10 Filler Words That Kill Your Credibility on Sales Calls
10 Filler Words That Kill Your Credibility on Sales Calls
Filler words are involuntary sounds and hedging phrases that speakers use when they need time to think but haven't trained themselves to pause instead. In everyday conversation, they are mostly harmless. On a sales call, they are credibility leaks — each one sending a micro-signal to the buyer that the person on the other end is uncertain, underprepared, or both.
This matters more for non-native English speakers than for native ones, for two compounding reasons. First, non-native speakers tend to use more fillers because language retrieval in a second language is slower under stress, creating more gaps to fill. Second, non-native speakers carry two categories of fillers: the ones that bleed through from their native language, and the English fillers they've picked up that happen to be the wrong ones to use in a sales context.
This guide covers both categories, with specific replacements for each. Platforms like DojoSales are built so reps can practice eliminating these patterns in simulated calls before they cost real deals.
Why Filler Words Matter More Than You Think
Conversation analysis research from Gong — which has analyzed over 1 million recorded sales calls — consistently finds that specific word choices correlate with deal outcomes. Among the patterns identified: calls where reps used hedging language ("I think," "maybe," "kind of") in proposal and pricing conversations closed at significantly lower rates than calls where the same reps used direct, confident language. The effect was most pronounced in the final 20 minutes of a call, when buyers are forming their close-of-call judgment.
The mechanism is straightforward. Buyers are making a judgment about whether to trust this person's expertise throughout the entire call. Every filler and hedge is a small tax on that trust. A single "I think maybe" is ignorable. Ten "basically"s across a 30-minute call create a pattern — and patterns create impressions.
For non-native reps, the tax is higher because buyers are already making an (often unconscious) credibility assessment based on accent. Research published in ResearchGate on accent bias in professional settings found that non-native accents initially reduce perceived credibility before the listener adjusts — typically within the first 30 to 60 seconds of conversation. The adjustment happens naturally. But if the non-native rep fills those first 60 seconds with uncertainty fillers, the initial credibility dip gets reinforced rather than corrected.
The fix is not to eliminate all human-sounding imperfection from your speech. It is to replace credibility-destroying fillers with credibility-neutral or credibility-building alternatives.
The 5 Non-Native Fillers That Leak Through
These are fillers that originate in another language and surface in English speech — either as the word itself, or as the sound of the word translated into English phonetics. US and UK buyers register these immediately as signals of either foreign origin or lack of preparation. In a sales context, neither is a credibility asset.
1. "Euh" (French/Italian/Portuguese hesitation sound)
What US buyers hear: either a sound they don't recognize (momentarily confusing) or the English "uh" equivalent, which already carries a credibility cost. The French "euh" is longer and more audible than the English "uh" — it occupies more space in the sentence and reads as a larger gap.
What to do instead: pause. A one-second silence. Internally, this feels like an eternity. To the buyer, it registers as a moment of consideration before answering. The silence signals that you are thinking about their question rather than reaching for your script.
2. "Voilà" (French, occasionally Italian)
What US buyers hear: a foreign word they likely associate with French cooking shows or theatrical presentation. In a sales call context, it lands as exotic at best, affected at worst. It is rarely used as filler in English, so it breaks the conversational flow when it appears mid-sentence.
What to say instead: "There we go," "And that's it," "So that's the picture," or simply nothing — let the previous sentence land without punctuating it.
3. "Du coup" (French — meaning "so" or "as a result")
What US buyers hear: a French phrase, immediately. Even when a speaker has been in English for ten minutes, "du coup" snaps the listener's attention to the language shift and away from the content. It is the single most commonly leaked filler phrase among French speakers doing English sales calls.
What to say instead: "So," "Which means," or "As a result." These are direct English equivalents that carry zero credibility cost and don't signal a language switch.
