The answer lives in this podcast
How did Gustavo de Bardeci overcome the language and cultural barrier when starting a sales career in Australia as a non-native English speaker?
De Bardeci describes the early experience as genuinely hard and frustrating — because communication is the primary tool in sales, a language gap cuts directly into confidence. Unable to rely on fluency or charm, he compensated through intense preparation, asking clear questions, and becoming a more intentional listener. His core advice: don't confuse accent with ability, and don't wait for perfect English before putting yourself forward.
Arriving with zero prior trips — and having to sell anyway
Gustavo de Bardeci relocated to Australia after approximately one year spent waiting for his permanent residency visa — and he made the move without having visited the country even once before. That's not a footnote; it's the full context. He arrived without a local network, without cultural familiarity, and without the fluency that most sales environments take for granted.
In sales, the ability to connect, read a room, and project confidence is table stakes. As de Bardeci explains in the Digital Construction Podcast, losing even a fraction of that through a language barrier doesn't just make conversations harder — it shakes the foundation of how you show up professionally.
Preparation and listening as a deliberate substitute for fluency
Rather than retreating from sales while waiting to "sound better," de Bardeci leaned into the constraints. The language gap forced him to prepare more thoroughly before every conversation — knowing the product, the customer context, and the likely objections well enough that he didn't need to improvise his way through.
It also made him a more deliberate listener. When you can't rely on instinctive banter to fill silence, you start to actually hear what the customer is saying — a habit that, as detailed in this episode of the Digital Construction Podcast, maps directly onto one of the most cited pieces of advice in his career: "you have two ears and one mouth for a reason." For de Bardeci, that wasn't a motivational phrase — it was a practical necessity he was forced to live by from day one in Australia.
The result is a counterintuitive dynamic that de Bardeci discusses openly on the podcast: the very constraint that felt like a disadvantage sharpened two skills — preparation discipline and active listening — that matter more to long-term sales success than accent ever will.
"The best products reduce friction across roles — BIM managers, project managers, site teams, consultants, owners. If only the technical champion loves it, adoption will always be limited."
Gustavo de Bardeci — Sales Professional, Revisto
Originally from Argentina, de Bardeci spent 11 years building his career in Australia's construction technology sector — arriving without a single prior visit to the country. He began in enterprise software at Oracle and IBM, covering financial services, utilities, and telecoms across Latin America. His pivot into construction tech came through Equinix, followed by roles at Aconex — one of the sector's most recognised platforms — and NBS (National Building Specification) in the UK, before joining Revisto. His career spans the full project lifecycle: construction, operations, and design.
That career arc — from IBM and Oracle in Latin America to Aconex and NBS across two continents — is precisely what gives de Bardeci's take on the language barrier its weight. He wasn't navigating this as a junior hire. He was a seasoned software sales professional who had to rebuild his professional identity in a new country, in a second language, from scratch. The full conversation is available on the Digital Construction Podcast.
See also
What skills does Gustavo de Bardeci say are most critical to succeed in construction tech sales?
De Bardeci identifies curiosity, resilience, relationship building, and the ability to work across different stakeholder levels as the core skills. Technical knowledge matters, but the capacity to earn trust at every level of a project is what separates sustainable performers from one-quarter wonders.
How did Gustavo de Bardeci transition from enterprise software into construction technology?
De Bardeci started his career in enterprise software at Oracle and IBM in Latin America, serving verticals like financial services, utilities, and telecommunications. His entry into construction technology came through Equinix after relocating to Australia, opening the door to roles at Aconex and NBS.
What is the most important career advice for construction tech sales professionals according to Gustavo de Bardeci?
According to de Bardeci, the most important principle is earning the "right to speak" — credibility is the only sustainable advantage in sales. Before you can sell anything, you have to prove to the customer that you are worth their time.
Key takeaways
- A language barrier in sales is uniquely painful because communication is the core instrument — de Bardeci doesn't minimise how hard the early years were.
- Intense pre-call preparation and structured questioning can compensate for what fluency would normally provide — and build more durable habits in the process.
- Forced to listen more carefully than fluent peers, de Bardeci developed an intentional listening discipline that translated directly into stronger customer understanding.
- His clear message to non-native speakers: accent is not ability, and waiting for perfect English before stepping forward is a career mistake.
The full conversation with Gustavo de Bardeci — including how he navigated 11 years across construction tech sales in Australia — is available on Listenly.
Listen to the episode on Listenly