Sales: 5 phrases to avoid in correspondence
‘They turned us down.’ ‘They weren’t keen.’ ‘They weren’t interested.’ ‘They bought from a competitor,’ ‘The price wasn’t right’ … The list of reasons ‘why they didn’t buy’ could go on forever. And it would all seem logical if it were the customers who’d written it. But no - these are reports from your own sales managers.
Formally, it’s all clear: the customer said ‘no’. But the reality is this: most deals fall through not because the price or specifications don’t suit the buyer. They fall apart in the correspondence, according to experts at Betonlogos. Video calls, telephone negotiations and anything involving an immediate response have long since become the customer’s choice. Sales have ‘moved’ to messaging apps and email, where there is no voice, no emotion and no live contact - just text.
There are several phrases that at first glance seem polite and neutral, but in reality are banal, intrusive, fail to engage the customer and give no reason to reply. At Betonlogos s.r.o., we call them ‘stop phrases that provoke a pause’.
This rather innocuous phrase sounds like a friendly ‘Feel free to get in touch’. The customer interprets it as an invitation to pause. Reopening the conversation after this phrase comes across as almost pushy. The manager may have to wait a very long time for a reply.
Sales don’t work like that, insist the experts at Betonlogos s.r.o. You need to set the next step and specify a target action: a call, a meeting, or sending materials with a clear deadline. Replace the passive “I’m in touch” with “I’ll email you tomorrow at 11:00 with the details” or “To summarise. I suggest a 15-minute call tomorrow at 11:00. If that time doesn’t suit you, please let me know when would be convenient.”
Sales is not about politely waiting, but about taking action. If the manager doesn’t set the next step, no one else will do it for them.
‘If you need anything, I’m here’
‘Have a look, I’ll send it to you’
An illusion of progress and a convenient phrase for the salesperson: the document’s been sent, the box’s been ticked. But it’s self-deception. The customer is inundated with emails, proposals and PDF files. More often than not, ‘have a look’ turns into ‘forget it’.
The practical approach from Betonlogos s.r.o.: discuss the essentials here and now. While the client is on the line or in the chat, clarify the key issues, agree on the next step, and secure agreement in principle on the main points: ‘Let’s discuss this now/while we’re on the line/I’ll send you the proposal, but I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page regarding the main points.’
‘What’s your budget?’
Experts at Betonlogos recommend that you keep a close eye on customer feedback. Don’t focus on ‘ratings’, but on the wording. If customers are open to dialogue, it means that it’s not just the purchase that matters to them. If they return not for a discount, but to chat with your manager - you’ve already built an emotional USP. Your product may be standard, but if predictability and good communication are important to the buyer, they will choose whoever can provide them. Very often, it is precisely the predictability and familiarity of the service that become a dropshipper’s USP. Today, value may lie in convenience; tomorrow, in care; the day after tomorrow, in speed.
‘We take a personalised approach’
A cliché and a trite phrase that is irritating and very often bears no relation to reality. The disconnect: the customer receives a standard, impersonal sales pitch. The phrase “We take a personalised approach” is an empty and clichéd cliché. Especially when it’s followed by a standard, impersonal commercial offer. Instead of abstract text, managers at Betonlogos recommend sending two or three options: what’s included, how much it costs, and what the realistic timeframe is for completion.
‘Did you manage to have a look?’
At first glance, it seems like a gentle reminder. In reality, it’s a dead end. The client almost always replies, ‘No, I didn’t get round to it,’ or simply remains silent. The phrase offers no real value and comes across as pressure.
What’s needed is a valuable tip and a gentle reminder: “Here’s an idea: when you do have a chance to look, pay attention to… I had a thought – this might be relevant to your situation.” The formula is simple: if the client hasn’t yet seen what you’ve already sent them, you gently remind them of yourself and add something useful to the message. This could be: a quick tip, a hint, a life hack, an important clarification, or an emphasis on the benefits.
The lion’s share of deals fall through at the stage of clarifying prices and specifications. A careless phrase in a chat or a single misguided paragraph can undo months of work. Conversely, a single well-chosen message brings the client back into the conversation and moves them towards a purchase.
Avoid using phrases that kill the conversation and don’t leave the dialogue with the customer hanging. This is the same approach we use at Betonlogos when working with clients: we help companies find each other faster, shortening the path from initial contact to a real deal.
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