How to Train Non-Native Sales Reps to Win International Deals in English
- Viktoria Fogl
- Aug 4
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
With B2B sales coaching, sales English fluency support, and smart AI tools - what else?
Struggling to close international deals when English is the default language of business?
Discover the silent fears non-native English speaker sales reps battle with—and how to help them with the right coaching + smart outbound tools.
Let’s be real.
Sales is as old as time.
At its core, it always comes down to two people: the one asking for a decision, and the one making it. That part hasn’t changed in thousands of years.
But almost everything else has.
We used to sell things. Now we sell solutions. Even when we think we’re selling a product, what we’re actually doing is solving a problem—or helping someone avoid one. We’re in the era of solution selling, which means we’re not just salespeople anymore. We’re problem-solvers. Opportunity creators.
I know, it sounds a little abstract—but it’s not. In fact, it’s very simple: most of us genuinely want to help. That’s what modern sales is built on. We don’t just push an offer and move on—we consult, we guide, we create value. And that’s exactly how buyers want to be sold to.
Here’s something else that changed while everyone was refining their pitch:
We sell across borders now—without even getting on a plane. We close deals in other countries, in other time zones, with people we’ve never met in person. And the default language of those deals? It’s English.
Whether you're pitching from abroad to a prospect in Germany, Turkey, Brazil, or Japan, if your buyer speaks English, that's the language of the deal. Most growing companies want to break into English-speaking markets. Everyone wants to land the U.S. client—big deals, big returns. We all know the drill.
But here’s the part most leaders skip over. They focus on the product. The CRM. The process. All important, of course. But very few ask the real question:
Is my team actually ready to sell in English?
Because here's what I see over and over again:
The solution is solid.
The team is smart.
The pipeline should be moving. But it’s not.
And it’s not because of a CRM issue, or a bad ICP, or lack of effort.
Let me offer an insight most leaders never hear from their non-native English speaker reps—because they are too proud or too polite to say it:
They’re second-guessing their English, and it’s affecting their results.
I get it. I’ve been that rep.
25 years ago, I was a non-native English speaker trying to close big B2B deals in corporate America. No language training. No sales playbook. Just a quota, a phone, and the constant pressure not to sound “off.”
I had to learn fluent English and serious sales skills at the same time—while selling to decision-makers who didn’t slow down, didn’t simplify, and definitely didn’t care that I wasn’t born into the language.
Since then, I’ve sold for companies like Experian, Yahoo, Google, and Mercedes.
Now I coach international sales teams to do the same thing I had to figure out the hard way: sell across borders, in English, without losing the deal—or their confidence.
The Hidden Cost of “Good Enough” Sales English
When non-native reps pitch to fluent English-speaking prospects, small cracks in communication turn into wide gaps in confidence. These aren’t the kind of issues that show up in your CRM. They don’t get flagged in retros. But they’re happening.
You see it in the places leaders don’t always look:
– Missed buying cues
– Follow-ups that are vague or overly formal
– Hesitation during negotiation
– Sales calls that end too early
– Deals that stall without a clear reason
The problem isn't effort. It’s friction, and it often starts before the pitch even happens. Your reps won’t tell you this—but here’s what they’re thinking:
I WANT TO REACH OUT—BUT WHAT IF I SCREW IT UP?
“What if my English isn’t good enough to even start this conversation?”
They know the product is solid. But if they can’t explain it clearly, they’re afraid the prospect will brush them off before the call even gets going.
WHEN THEY HEAR MY ACCENT, THEY'LL RUN THE OTHER WAY...
“What if my accent makes me sound less credible and less professional?”
They know what they’re talking about. But they’re not sure the buyer hears ‘expert’—they hear ‘risk.’
I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SELL TO THESE PEOPLE...
“What if my usual approach doesn’t work in this market?”
They try to connect. They pitch like they’re used to. But something’s off. The prospect doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t react. Leaves the call early. And the rep has no idea why.
These thoughts rarely get voiced. But they’re there. They show up in hesitation—on the call, in the inbox, before they even hit send. And hesitation kills trust. And when trust erodes, so do deals.
