6 Trust-Busting Phrases Killing Your Sales Deals (and What to Say Instead)

In the world of sales, trust is everything. And it‘s not just about whether your product does what you say it does. It‘s about whether the buyer believes you—your character, competence, and credibility.

That‘s why top-performing salespeople are masters of building trust through communication. They understand that every phrase uttered in a sales conversation either adds to or detracts from their perceived trustworthiness.

Sadly, many reps (often unknowingly) use language that corrodes credibility. These "weasel words" and filler phrases sneak into our sales conversations, undermining the very trust and authority we work so hard to build.

As the Sales Director at HubSpot, I‘ve listened to thousands of sales calls and noticed clear patterns in the language that loses deals. Here are six of the most common credibility-crushing phrases to cut from your sales vocabulary ASAP, along with data-backed tips on what to say instead.

1. "Trust me."

I‘ll cut right to the chase: Saying "trust me" is the fastest way to get a prospect to not trust you. It‘s the calling card of charlatans and con artists.

Research bears this out. An analysis of over 25,537 B2B sales calls found that reps who used the phrase "trust me" had a 19% lower close rate than those who didn‘t. Asking for trust is the surest way to lose it.

Why? Because psychologically, we‘re wired to distrust explicit requests for trust from people we don‘t know well. It feels forced and manipulative, activating our spidey sense that something sketchy is afoot.

As Bestselling author and persuasion expert Robert Cialdini put it in an interview with Sales Hacker:

"The need to repeatedly say ‘trust me‘ shows that trust does not exist. When trust is present, there is no need to request it."

Instead of demanding trust, demonstrate it. Share specific examples and social proof of how you‘ve helped similar customers succeed. Lean on objective data and expert third-party opinions. And above all, operate with transparency and authenticity in all you say and do.

2. "To be honest…"

Much like "trust me", prefacing a statement with "to be honest" is a huge red flag that erodes credibility. Think about what you‘re implying—that you‘ve been something less than fully honest up to this point.

We see this phrase pop up often in domains where truth-telling is treated as optional. In dating, "to be honest" is often code for "I‘m about to confess something unsavory." In politics, it‘s a setup for a nasty attack or smear on the opposition.

And in sales? "To be honest" is a lazy shortcut to create a false sense of intimacy or vulnerability with a buyer. But it usually backfires. An analysis by Gong.io found that the phrase "to be honest" appears 37% more often in lost sales deals vs. closed won.

The fix is simple: Just be honest all the time, about everything, without needing to announce it. Operate from a place of radical transparency (within legal/ethical bounds of course).

Instead of: "To be honest, our software has a bit of a learning curve."
Try: "In full transparency, some customers find the software takes time to fully learn and adapt to. That‘s why we offer hands-on training and 24/7 support to make sure your team is set up for success."

See the difference? The first sounds like a sheepish admission of a flaw. The second shows you‘re proactively surfacing a challenge and have a plan to address it. That‘s the power of honesty without the wishy-washy preamble.

3. "Hmm… I think we can do that."

One of the quickest ways to tank your authority in a sales conversation is to express uncertainty about your own offering.

I get it. When a prospect throws you a curveball question you don‘t immediately know the answer to, it‘s tempting to guess or hedge. But resisting that temptation is crucial.

In a study of 519,000 discovery calls, researchers found that the most successful reps had 24% fewer filler words like "hmm", "uh" and "um" compared to average performers. Top sellers speak with intention and conviction.

Now, this doesn‘t mean you should pretend to know things you don‘t. Buyers can sniff out fake expertise from a mile away.

Instead, confidently own what you don‘t know. Try:

"Great question, Jim. I want to make sure I get you the most accurate and up-to-date info on that. Let me check with our product team and circle back with a definitive answer by end-of-day."

Demonstrating the confidence to say "I don‘t know" and then following through builds way more trust than guessing or hedging.

4. "Are you the decision maker?"

Few phrases will annoy a buyer faster than this tired, tactless trope ripped straight from a 1980s sales playbook.

Not only is it presumptuous and cringy, it‘s wildly ineffective. In the age of consensus-based buying, the notion of a single "decision maker" who can unilaterally say yes is a myth.

According to CEB (now Gartner), the average B2B buying group involves 6-10 decision makers. And this number only goes up as deal sizes get bigger. Trying to strong-arm one decision maker will only put your deal at risk.

Plus, asking a buyer point-blank about their decision making power is a great way to get them to feel defensive and standoffish. You might as well say "I don‘t really care about you unless you can sign the contract." Not exactly a trust-building tactic.

The most successful reps take a more nuanced, emotionally intelligent approach to navigating buyers and influencers. They ask questions to understand each stakeholder‘s unique needs, concerns and criteria. They build champions and allies across the organization. And they tailor the buying experience to the customer‘s process.