4. "En fait" (French — meaning "in fact" or "actually")
What US buyers hear: French, clearly. This one has a slightly different dynamic than the others because English has direct equivalents ("actually," "in fact") that can be substituted immediately. The risk is actually in the over-use of those English equivalents — "actually" used as filler fifteen times in a call sounds like insistent correction even when no correction is intended.
What to say instead: Drop it entirely. Most of the time, "en fait" is used to introduce a sentence that doesn't need the transitional phrase at all. "Actually, our pricing includes implementation" is better as "Our pricing includes implementation."
5. "Bah" (French, German, colloquial European hesitation)
What US buyers hear: the filler sounds genuinely alien. US English has "well" and "I mean" as the equivalents. "Bah" signals foreignness more sharply than almost any other filler because it doesn't map to any common English sound used in this way.
What to say instead: "Well," "Look," or "I mean." Each of these is a native English filler with specific directional meaning — "well" signals qualification, "look" signals directness, "I mean" signals clarification. All three are preferable to a sound that carries no meaning in English.
The 5 English Fillers That Kill Credibility
These are English-language fillers — so they don't signal foreign origin — but they consistently undermine buyer confidence in sales conversations. Non-native speakers often pick these up because they sound natural in everyday English, which they do. The problem is that sales calls are not everyday conversation, and these specific words carry specific signals in high-stakes professional contexts.
6. "I think maybe"
This combination — two hedges in sequence — is the verbal equivalent of presenting your price and immediately apologizing for it. Each word alone is manageable. Together they signal: I'm not sure of myself, and I'm already anticipating your rejection.
What to say instead: Remove both words and state the point directly. "I think maybe this could work for your team" becomes "This works well for teams at your stage." Own the statement.
7. "Kind of"
As Gong's call analysis has shown, hedging language around product claims and value propositions directly reduces deal conversion rates. "Kind of" is a soft hedge that communicates inexactness at the moment buyers need precision. "Our tool kind of integrates with Salesforce" raises an immediate question in the buyer's mind: does it actually integrate, or does it sort of integrate?
What to say instead: Either state the exact capability clearly or acknowledge a limitation directly. "It integrates natively with Salesforce" or "It integrates with Salesforce via Zapier — not a native integration" are both stronger than vague hedging.
8. "Sort of"
Same pattern as "kind of," slightly different register. "Sort of" often appears when a rep is describing a complex feature and reaches for softening language rather than precise explanation. The buyer doesn't need softening — they need accuracy.
What to say instead: Specific description. "It's sort of a reporting dashboard" should be "It's a reporting dashboard that shows pipeline movement by rep, by week." Give them the noun, then give them what the noun does.
9. "Basically"
"Basically" is a common non-native filler that gets picked up because it sounds sophisticated relative to "uh." The problem is that it often precedes an oversimplification — and buyers notice the gap between "basically" and the actual complexity. It also appears 3-5 times per call among heavy users, creating a verbal tic the buyer starts to track consciously after the third instance.
What to say instead: Either give the full explanation without the qualifier, or explicitly flag the simplification: "Here's the short version" or "At a high level." These manage expectations better and don't carry the same hollow-filler quality.
10. "You know"
"You know" is a comprehension-check filler — the speaker is asking the listener to confirm they're following along. When used once, it's conversational. When it appears after every third sentence, it shifts the dynamic: the rep is seeking reassurance rather than conveying confidence. On a sales call, seeking reassurance from the buyer is the wrong direction.
What to say instead: If you want to check comprehension, ask directly: "Does that make sense for your use case?" or "Have you run into this before?" These are active engagement questions rather than passive reassurance-seeking.
What Native Sellers Use Instead
The best native sales reps are not filler-free. They use a specific subset of fillers that carry directional meaning rather than signaling uncertainty. The difference is function.
