Why Salespeople Should Never Utter the Phrase "I‘m Just Touching Base"

If you‘ve worked in sales for any length of time, you‘ve probably used the phrase "I‘m just touching base" more often than you‘d like to admit. In fact, a recent analysis of over 1 million sales calls found that variations of "touching base" were used in 25% of follow-up calls and 38% of voicemails.

While it may seem like a harmless way to check in with a prospect, this go-to phrase can actually do more harm than good. Here‘s why "just touching base" needs to be eliminated from your sales vocabulary and what to say instead to move deals forward.

It Shows a Lack of Empathy

At its core, selling is about understanding and solving customer problems. When you lead with "I‘m just touching base," you‘re centering the conversation around your needs rather than the prospect‘s. It signals that you‘re focused on going through the motions of following up rather than providing any specific value.

Put yourself in the customer‘s shoes for a moment. If you had a packed schedule and competing priorities, would you welcome an interruption from someone just "checking in" with no clear purpose? Probably not. Using this phrase demonstrates a lack of empathy for the prospect‘s time and needs.

It Undermines Trust and Credibility

"Touching base" also has the unintended consequence of undermining your credibility and trustworthiness. When a salesperson says they‘re "just checking in," the underlying subtext is often:

• I‘m following up because my manager told me to
• I don‘t really have anything important to discuss
• I‘m not sure what to say, so I‘m using this as filler
• I‘m not confident in the value of what I‘m selling

None of these interpretations position you as a knowledgeable, trustworthy advisor. Instead, you risk coming across as unprepared, unsure, and unimportant. Considering that trust is the foundation of any sales relationship, "touching base" is simply too risky of a phrase to use.

It Leads to Worse Sales Outcomes

The negative effects of "just touching base" aren‘t just theoretical – using this phrase has been shown to measurably worsen sales results:

• Emails that included "touching base" had a 29% lower open rate and a 53% lower reply rate than those with more specific subject lines.
• Voicemails mentioning "touching base" were 84% less likely to be returned compared to those with a clear reason for calling.
• Deals where the rep used "touching base" in over half of their communications took 19% longer to close.

Relying on this generic phrase doesn‘t just waste the prospect‘s time – it wastes your time too by prolonging sales cycles and lowering your chances of getting a response. To hit quota consistently, your outreach needs to be much more intentional and purposeful.

Adopt a Customer-Centric Approach

The core issue with "touching base" is that it‘s a selfish, seller-centric approach. To engage prospects and win more deals, every interaction needs to be focused on delivering value to the customer. Before reaching out, always ask yourself:

• What does this person care about?
• How can I help them achieve their goals?
• What unique insights or expertise can I share?
• What‘s in it for them to take my call or respond to my email?

When your outreach is centered around benefiting the buyer, you‘ll never struggle to find a reason for contacting them. Your intentions will be clear and your communication will be much more effective.

What to Say Instead

So what should you say when following up with prospects? Here are some customer-centric alternatives to "touching base" to use in your calls and emails:

1. Reference a prior interaction:
   "Hi John, I‘m following up on our conversation last Tuesday about your upcoming Q3 initiatives. I recall you mentioned[specific challenge]. Since then, I‘ve been thinking about how our solution could help with[benefit]. Do you have a few minutes this week to discuss further?"

2. Share a relevant resource:
   "Hi Sarah, I came across this case study on how a company similar to yours achieved [result] and thought of our recent discussion. Attached is a quick overview of how they approached the same challenges you mentioned around [topic]. Let me know if you‘d like to set up a brief call to brainstorm some ideas."

3. Provide a status update:
   "Hi Tom, I wanted to give you a quick update on the proposal we discussed. Our product team is making a few final tweaks based on your feedback and we expect to have a revised version to you by Friday. I‘ve also attached a short FAQ doc that addresses some of the common questions that came up. Please let me know if you need anything else!"

