Words Not to Use in Sales
- "Sorry to bother you"
- "I'd like to connect."
- "I thought you might be the right person to connect with."
- "Could you direct me to the right point of contact?"
- "Is it a good time to connect?"
- "Can I tell you about ... ?"
- "Just checking in."
- "I'd like to have an informational chat."
- "Touching base."
- "I wanted to/I'd love to/I'd like to/I need ..."
- "Are you the decision maker?"
- "To be honest ..."
- "Trust me."
- "Do you have budget for this?"
- "It's really easy to understand."
- "That's not what I meant."
- "[Jargon]"
- "I'd like to tell you about our product."
- "What if I said ..."
- "So, you're not interested in [insert benefit of your product/service]?"
- "You should know X about [competitor] ..."
- "Actually, that's not true."
Sales is a language game. Salespeople use words to demonstrate value, identify business pain, create a sense of urgency, and close deals.
Unfortunately, many salespeople also use words to ruin their chances of winning a deal.
Too much of sales depends on chance. Don’t lose a deal because you weren’t careful with your words -- using any of the below phrases in emails is a major mistake.
19 Bad Sales Phrases That Kill Deals
1. “Sorry to bother you.”
There are two fatal mistakes here: an apology and the insinuation that you’re being interruptive.
If you’re reaching out for a good reason, you have no reason to apologize. Saying “sorry” creates the impression you’re weak, when you should be projecting confidence and authority. And if your prospect didn’t think you were bothering them before, they certainly do now.
If you’re truly being interruptive because you have nothing to offer or didn’t do your due diligence, don’t reach out at all.
2. “I’d like to connect.”
Why? Are you going to offer free advice (something you should do), or are you going to start hard selling the minute your prospect picks up (something you shouldn’t)?
Explain exactly what your prospect should expect to get out of the call to turn this bad phrase good.