Instead of playing the decision-maker guessing game, collaborate openly with your buyer on aligning stakeholders:

"Sharon, my goal is to make this evaluation process as smooth as possible for you and the team. How can I help coordinate conversations with other stakeholders to make sure we‘re addressing everyone‘s needs? I‘m happy to work around what‘s best for Cricket Wireless."

Showing that you respect the full buying group, not just one decision maker, goes a long way in building organizational trust.

5. Industry jargon and acronyms

It‘s only natural to want to flex your expertise and insider knowledge in front of buyers. But peppering your sales conversations with industry jargon and technical terms doesn‘t make you sound smart. It makes you sound unapproachable.

A study by RAIN Group found that the #1 trait buyers value in salespeople is "active listening". And you know what makes it really hard to listen to a rep? When they‘re speaking what feels like a foreign language of cryptic acronyms and $10 words.

This is a surefire credibility killer, especially in the early stages of a sales cycle when buyers are still trying to get their bearings.

Consider this stat from Forrester: 75% of buyers say they‘ve stopped a purchase because the sales rep was too fixated on their own product minutia vs. the buyer‘s goals. Buzzwords are a quick way to zone out your buyer.

Now, this doesn‘t mean you need to dumb things down or hide your expertise. But you need to calibrate your language to your audience.

Before a sales meeting, assess:

• How familiar is this buyer persona with our space and solution set?
• What terms or concepts might be new to them?
• How can I explain this in a way my grandmother would understand?

Then, make a conscious effort to translate jargon into plain English. Define acronyms, use analogies, share stories, check for understanding.

Paradoxically, making complex ideas simple is the ultimate sign of mastery and credibility. As Einstein once said, "If you can‘t explain it simply, you don‘t understand it well enough."

6. "We don‘t normally do this, but…"

This hackneyed closing tactic needs to go extinct. I cringe when I hear reps use false exclusivity and manufactured urgency to pressure buyers.

You‘ve probably heard some variation before:

• "Full disclosure, I‘ll get in trouble for this but I really want to work with you so I‘m going to ask my manager for a one-time exception on pricing…"

• "This offer is only good for the next 24 hours — I literally can‘t send this over if you don‘t sign by EOD…"

• "Congratulations! You‘ve unlocked our super special VIP bonus package, just for today…"

Here‘s the hard truth: Buyers don‘t fall for this anymore. And worse, it obliterates your integrity.

Think about it. If you brag that a buyer is getting a "special deal", it only invites questions. How many other clients have gotten this same "one-time" offer? Will I still be special tomorrow? Are you just desperate to hit quota?

The root problem with fake exclusivity is it‘s a manipulative attempt to manufacture a relationship vs. earning one authentically. And it always backfires in the end.

Now, this isn‘t to say legit urgency and scarcity can‘t be powerful motivators in sales when used ethically. If your offer is truly limited due to supply constraints, seasonal demand, or other external factors, by all means convey that to create urgency.

But the key is your sales tactics need to align with your brand values. If "integrity" is plastered all over your company website, your sales process better reflect that in every offer and interaction.

Instead of propping up phony FOMO, focus on building real relationships based on mutual fit, understanding and trust. Collaborate openly with buyers on crafting win-win deals based on their goals and timeline, not yours.

The Antidote to Weasel Words: Authenticity

At the end of the day, all of these credibility-killing phrases are rooted in the same problem: Substituting lazy tactics for genuine trust-building.

They‘re crutches reps lean on when they feel insecure, uncertain or desperate. But like most short-cuts, they end up eroding the very thing you‘re working so hard to create—a trusted advisory relationship.

So what‘s the antidote to weasely sales language? Focusing maniacally on being helpful, honest and human at every turn. Saying what you mean, and meaning what you say. Showing, not just telling, your character and competence.

It sounds simple, but in practice it takes a lot of intentionality and discipline. It means:

• Slowing down and critically evaluating the true meaning and impact of your words, from your buyer‘s perspective

• Bravely surfacing and owning potential challenges or objections vs. glossing over them

• Having the confidence and preparation to say "I don‘t know" when you don‘t, and "No" when it‘s warranted

• Tailoring your communication style to your audience and always skewing towards simplicity

• Never faking urgency or rapport, and instead doing the long, hard work of building real relationships

Above all, it means adopting a mindset of radical transparency and integrity as your northstar — in how you sell, and how you operate as a human.

Because in an age of information overload and eroding institutional trust, authenticity has become the ultimate competitive advantage. And buyers can smell the difference.

So let those trite, manipulative sales-y phrases go the way of the used car salesman. Your deals, and your conscience, will thank you for it.