4. Ask a specific question:
   "Hi Lisa, I‘ve been thinking more about the goals you mentioned around [topic]. One thing that stood out to me was [key point]. How are you currently measuring progress in that area? I ask because I have some benchmark data from your industry that I think you‘d find valuable. Happy to share it if you‘re interested."

5. Suggest a clear next step:
   "Hi Mike, I‘m writing to schedule our next meeting to review the implementation plan. Based on our last discussion, it seems like your team will need about two weeks to get aligned internally. How does your calendar look the week of [date]? I‘m available Monday between 1-4pm or Wednesday 9-11am if either of those work on your end. Just let me know what‘s best and I‘ll send an invite."

Notice how each of these examples:

• References a previous interaction to provide context
• Demonstrates the salesperson was actively listening
• Focuses the conversation on the prospect‘s needs
• Clearly states the purpose of the outreach
• Suggests a specific next step or call to action

It‘s a stark contrast from the generic "just checking in" approach. By taking a few extra minutes to personalize your outreach and make it about the customer, you‘ll get significantly better results.

Make Every Touchpoint Intentional

As a salesperson, your time is precious. You can‘t afford to waste it on unproductive outreach that goes nowhere. That‘s why it‘s so critical to make every interaction with a prospect intentional and purposeful.

Before picking up the phone or drafting an email, always define what you want to achieve with that specific touchpoint. Do you want to:

• Get the prospect to agree to a meeting?
• Share new information that helps them build consensus internally?
• Gather intel on where they‘re at in the decision process?
• Uncover a new need your solution can address?

When you‘re clear on your objective, planning your messaging becomes much easier. You can then reverse engineer the conversation to lead to your desired outcome.

One helpful exercise is to plan your talk track ahead of time by writing out the key points you want to make and the questions you need to ask. While you don‘t want to sound scripted or robotic, having a loose outline ensures you‘ll make the most of the customer‘s time.

The Benefits of Eliminating "Touching Base"

When you stop relying on "just touching base" and start being more strategic with your follow-up, amazing things happen:

• Improved responsiveness: Contacts are more likely to call you back, answer your emails, and agree to meetings because they know every interaction will be worth their while. You‘ll spend less time chasing and more time actually selling.

• Shorter sales cycles: Deals progress faster because every touchpoint has a purpose. Conversations are more productive, you uncover needs and objections sooner, and there‘s less time wasted going back-and-forth.

• Better forecasting: When your pipeline is full of high-quality, engaged opportunities, you can forecast with greater confidence. You‘ll have a clearer view of where deals stand and what needs to happen to get them across the finish line.

• More referrals: Customers who perceive you as a trusted advisor are more likely to recommend you to their network. When you‘re known for always adding value and never wasting time, you‘ll earn a reputation that leads to more referral business.

• Higher job satisfaction: Let‘s be honest – "touching base" isn‘t fun for anyone involved. When you‘re more intentional with your outreach, you‘ll have more engaging, productive conversations. Selling becomes more enjoyable when you know you‘re truly making an impact for your customers.

In short, eliminating this ineffective phrase is a small change that can yield big results. It‘s a simple way to differentiate yourself, add more value, and accelerate revenue growth.

It All Comes Down to Value

At the end of the day, successful selling is all about delivering value. Every interaction should leave the customer in a better place than where they started – whether that‘s by educating them, providing new insights, or guiding them towards a solution.

"Just touching base" fails this fundamental test. It‘s an empty, generic phrase that doesn‘t make the customer‘s life any easier or provide any unique value. That‘s why it needs to be phased out of every salesperson‘s vocabulary.

Instead, adopt a value-focused approach where every touchpoint has a clear purpose aimed at helping the prospect. Do your research, personalize your messaging, and always communicate with empathy and customer-centricity. When you lead with value, you won‘t just get better results – you‘ll build lasting relationships founded on trust and mutual respect.

In the words of sales guru Anthony Iannarino, "Legacy sales approaches are dead. Success now requires a more consultative approach based on value creation." It‘s time to leave "touching base" in the past where it belongs – your quota and your customers will thank you.