I've won 10 roles in 7 countries: the US, the UK, Canada, Iceland, the UAE, Malaysia and Cyprus. All of them from Islamabad. All of them cold. Zero referrals.
I'm not saying that to show off. I'm saying it because when I started, I genuinely believed US clients didn't hire people from Pakistan. I thought the accent, the time zone, the payment problems, all of it, meant I'd always lose to someone in Texas or London.
I was wrong. But I wasted a lot of time believing it.
This is how to get US clients from Pakistan for GTM work, which channel actually works at each stage, and the mistakes that kept me stuck longer than I needed to be.
The three channels, honestly compared
| Upwork | Cold email | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | First clients and first reviews | Building trust over time | Reaching exactly who you want |
| Speed to first client | Fastest | Slow (months) | Medium, once set up |
| Rates | Lowest, heavy price competition | Medium to high | Highest |
| Cost | 10% fee plus connects | Free, just time | Domains, inboxes, data |
| Needs proof first? | No | Helps a lot | Yes |
The mistake most Pakistani freelancers make is staying on one channel forever. The real move is using each one at the right stage, then moving to the next.
Stage 1: Upwork, for your first proof
Upwork is where I'd start if I were beginning again, for one simple reason: the clients are already there, looking.
You don't have to convince anyone that they need a GTM engineer. They posted a job saying they do.
What works on Upwork:
- Apply early. The first few proposals get read with fresh eyes. Proposal twenty gets skimmed
- Read their business, not just the job post. Mention something specific about their company in the first line
- Lead with a result, not a greeting. Not "Hi, I'm Malik and I'm interested." Instead: "Your target market is US dental clinics. Here's how I'd build that list."
- Bid on smaller jobs first. A $50 job with a five-star review is worth more than a $500 job you didn't win
Early on I mass-applied to 47 Upwork jobs in one go. If I could go back, I'd send ten specific proposals instead. Generic proposals get ignored no matter how many you send. Specific ones get answered.
The trap: Upwork's price competition is brutal. Use it to get reviews and real results, then start moving direct clients off it as you build relationships. Keep contracts on the platform while they started there, but don't let it be your only channel.
Stage 2: LinkedIn, for trust
LinkedIn is slow. My first posts got almost no views. For weeks, nothing. I almost stopped.
Then one comment. Then ten. Then a founder in the US messaged me about a campaign.
That message changed more than any follower count. This month, three client conversations started with someone reading a post. Not a pitch. A post.
What works on LinkedIn:
- Post about real work, with real numbers. A campaign that got 33 opportunities. A campaign that got zero and what you learned
- Post about failures. My posts about things that broke get more engagement than my wins, and they attract better clients
- Comment on posts from founders and people in your field. Thoughtful comments, not "great post". This is how people find you before you've built an audience
- Make your profile say who you help and what result you get. Not just your job title
What doesn't work: "Comment X and I'll DM you" posts, generic advice anyone could write, and posting about random topics. Stay focused on your work.
Stage 3: Cold email, for the clients you actually want
This is the one most GTM engineers forget, which is strange, because it's literally the skill we sell.
If you can't get your own clients with cold email, why would a client trust you to get theirs?
Every one of my 10 roles came from reaching out cold. That's not a coincidence. It's the best proof I have.
How to do it properly:
- Pick a narrow target. US B2B companies with 10 to 50 employees that are hiring their first sales rep, for example
- Use separate domains, never your main email address
- Set it up properly: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, three weeks of warmup
- Lead with something specific to them. What you noticed about their outbound, their hiring, their market
- Offer something small first. A free audit of their current setup, a short Loom, a list of 20 companies they should be talking to
The first email shouldn't sell your services. It should show you've already thought about their problem.
The Pakistan-specific problems, and how to handle them
Time zones. Turn this into an advantage. Pakistani evenings are US mornings. Tell clients you'll answer their prospects' replies within minutes during US business hours. Reply speed decides whether a positive reply becomes a meeting.
Payments. Payoneer and direct bank transfers work. Agree the payment method and schedule before you start. Never let a client pay you late "just this once" on the first project.
Trust. You don't have a famous company on your CV. Replace it with proof: dashboard screenshots, a Loom of your work, a real number in your first line.
Calls. If your English isn't perfect, that's fine. Clear and honest beats polished and vague. Prepare your key points before calls, and follow up every call with a short written summary.
Get it in writing. I learned this the hard way. Before you start work, put one page in writing: what you own, what they provide, the tool budget, and how either side can end it. Without it, every cost becomes an argument and endings happen in silence.
Where I'd put my time, by stage
| Your stage | Upwork | Cold email | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No clients yet | 70% | 30% | 0% |
| A few clients, some proof | 30% | 40% | 30% |
| Real case studies | 10% | 40% | 50% |
As your proof grows, move your time toward the channels where you choose the client, instead of competing for the client who chose the lowest price.
The thing that actually matters
Every channel comes back to the same thing: proof. Upwork reviews are proof. LinkedIn posts about real results are proof. Cold emails that mention a real campaign are proof.
Being from Pakistan was never my real problem. Not having proof was. The day I had a real result with real numbers, the conversations changed, on every channel.
Get your first result. Show it everywhere. The clients will come.
Trying to land your first US client?
If you're stuck on Upwork, posting on LinkedIn into silence, or not sure how to cold email for your own clients, message me on WhatsApp.
Tell me which channel you're using and what's happening. I'll tell you honestly what I'd change.