Directional fillers that carry meaning:
- "Look" — signals you're about to say something unvarnished and direct
- "Right" — signals you've processed what the prospect said and are responding to it
- "So" — transitions between thought units; signals logical progression
- "I mean" — signals you're about to add precision or a nuance to what you just said
- "Yeah" — informal affirmation; only use in casual-register calls
The most credible move on a sales call when you need time to think is silence followed by a specific phrase:
- "That's a good question — let me think about that for a second." (Then actually pause for 2 seconds.)
- "Let me make sure I'm answering the right thing — are you asking about X or Y?"
- "Good point. Here's how I'd frame it..."
The Filler Word Replacement Table
| Filler | The problem | Replacement | When to use replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euh / uh | Signals language gap, uncertainty | [Silence — 1 full second] | Every time you feel the urge to fill |
| Voilà | Foreign language signal, theatrical | "There we go" / nothing | When concluding a thought |
| Du coup | Language switch signal | "So" / "Which means" | Transitioning between points |
| En fait / actually (overused) | Implies constant correction | Drop it | Beginning of statements that don't need qualification |
| Bah | Unrecognized sound in English | "Well" / "Look" | Starting a qualified or direct statement |
| I think maybe | Double hedge, signals low conviction | [Remove both] State directly | Replace with direct statement |
| Kind of | Vague claim, reduces precision | Specific description | Replace with exact capability or limitation |
| Sort of | Same as kind of, slightly softer | Specific noun + function | Technical or product descriptions |
| Basically | Oversimplification signal, verbal tic | "Here's the short version" / full explanation | Complex feature explanations |
| You know | Passive reassurance-seeking | "Does that make sense?" / direct question | Comprehension checks |
How to Track and Reduce Your Fillers
The challenge with fillers is that you don't hear yourself using them in real time. The awareness comes after — either from a recording, from a coach, or from a practice environment with feedback.
Step 1: Record yourself. Take any 10-minute mock call or recorded call and transcribe the first three minutes. Count every filler. The raw number will be higher than you expect.
Step 2: Identify your top three. Most reps have a small set of fillers they use most — one or two dominant ones and several secondary. Focus on the top three, not all ten simultaneously.
Step 3: Practice with a filler ban. In your next practice session, set a single rule: no fillers from your list. If you need time, you pause. This will feel unnatural for the first several sessions. The discomfort is the learning.
Step 4: Use simulated calls for pressure rehearsal. Fillers are a stress response — they decrease in low-stakes environments and spike in high-stakes ones. You need to practice filler elimination in simulated pressure, not just in low-stakes read-aloud exercises. DojoSales is built specifically for this: AI prospect simulations that replicate the pressure of a real call, with feedback on specific language patterns including fillers.
Step 5: Recheck the recording. After two weeks of deliberate practice, re-record a mock call on the same scenario. Compare the filler count. Most reps see a 50-70% reduction in their top fillers within two weeks of targeted practice.
FAQ
Q: Is there such a thing as a "good" filler word on a sales call?
Yes — strategic bridging phrases like "Look," "Right," and "I mean" function as directional fillers that carry meaning. They are distinct from uncertainty fillers like "uh," "basically," and "I think maybe." The goal is not to speak like a machine. It is to replace fillers that signal uncertainty with ones that signal engagement and direction.
Q: I know I use these fillers but I can't seem to stop in real calls. What's wrong?
Nothing is wrong — this is how filler habits work. They are automatic stress responses and they require practice under simulated stress to change. Knowing about a filler habit in theory and eliminating it under call pressure are different skills. The only way to close that gap is deliberate repetition in high-pressure practice scenarios.
Q: How many fillers per hour is acceptable on a professional sales call?
Gong's analysis doesn't publish a specific threshold, but the research context suggests that any frequency that creates a pattern — where the buyer starts to notice the filler — is too high. For most reps, that threshold is around 3-5 uses of the same filler in a 30-minute call. Above that, it becomes a conscious impression.
For the broader guide on natural English delivery, see How to Sound Natural on English Sales Calls. For the foundational Sales English framework, see The Complete Guide to Sales English.