In a world where we ignore most noisy messages sent to us and at us, there’s one marketing email I open every time it hits my inbox.

It’s from Bill Mueller.

He’s a master storyteller, and his emails feel like they’re written to me personally.

If you’re not on his list, you should fix that. You can subscribe at [email protected]. He also has excellent courses on writing story-driven marketing that actually gets read.

A couple of years ago, Bill sent one email that really resonated..

It wasn’t a clever subject line or a new tactic. It was a simple idea, executed brilliantly. He published a list of Words and Phrases to Ban.

Not improve.
Not tweak.
Ban.

It had the typical annoying corporate-speak you see all of the time. You know… “circle back,” “synergy,” etc.

I remember reading it, nodding along, and filing it away, thinking I could do one for sales some day.

Fast forward to now. 

First, why is this important for you as a sales pro?

Your language is a reflection of your beliefs, and your beliefs drive your behavior.

After decades of listening to sales calls, reviewing emails, training and coaching reps, and more recently, noticing what’s being passed around online as “best practices,” I kept hearing the same thing over and over again. (And even more so today.)

Weak language.
Apologetic phrases.
Status-lowering openers.

Language that doesn’t just sound bad. It not only produces bad results, it squashes morale and lowers self-esteem.

Because here’s what I’ve learned over 40 years in sales: the salespeople who struggle the most aren’t struggling with tactics. They’re struggling with language that reveals amateur thinking.

Before they ever dial the phone, in their mind, they’ve already lowered their status, apologized for existing, and positioned themselves as an interruption.

So I decided to borrow Bill’s idea. Ok, steal it. But revise it for professional B2B sales and prospecting.

What follows is my version: 26 Words and Phrases I’m Banning from Sales in 2026.

And, I’m not including a list of clever replacements or scripts to memorize. That’s intentional.

Professionals don’t fix their results by swapping phrases. They fix them by changing how they think, how they prepare, and how they show up.

So this list is about standards. About identity. About eliminating language that no longer belongs in a professional sales conversation.

I’ve organized the 26 into categories so you can see the patterns: permission-seeking language, weak conviction, excuse-making, lazy email openers, and more.

For each phrase, I’ll explain why it’s banned. Not just that it sounds bad, but what it reveals about your thinking.

Read it slowly. Notice what you say out loud. Notice what you type without thinking.

And oh, I’m not just going to be the “don’t say this” guy. I will have how to come up with great alternatives, and examples.

Next week, we’ll talk about what replaces this language naturally…when you’re thinking and preparing like a pro.

For now, let’s start by killing what’s holding you back.

1. "Sorry to bother you" / "Is this a good time?"

Why: Both phrases ask for permission before you've established any value. "Sorry to bother you" apologizes for calling before you've done anything worth apologizing for. "Is this a good time?" asks them to qualify your call for you. Professionals don't beg for permission. They create relevance that earns attention.

2. "I know you're busy, but..." / "I'll be brief"

Why: Thanks, Captain Obvious. Who isn’t busy? These both acknowledge you're an interruption while simultaneously interrupting. "I know you're busy" translates to "I know you don't want this call, but I'm doing it anyway." "I'll be brief" signals the call will be painful and you know it. Plus, just by saying it, you are not being brief. Professionals respect time by being prepared and relevant, not by promising to hurry up.

3. "Just..." (checking in, touching base, following up, calling to...)

Why: "Just" makes everything smaller. It signals you have no real reason for contact and you're hoping they'll do your job for you. Professionals don't "just" do anything. They have legitimate reasons and they own them. Eliminate "just" and your purpose becomes clearer immediately.

4. "This is a cold call"

Why: You just triggered their threat detection system and labeled yourself as unwanted. What is it that people hate receiving? Exactly: a “cold call.” Why would you announce that you're a stranger with an agenda? This is self-sabotage in four words.

5. "You don't know me," and, “You weren’t expecting my call.”

Why: Again, you're stating the obvious in the worst possible way. The prospect already knows you're a stranger. Saying it out loud just reminds them they didn't ask for this call.

6. "Don't hate me"

Why: This strikes me as something the most insecure adolescent would say. You're begging for sympathy before you've said anything meaningful. This positions you as expecting to be hated. If you believe you deserve to be hated, why should they think otherwise?

7. "I'd like to learn more about your business"

Why: Seriously? You have a supercomputer in your pocket. This is lazy. You should have learned about their business before you picked up the phone. Don't make the prospect do your research for you. Professionals come prepared with insights, not questions that Google could have answered. Replacement: "In looking at your latest [Report/Project], it seems you're focused on [Specific Goal]..."

8. "May I ask you a question?"

