5 Overused Phrases to Cut From Your Sales Emails in 2024

Sales reps sent over 300 billion emails last year, accounting for over a third of all business email traffic. The average person now receives 126 emails per day, up 25% from before the pandemic. And with email volume showing no signs of slowing down, it‘s harder than ever to stand out in a crowded inbox.

One survey found that 40% of prospects say the majority of sales emails they receive are useless or irrelevant. Why? Too often, reps rely on generic, overused language that adds no value and fails to elicit a response. Cliched phrases not only blend into the background but also make the sender seem lazy and disinterested.

To capture attention and earn replies in 2024, sales emails need to be targeted, engaging, and original from start to finish. That means cutting out common phrases that prospects have read a thousand times before. Here are five of the worst offenders to remove from your email copy this year:

1. "Just checking in"

Out of all sales email cliches, this one takes the cake. It appears in a whopping 25% of all follow up messages. Translation: Your prospects have seen it over and over again.

Gartner research found that the average B2B buyer receives over 200 emails per week from salespeople. With that degree of outreach fatigue, they need a more compelling reason to engage than a vague "check in." This phrase does nothing to demonstrate how you can help them solve a specific problem or achieve an important goal.

Instead of "checking in," reference a trigger event or new development:

• "I saw your company announced plans to expand into Asia…"
• "I read the case study you published last week and noticed…"
• "Since we last spoke, my team released a new feature that…"

2. "Sorry for the late reply"

We‘ve all been guilty of taking too long to respond at some point. But there‘s no need to call extra attention to your tardiness or lack of timely follow through.

Apologizing for a late reply diminishes your credibility as a reliable resource. It plants a seed of doubt in the prospect‘s mind that you may be disorganized or uncommitted. Even if they weren‘t bothered by the delay before, now it‘s top of mind.

Instead of apologizing, provide a value-added response ASAP:

• "Thanks for your patience while I gathered the information you requested…"
• "I took extra time to research your question thoroughly. Based on my findings…"
• "Thanks again for sending over those details. I‘ve outlined a few suggestions below…"

3. "Per my last email"

This phrase comes across as passive-aggressive at best and condescending at worst. It implies that the recipient was careless and inconsiderate for not responding to your previous message.

What‘s more, "per my last email" shifts the burden to the prospect to sift back through their cluttered inbox trying to find the email in question. Most won‘t bother taking this extra step, especially not for a salesperson they barely know.

Instead of making the prospect do extra work, summarize any important context:

• "As I mentioned on our call last Tuesday…"
• "To build on the proposal I sent over last week…"
• "Here is the agenda for our meeting tomorrow, along with…"

4. "I know you‘re busy"

It‘s a universal truth that decision makers have packed schedules and competing priorities. Reminding them of this fact doesn‘t earn you any goodwill. If anything, it makes your request seem like an unwelcome distraction from more important matters.

Variations like "I‘ll keep this brief" or "Sorry for adding to your inbox" are similarly unhelpful. They center the conversation around your needs rather than the prospect‘s.

Instead of stating the obvious, quickly get to the point:

• "I have a quick question about…"
• "Here are three ways [Your Company] can help you [achieve X goal]…"
• "Are you available for a 10-minute call to discuss [topic of interest]?"

5. "Let me know if you have any questions"

On the surface, this seems like a helpful offer. In reality, it‘s a lazy attempt to elicit a response without adding any substance to the conversation.

As sales expert Jill Konrath explains: "Today‘s crazy-busy prospects don‘t have time to think. If you want them to respond, you need to spoon-feed them." Don‘t expect them to come up with questions—proactively provide answers and insights.

Instead of an open-ended request, give a clear directive:

• "Please review the contract I‘ve attached and let me know if the terms meet your needs."
• "The pricing sheet I shared outlines three different options. Which one aligns best with your budget?"
• "Here is a calendar link to schedule your product demo. What day/time works best for you?"

Beyond cutting cliches: tips for stronger sales emails

Simply swapping overused phrases for slightly better alternatives isn‘t enough to make your emails stand out. Effective sales messages require thoughtful strategy, customer research, and a healthy dose of creativity.

Here are a few proven tactics to take your emails to the next level:

Write compelling subject lines: 33% of prospects open emails based on the subject line alone. Pique their curiosity with a thought-provoking question, shocking statistic, or timely insight. Keep it under 9 words for optimal engagement.

Personalize based on persona: Reference the prospect‘s industry, role, company, or challenges. Segment your outreach by title, funnel stage, or use case so you can tailor your messaging accordingly. Personalized emails generate 6x more revenue than generic blasts.

Provide immediate value: Share a relevant blog post, case study, report, or tool. Offer to make an introduction, troubleshoot an issue, or provide feedback. Make it abundantly clear how your email benefits the prospect within the first few sentences.

Structure for scanability: 67% of emails are now opened and read on mobile devices. Optimize yours with short paragraphs, bulleted lists, and ample white space. Bold key phrases and use descriptive subheadings to guide the reader‘s eye down the page.

Include a clear CTA: Every email should include one primary call-to-action, whether it‘s to schedule a call, download a resource, or make a purchase. Limit your CTAs to avoid choice paralysis, and make your desired action explicitly clear. Emails with a single CTA increase sales by 1617%.

Close with a friendly sign-off: How you end your email can impact the likelihood and tone of a prospect‘s response. Skip generic sign-offs like "Best" or "Thanks" in favor of something warmer yet still professional: "Enjoy your weekend," "Happy [day of week]," or "Talk soon" leave a positive impression.

Putting it all together

As buyers become more discerning and digitally savvy, sales reps must evolve their email tactics to keep pace. Relying on stale phrases and pushy language won‘t cut it anymore—modern sellers need to be intentional about every word they write.

The good news? Small messaging tweaks can generate huge gains. Updating just a single phrase in an email template can increase open rates by 95% and reply rates by 27%. Imagine the cumulative impact of consistently sending fully optimized emails across your sales org.

Start by auditing your existing templates and scripts. How often are you using the common phrases mentioned above? Where can you replace them with more specific, valuable language? Pay attention to feedback from prospects as well. If you notice certain lines consistently failing to elicit responses, swap them out.

Consider running an A/B test of two different versions of a critical email—maybe your initial outreach or demo follow up. Send one version to half your prospects and the other to the rest. Analyze the open, click, and reply metrics after a week to see which one performed better. Learn from the results and iterate again.

The email writing process never stops evolving. To craft messages that resonate in 2024 and beyond, commit to continuous improvement. Question your assumptions, experiment with new ideas, and above all, prioritize your customer‘s needs. Soon, cliches and spam triggers will be a thing of the past.