A heated discussion has erupted online after an Indian B2B professional revealed a startling method for securing better business responses. The individual posting on Reddit shared that he gets better responses using a non-Indian name for business emails. In his post titled “Why does nobody want to do business with Indians?" he detailed his frustration with perceived biases against Indian professionals in international markets, both as buyers and sellers.
“Whenever I send emails using my non-Indian name, I get better results vs. when I use my Indian name," he wrote, pointing out a pattern he has observed repeatedly.
He went on to express concerns that many professionals acknowledge that Indian markets are often deprioritized. In his post, the professional even claimed that within various industries and online communities, it is openly discussed that businesses don’t focus much on Indians. He said, “Also, I am a part of many communities where it’s openly discussed that they often don’t focus much on Indian markets."
The user further questioned whether the issue stems from external discrimination or flaws within Indian businesses. “Be it service or product, nobody wants to sell to or buy from Indians. I know I am being too generic here, but it makes me crazy seeing this discrimination. But then I wonder, maybe we are at fault here?" he concluded.
The post, which quickly gained traction, ignited a debate among Reddit users. Many agreed with the user’s experience, attributing the issue of bias at business, while others commented that the reason behind this is so that salespeople “harass" people.
A user claimed that for most of the US, UK, Middle East, Europe, and ANZ, Indian emails and calls were “equivalent to call center calls/emails. Hence, people are not as open to talking when you’re trying to sell something."
Another person said that Indians with strong accents have become “synonymous with scams and poor customer service." Detailing their experience of working with Indians based in Mumbai etc, the user said that his colleagues were “lovely". “But if I get a cold call from someone clearly in India, or a cold email, then it’s going straight in the bin," they added.
An account remarked that the reason is due to India undergoing K-shaped growth. “The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer," the comment read.
“Because people just don’t trust Indians anymore. Sorry, but it’s true," posted a user.
An individual stated, “All markets are different. Indian markets are tough, so the first thought that comes to head for the West is not to go there, it has nothing to do with self-bashing. Market is market, if you want to tap, you have to put in effort."
The debate snowballed into a broader discussion on India’s economic growth. What is your opinion on the matter?