Why: That IS a question. You just asked it. This is unnecessary permission-seeking that wastes time and signals insecurity. Professionals don't ask permission to ask. They ask strategic, well-prepared questions that create value. Just ask the actual question.

9. "Screener" / "Gatekeeper" (referring to assistants)

Why: This language reveals disrespect and adversarial thinking. They're not blocking YOU, they're deciding whether your message is relevant enough to deserve the decision-maker's time. In that sense, they ARE buyers. Professionals call them "assistants" and treat them accordingly.

10. "To be honest with you"

Why: Why would someone say this? Doesn’t it imply you're not always honest. Terrible signal to send. If you need to announce your honesty, you've already damaged your credibility.

11. "I was hoping..."

Why: Hope is not a strategy. Professionals don't hope…they plan, prepare, and execute. "Hoping" signals you have no real plan and you're winging it.

12. "I was wondering if..."

Why: Stop wondering and start asking. Indirect language creates indirect results. "I was wondering if you'd be open to..." is weaker than "Would you be open to..." Say what you mean.

13. "Objection rebuttals" / "Overcoming objections"

Why: Both of these frame selling as combat. "Rebuttal" assumes you're arguing with the prospect. It actually is telling them they are wrong. (How did that work out the last time you told your spouse/partner that?) "Overcome" assumes you're defeating their resistance. Professionals don't argue or overcome. They question to understand the reason behind what the prospect believes, then question more to help them see another perspective. You're not battling objections. You're exploring thinking. Big difference.

14. "Can I send you some information?"

Why: Translation: "Can I send you stuff you won't read so I can feel like I did something?" This is permission-seeking disguised as helpfulness. If your information is relevant, send it with context. Don't ask permission to clutter their inbox.

15. "Calling to get time on your calendar"

Why: Never ask for time in your opening. Time is their most valuable and guarded asset. You haven't established any relevance yet. Why would they give you their time? Lead with possible value first. (See issue 1 in the Archives here for the framework.) Earn the right to ask for time. The meeting request comes AFTER you've created interest, not before.

16. “Rejection.”

Why: Rejection doesn't exist. It's a story you tell yourself about what happened. The facts are: they said no, they didn't respond, they went with someone else. Your interpretation, "I was rejected," is what creates the emotional damage. Ultimate Sales Professionals control the story. They received a decision. They learned something. They moved forward. But they were never "rejected."

17. "I don't want to be pushy"

Why: You're pre-apologizing for doing your job. Selling isn't pushy. Bad selling is pushy. If you have genuine value and you've earned the right to ask, there's nothing pushy about it. This phrase reveals fear of being perceived negatively, which guarantees you'll act timidly.

18. "No one answers their phone anymore"

Why: Translation: "I'm not good enough to get people to answer." This is victim language. People DO answer their phones. For calls that sound relevant, prepared, and valuable. For reps who have targeted the right people and used a multi-modal approach if necessary. If no one's answering YOUR calls, the problem isn't phones. It's your approach. Professionals earn answers.

19. "No one reads books anymore"

Why: I cringe when I hear this. This is categorically false and reveals intellectual laziness. Books are written by people who've actually accomplished something and invested years distilling their knowledge. The smartest, most successful people read constantly. What they DON'T do is take all their advice from social media influencers with 16 months of experience. If you believe "no one reads books," you're surrounding yourself with the wrong people and limiting your own growth.

20. "It's just a numbers game"

Why: No, it's a quality game. Yes, you need activity, and we use numbers to measure that activity. But bad activity for the sake of motion is destructive. Making 100 poorly prepared calls is worse than making 20 well-researched, strategically planned calls. "It's just a numbers game" is an excuse amateurs use, and many managers, to avoid doing the hard work of preparation, targeting, and skill development. Professionals understand that quality activity creates better numbers.

21. "I got ghosted"

Why: This also is victim language. "Ghosted" implies something was done TO you. That you're powerless and the prospect is the villain. If you can't reach them, own it. Question what you could have done differently. What was missing from your follow-up? Did you create enough value in the first conversation? Did you get commitment on next steps? Did you give them a reason to respond? There are dozens of possible reasons why they're not in contact, and most of them are within your control. Professionals ask, "What did I miss?" Amateurs say, "I got ghosted."

22. "I don't have time to do research"

Why: This is a lie, and a tell. Basic research doesn't take much time. If it feels time-consuming, what's really happening is avoidance. Salespeople who say this aren't short on time. They're trying to protect themselves from the discomfort of calling someone they know nothing about. Here's the reality: Two minutes of preparation beats twenty generic dials. A relevant call is always more interesting than a smile-and-dial one. Prospects can hear "unprepared" in the first five seconds. And if research truly feels slow? Automate it. Systematize it. Create templates. Use tools. Professionals don't skip preparation.They remove friction from it. Because relevance earns attention. Generic earns dial tone.

