1 year ago
December 1, 2022

7 Words You Shouldn’t Use In A Sales Pitch

Making a sales pitch is one of many elements that make up the sales process. It’s one of the most important because if all goes right, you’ll be on your…

Claire McConnachie Recruiter
Claire McConnachie

Making a sales pitch is one of many elements that make up the sales process. It’s one of the most important because if all goes right, you’ll be on your way to closing the deal. If it goes wrong, you could put the deal at risk and potentially lose the customer. 

As a sales recruitment agency we know that a big part of the success of a sales pitch is the words you use, and sometimes more important, the words you don’t. 

In a previous blog a few years ago, Making A Sales Pitch? 10 Phrases To Avoid Saying, our sales recruiters looked at some phrases that you should not use as part of your sales pitch. Below, we build on this and provide you with a list of words you shouldn’t use when trying to sell to customers.

1. Honestly/Seriously

You hear these words used a lot in conversation, but you should avoid using them during a sales pitch. When you say honestly, you imply that what you were talking about previously was not entirely truthful or you may have been withholding information from your customers. 

The same goes for seriously. When you use this word, it implies that you were not taking things seriously up to this point. Both words can cause customers to question your actions and intentions. 

2. Guarantee

Is there really anything that you can guarantee today? It’s a word that has been overused so much that it’s lost its meaning. It will have little effect to persuade your customers one way or another. If you do plan to offer a guarantee, you need to be 100% sure that you can back it up or you’ll put your company in a bad position. WOMAN IN THE MIDDLE OF A SALE PITCH ON A PHONE HOLDING A PAPER

3. Maybe/Perhaps

When you use words like maybe or perhaps, you are not being direct. It can make you appear less confident in your pitch. Use more direct phrases to communicate your confidence in the deal you’re presenting to customers. 

4. Obviously/Clearly

Never make assumptions about what your customer do or don’t know. When you use words like obviously, you can appear condescending and make a customer feel bad about not knowing something that you think they should. 

5. Quota/Commission

There is no need to talk about your sales quotas or commission rates with your customers. If you bring up these topics, you imply that you are more concerned about your financial gain than helping your customers meet their objectives. So, just don’t just these words.

6. Try

When you say that you will try, you are implying that you are not sure if you can complete a discussed task. You are essentially opening the door to failing. When you use this word, you put your credibility in jeopardy and customers could question your abilities. 

7. Advice

The word advice can be loaded. Not everyone is looking to get advice. Even asking a simple question like, “can I offer you some advice?” can make it seem like you are talking down to a person. 

Successful sales pitches do NOT include the use of the above terms. If they are words you use, cut them out of your vocabulary to come up with new ways to express what you are trying to communicate. 

Get More Sales Strategy Tips From Our Sales Recruiters

How Economic Uncertainty Can Create Challenges for Salespeople

4 Ways to Make Cold Calling Waaaay More Fun

5 Savvy Sales Strategies That Have Stood the Test of Time

SalesForce Search is a sales recruitment agency that specializes in hiring sales rockstars. Hiring top salespeople is tough. Only 55% meet their quota. Our proactive approach recruits talented salespeople before they hit the market. As North America’s leading sales headhunter we recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. To find your next sales rockstar, start your search here.

Claire McConnachie Recruiter

Claire McConnachie

Claire has 4+ years of experience in sales and recruitment. As a Director of Client Services, her main objective is to connect great people to great companies by building strong relationships with both top clients and candidates in the sales industry. She specializes in sales roles of all seniority levels for both enterprise and start-up clients North American wide. When Claire isn't networking with top talent, she enjoys being outdoors, traveling and spending time with friends & family.

salesforce-popup