3 Phrases Your Reps Say Every Day — That Are Killing Deals

Three everyday phrases — "unfortunately," "to be honest," and "does that make sense?" — trigger negative psychological reactions in customers and silently kill deals, even when the rep knows the product perfectly.

Words Matter

A rep can know the product perfectly, respond quickly, and be polite — and still lose customers. Because the specific words they use trigger the wrong reactions in the customer's mind.

Here are 3 phrases you hear (and write) every day — that are costing you money.

Phrase 1: "Unfortunately..."

"Unfortunately, that color is out of stock." "Unfortunately, delivery takes 5 days." "Unfortunately, we're closed on Sundays."

What the customer hears: negativity. The brain latches onto "unfortunately" and tags the entire response as bad news. Even if the information that follows is perfectly fine.

The fix: drop "unfortunately" and immediately offer an alternative.

• "Unfortunately, that color is out of stock" → "That color just sold out — but we have blue and gray, and both look great. Which one do you prefer?"
• "Unfortunately, delivery takes 5 days" → "We'll have it to you in 5 days — by Thursday. Want me to set it up?"
• "Unfortunately, we're closed on Sundays" → "Sundays we take a breather! We're open Monday from 9 AM — what time works for you?"

Same information. Different emotion. The customer gets a solution instead of a problem.

Phrase 2: "Got it" / "Understood"

"Got it, let me check on that." "Understood, please hold." "Got it."

Sounds fine, right? The problem: "got it" is a closing phrase. It signals "I've received your information and I don't need anything else from you." The conversation stalls.

After hearing "got it," the customer feels the conversation is on pause. They wait. If the wait drags on — they leave.

The fix: instead of confirming you "understood" — show that you understood, and immediately give the next step.

• "Got it, let me check on that" → "Great question — I'll check availability and get back to you in 3 minutes"
• "Understood, please hold" → "Yes, we do deliver to your area. Let me calculate the cost"
• "Got it" → [just answer the question, no filler needed]

The difference: instead of a pause in the conversation — forward momentum.

Phrase 3: "Call back later" / "Reach out later"

"The manager is busy right now, call back in 30 minutes." "Message us tomorrow after 10 AM." "Leave your number, we'll call you back."

Every one of these phrases shifts the effort onto the customer. The customer has to remember, come back, repeat their request. Most won't.

Research consistently shows that 60-80% of customers who are told "call back later" never do. Not because they're not interested — but because they forget, find someone else, or simply can't be bothered.

The fix: always keep the initiative on your side.

• "Call back in 30 minutes" → "The manager will be free in 30 minutes — I'll pass along your question and they'll reach out to you first. Sound good?"
• "Message us tomorrow" → "We'll be here from 10 AM tomorrow. I'll send you a reminder at 10 — does that work?"
• "Leave your number, we'll call you back" → "Got it! We'll call within 15 minutes. If we don't catch you in time — I'll message you on WhatsApp."

The principle: the customer shouldn't have to make a second effort. The first one (reaching out to you) already happened. Everything else is your job.

Why This Works

All three phrases share one thing: they create friction. Small, barely noticeable — but enough for the customer to "think about it" and never come back.

Selling through messaging is a battle against friction. Every word that creates a pause, triggers negativity, or shifts effort to the customer — that's a lost percentage point of conversion.

How to Apply This

1. Search for these 3 phrases in your reps' conversations (Ctrl+F for "unfortunately," "got it," "call back")
2. Count how many times they're used per week
3. Give your reps the replacements from this article
4. Compare conversion rates after one week

Three phrases. Three replacements. One day to implement. Next up: learn what really hides behind the "I'll think about it" objection.

Pleep's AI agent never uses deal-killing phrases — it's trained to offer alternatives, keep momentum, and eliminate friction. See how it works or create your AI agent in 5 minutes.