Worst Business Jargon You Could Possibly Use: Phrases to Avoid in Sales

After all, many of your B2B prospects already know the same lingo that you do and are not likely to feel impressed when they hear it. This blog post breaks down what ConnectLeader believes is the worst business jargon that you should stop using immediately.

Tired Sales Phrases to Cut From Your B2B Sales Calls

Connect better by avoiding jargon and using more natural language when you make sales calls:

“Hi, I'm Your New Account Manager”

When you introduce yourself as the new account manager, you've immediately made your contact wonder what happened to the old account manager. According to Andy Preston, a popular sales consultant, this phrase will immediately trigger concerns about the way the account was handled in the past or the possibility of high turnover within your company.

If your prospect has no sales history with your company, it's even worse because it sounds presumptive. You've got to earn their trust before you can call yourself their account manager.

Simply introduce yourself, your company, and the reason for your call. Your prospect will get the idea that you're the account manager going forward without you having to overstate it.

“On Your Radar”

If you say that the client is on your radar, you're basically telling them that they're on the list but haven't yet been attended to. If you ask them if your solutions are on their radar, you're basically asking if they've ever heard of you. Besides, the expression sounds cliche and may automatically cause your potential client to tune out the rest of what you have to say.

It's better to just express yourself in common English. If you're attending to an issue, let your client know; if you want to introduce your solution and your brand, do it.

“Value Added”

As an adjective, a value-added product is supposed to describe upgrades or additional features that add value. However, most people don't understand that, so it's better to just explain what you mean instead of using a tired phrase that might simply confuse or annoy your B2B client.

“Touching Base”

When you contact your client without having an invitation, you may be tempted to say something like, "Hello, I'm just calling to touch base with you." It's likely that your busy client will interpret that as you making it clear that you are getting ready to waste his or her time.

For instance, you may have sent out a mailer or email about a special promotions. Don't say that you're touching base to see if the customer learned of the promotion. It's fine to mention your past communication, but use that to get to the point of your call. If you can offer your prospect a 10-percent discount that day, just tell them that.

“Decision Maker”

Sure, you've been trained to connect with a company's decision maker in order to close sales. However, when you use that phrase, you're letting whoever you are talking to know that you don't value them as anybody but a person who can authorize checks. Even if you aren't speaking with the decision maker, it's likely that you're speaking with somebody who can make the decision to direct you to the right person — or not.

Let your contact know about the benefits that their company can enjoy by working with your business. Then ask them if they need to bring in somebody else to finalize the details. Make them feel valuable and important, and they are likely to treat you the same way.

Avoid Acronyms When Possible

In some businesses, acronyms and abbreviations are such a common part of the professional language, that you might sound odd if you don't use them. In other cases, you risk confusing your prospect and losing the sale. Obviously, you need to understand the industry well enough to know when to use acronyms and when to use the full term.

An example might be starting off with a term like SaaS. While saying software as a service may sound like a mouthful, it’s great to clarify the term upfront. You would rather have someone understand you than zone out because they don’t understand the terms or acronyms you’re using.

Work on Your Sales Language to Connect Faster and Better