The Fix:
Sales Training +
Fluency Coaching +
a Smart AI Tool
A huge part of sales success starts with intelligent, intentional outreach.
When that first touch is clear, relevant, and well-targeted, everything downstream gets easier. Demos run smoother. Objections are handled faster. And for non-native English-speaking reps who are already stretching out of their comfort zones, a well-executed outreach gives them something crucial: control.
What doesn't work and why?
Language lessons alone won’t fix this. Nobody’s closing cross-border deals because they listened to a Business English podcast on 0.75x speed while half-asleep.
Generic sales coaching falls flat, especially when salespeople are pitching in their second language, working hard not to sound like outsiders, and hoping to build rapport with buyers who already sound two steps ahead.
What works is a complete, real-world training system that builds the sales mojo:
We coach sales strategy in English—but not through scripted roleplays. Instead, we focus on real deals your reps are working on right now. Every session is tied to actual outreach, follow-ups, and objections they’re facing in the field.
We develop communication skills through situational coaching. That means preparing reps to respond with clarity and credibility under pressure—without diving into grammar theory or textbook business language they’ll never use on a call.
We layer in smart tools like Apollo.io to support everything between sessions. With better targeting, email tracking, and AI-supported messaging, reps stay sharp and focused—because the tool handles the busywork, so they can focus on the conversation.
We can’t take the pressure out of sales—nobody can.
But we can take out the unnecessary friction that language stress creates. From outreach to closing (and everything in between), that’s how we start breaking the problem cycle—and moving the needle towards tangible results.
Book a free strategy call and let’s build the cross-border sales advantage your business deserves!
Here is where Apollo.io comes in:
SALES INTELLIGENCE AT ITS BEST.
Training helps your sales reps sell with more confidence. But if they’re still reaching out to the wrong people, that confidence won’t turn into revenue.
That’s why I recommend pairing coaching with a tool like Apollo.io
This platform isn’t just fast—it’s sales-intuitive. Less guessing, more qualified conversations.
When reps are selling in a second language, they burn more mental energy just staying clear and credible on the call. Every interaction takes more effort—so who they’re talking to really matters.
If they’re reaching out to the wrong people—cold leads, unclear titles, no real fit—they’re burning through that energy before the real conversation even starts. But when they connect with the right prospects—warm leads, clear use cases, decision-makers—they can focus on the quality of the conversation, not just surviving it. That’s how they start moving the needle on international deals.
Your reps are already working harder just to communicate in English—translating thoughts, watching their words, trying to sound confident.
With smarter targeting (sales skill + communication + sales-intelligent tools like Apollo), they spend that energy where it counts: clarifying the close—not Googling who they’re talking to mid-call. That’s when KPIs start to move: better show rates, stronger close rates, higher retention.
Your reps can level up their outbound game: build sharper prospect lists, track what’s working in real time, and use tools like call summaries and pre-meeting insights to prep smarter (without getting buried in admin).
It’s not a magic fix. But when you’re selling across borders, in a second language, with high-ticket deals on the line—anything that removes friction is gold.
Once you go Apollo, you will never go back to old-school prospecting.
I know I won't.
I only recommend tools I'm using myself. I partnered with Apollo.io for this very reason.
Apollo helps sales reps prepare for demos and high-stake conversations with smart outreach execution, so they will not scramble or second-guess while pitching to their international prospects.
Because in the age of AI, we can’t afford to fear automation—our competitors sure aren’t.
They make it ridiculously easy to sign up—you can test Apollo for free, no strings. You could stay on the free plan forever… But once you see what automated, smart outreach can actually do for your pipeline, you’ll probably want to unlock more. That’s what happened to me.
Let’s Turn It Around
Going from local to international sales is a giant growth move. But for many sales teams, it quietly becomes a stall point. Once the conversations shift to English, the cracks start to show—and not where you're looking.
Most non-native reps don’t need a brand-new playbook. They need a system that helps them sell confidently in English, with real prospects, in real markets, without feeling like they’re playing catch-up the entire time.
Because international sales isn’t just about translating the pitch and hope for the best. It’s about showing up with clarity, credibility, and control—no matter who’s on the other side of the call.
And when your team can do that consistently?
Deals don’t just close. They scale.