23. "I reached out because your profile looked interesting"

Why: This is the standard AI-generated LinkedIn/Email opening. It means nothing. It's the digital version of a cold call with no research. "Interesting" is vague and lazy. Replacement: Cite a specific quote, post, or action they took. Show you actually paid attention to THEM, not just their profile picture.

24. "Bumping this to the top of your inbox"

Why: This screams desperation and assumes the problem is inbox placement, not relevance. Has anyone in the history of email, after reading this said, “Oh, yeah, glad that got bumped. NOW I’ll act on it.” If your first email didn't get a response, "bumping" it won't help. Trash is still trash regardless of its geography. You need NEW value, NEW relevance, or NEW insight… not a reminder that they ignored you the first time.

25. "Thoughts?"

Why: The ultimate lazy email message or subject line. It puts the burden of work on the prospect to figure out what to do next. You're asking THEM to guide YOUR next step. Replacement: Ask a specific, closed-ended question or suggest a clear next step. Do the thinking for them.

26. "I hope this finds you well"

Why: Every time I see this I think about Red reading Andy’s letter at the end of Shawshank Redemption, and closing it with, “I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well.” And that is probably the only time anyone ever thought it was a good line. This is the most insincere, overused opening in the history of email. It's filler that screams "I'm sending a mass template." Nobody believes you actually care how this email finds them. Replacement: Jump straight into the reason for the email or make a specific observation about their business.

OK, that’s the list. I had a few others that could have made it, and maybe will next year when we expand to 27.

If you caught yourself nodding along to any of these 26, you’re not alone.

Many salespeople use this language every single day.
They learned it from managers. From training programs. From Marketing. From watching other reps. From LinkedIn “experts” who learned from other influencers.

But now you know.

And once you know, you can’t unhear it.

You’ll catch yourself mid-sentence.
You’ll hear teammates saying it.
You’ll read it in emails from vendors and think, Oh no… they’re doing it too.

You’’ll see people on LInkedIn trying to get their likes and shares posting some of these things, and watch as scared, timid followers (who are avoiding placing calls themselves) chime in with their approval.

That awareness is the first step.

The real question is: What are you going to do about it?

Here’s an idea: Start with just one. (I know, I used “just.” It IS appropriate here.)

Pick the category that hit closest to home. Maybe it's permission-seeking language. Maybe it's "just" language (the weak kind.) Maybe it's excuse-making.

Eliminate those phrases from your vocabulary this week. That's it.

One category. One week. Then move to the next.

You don't change identity overnight. But you can change one habit this week, right?

I’m not leaving you hanging.

Next week’s Big Lesson:
“If You Stop Saying These 26 Things… What Do You Say Instead?”

But I’m not giving you 26 replacement phrases to memorize.

That’s just trading one script for another.

Instead, I’ll give you the framework… the way professionals think, prepare, and speak so they never need those amateur phrases in the first place.

It’s about principles, not scripts.

Stay tuned.

What did I miss?

I’m sure there are phrases I didn’t include… things that drive you crazy, language you’ve banned from your own vocabulary, or expressions you wish your team would stop using immediately.

Drop a comment on the web version of this newsletter at the very bottom.
(click Read Online in the upper right corner if you’re reading this in email)
and tell me what should have made the list.

I read every comment.

If this resonated with you, chances are someone on your team or in your network needs to read it too.

Repost this on LinkedIn (or your other socials… use one of the buttons up top) and add your own take:

The more people who eliminate this language, the more professional our entire profession becomes.

Let’s raise the bar together.

As 2026 begins, this is the perfect moment to draw a line.

Not between “last year” and “this year.”
But between the old version of you and the professional you’re choosing to become.

Because nothing changes when the calendar flips.
Things change when you do.

The language you tolerate is the identity you reinforce.

The standards you set are the results you earn.

That’s what the Ultimate Sales Professional is about.
And it’s why I built the Smart Calling Prospecting and Sales App for B2B Professionals.

This is daily coaching, training, practice, interaction, review, and accountability.

It’s like having me with you, 24/7.

Not as more content to consume, but as a way to practice, reinforce, and install the habits, language, and thinking of a true professional, one day at a time.

If you’re serious about making 2026 the year you stop trying to sound confident and start being confident…

If you want to eliminate these phrases not just from your vocabulary, but from your thinking…

Then the coaching app and the Ultimate Sales Professional course are the natural next step.

I had become frustrated because there was nothing available that helped sales people BECOME the rejection-proof, fearless, disciplined, confident professional they need to be in order to get the results they want. So I built it.

I’ll let you decide when you’re ready.
Just know this:

Change doesn’t happen because you read something powerful.
It happens when you do. And that decision can start now.

Go make it your best week—and year— ever!