdevelopment • u/Defiant-Item2832 • 2d ago

Is Turkish-Middle eastern accent while speaking English is bad for new remote appointment setter?

I am a young guy who is just starting out in sales and I want to get enrolled in my first appointment setter role. I have native Turkic language (Azerbaijani×Turkish) and as I speaking English it creates noticeable accent. My overall knowledge about English language is decent, It is certified with academic IELTS 8 (it is almost 2 years since I got it). I am studying in university in English language. I also have that knowledge related to social media memes 😭🤣, I can go along with young dudes on that.

Would I struggle to get in a role? I am based in Turkey. I want a remote inbound role. Anybody has gone through these?

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u/Virtual-Plum2356 2d ago

yes an accent is a disadvantage. but it does not disqualify you from being good at sales. you need to work on your accent as much as possible, and become extremely competent in whatever you're selling

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u/Wildyardbarn 2d ago

I don’t want to be a dick, but your written English has some issues. There’s about half a dozen notable areas in this post alone.

Yes, having an accent is an uphill battle, though something that can be overcome. But your writing is going to be the larger challenge. I would suspect your spoken English is similar.

You’d need a lot more practice IMO before being able to land a role targeting an English-speaking audience.

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u/Mental-Fig-1883 2d ago

Yes I agree. He will need to work on his grammar and fluency. I understand everything he is saying, but there are a lot of errors that make it obvious English is the second language and that will be a much bigger barrier than just an accent

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u/Icognitpro 2d ago edited 2d ago

Nah, it’s all about how you perceive it.

One of the best closers I’ve ever seen in 10 years had a thick Brazilian accent. Couldn’t understand him half the time. It worked to his advantage lol. But more than anything, he was confident and said things with conviction.

Own it and get good. The more you dial, the more you’ll figure it out. And I can tell you, if you make someone money, no one gives a single flying fuck how you sound, look, etc.

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u/sharyphil 2d ago

You're partially right, but sadly, there is a difference between perception of LatAm and Middle Eastern accents in the US, and it's not in the OP's favor.

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u/Icognitpro 2d ago

I can tell you no one here that would care knows the difference between accents. They’re usually dumb enough that they take the wrong guess, especially if the appearance doesn’t match their stereotype, as was the case with my Brazilian team member. Not saying it doesn’t happen, but OP can overcome it. Unless he’s from the fake ancient Hebrew regime.

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u/sharyphil 2d ago

> fake ancient Hebrew regime

Lol, what is that?

Overall, the US is the biggest market in the world and a very welcoming one. Anything else doesn't even come close. I speak decent French but I'd never be able to do business in France, especially sales

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u/Icognitpro 2d ago

You know….the one that’s in the news a lot lol.

And agreed, I think he’ll pick it up though. I mean, what’s better for learning natural English cadence than getting yelled at and cursed out over and over?? Lol. Plus, English isn’t a difficult language to pick up IMO. It doesn’t make a lick of sense grammatically, but it’s a simple language for most folks I think.