You might also want to read these 2 actionable and detailed guides we wrote:

1) 3 Best Email Scraper Tools: Complete Guide to Building Quality Email Lists in 2024

2) 4 Best Sales Generator Tools for Tech Companies in 2024: Cost & ROI Comparison Guide

Now back to the most common AI words to avoid in sales outreach:

Artificial intelligence is transforming outbound sales. AI tools can now be used to automate manual tasks like outreach, scheduling and managing data, helping teams improve sales forecasting and personalize their customer interactions.

However, despite rapid advancements in technology, generative AI still has limitations when it comes to creating content. 41% of sales professionals now use AI each day, and many of them won’t know how to not sound like an AI.

If you’ve ever used a generative AI tool like ChatGPT to create content, you’ll know what we mean. Although LLMs have been trained on human writing, AI-generated text is often wordy, choppy and bland. It can feel over-generalized and repetitive, relying on basic sentence structures and lacking human flair.

In sales, this is why human oversight and editing is so important. Boring, unengaging text that’s obviously been generated by AI will reduce your response rates and land you in the junk folder with all the other AI-generated emails.

If you want to stand out, you need to know how to work with AI technology to keep your copy sounding smart, fresh and persuasive.

In this article, we’ll explain how generative AI works to create sales outreach messages and show you the most common AI words to avoid in your writing. We’ll also offer up some more natural-sounding alternatives to help you polish your writing and give it that human touch.

Why AI Language is Problematic for Sales Outreach

According to an April 2024 report by The Washington Post, generative AI tools are mostly trained using online academic writing such as news articles, research papers and government documents.

In simple terms, LLMs create a mathematical model of how to write like a human by ingesting this text. Using the sources available, AI will statistically predict which words are most likely to be used together in a sentence and place them in the context of your prompt.

This is why AI writing is often wordy and overly formal, and why some words and phrases appear out of context. AI companies know this is a problem, so they train their models to add extra transition words between sentences to make the writing appear more natural. Sometimes this works, and other times the result is choppy and confusing, resulting in generic corporate text.

HubSpot reports that basic, simple emails are the most effective and that a conversational tone supports relationship building. With this in mind, relying solely on AI could impact your engagement metrics and negatively affect your sales pipeline.

In the example of a sales email above from ChatGPT, the term “redefine sales efficiency” feels wordy and generic, and is unlikely to result in clicks or conversions.

The Most Common AI Words to Avoid – and What to Use Instead

Here is a starter list of AI words to avoid in sales outreach and some more natural alternatives. Keep in mind that even if you haven’t used an AI generator, using these words can make it sound like you have!

It’s also worth noting that you can instruct AI not to use certain words, so knowing which words and phrases can help you work more productively with your AI tools.

• “In today’s fast-paced world” – replace with “As the industry evolves”

• “Dive in” or “Deep dive” – replace with “Explore”

• “Enhance” – replace with “Improve”

• “Discover” – replace with “Find out”

• “Comprehensive” – replace with “Complete”

• “Inquire” – replace with “Ask about”

• “Elevate” – replace with “Raise”

• “Embark” – replace with “Start”

• “Evolution – replace with “Development”

• “Utilize” – replace with “Use”

• “Augment” – replace with “Increase”

• “Perceive” – replace with “See”

• “Amazing” – replace with “Great”

• “Certainly” – replace with “Of course”

For a complete list of the most common AI words to avoid, see here.

AI Words to Avoid in Sentences – and How to Rephrase Them

Here are some examples of robotic-sounding sentences generated by AI, and some tweaks to humanize them:

AI: “In conclusion, leveraging cutting-edge software solutions will revolutionize your business.”

Natural: “These tools can help transform your business operations.”

AI: “Get in touch if you’d like us to facilitate the evolution of your organization.”

Natural: “Contact us to see how we can help.”

You can instruct AI not to use certain words in particular contexts – such as “Don’t use ‘leverage’ or ‘cutting-edge’ in sales emails.” A good generative AI model should get to know your preferences over time and know which words and phrases you prefer, and which drive engagement.

How to Not Sound Like an AI in Sales Emails

At Topo, we know that the best campaigns come from human insight and expertise, but there is plenty that AI can do to support you.

Here are some tips on how to not sound like an AI when using generated text. Following these guidelines will help you write more natural, engaging copy that helps your readers relate to you and what you’re selling.

If you’re looking for an AI tool that can help you create specific outbound campaigns for your niche or industry, Topo will optimize your AI outputs using tailored language and industry-specific data.

Topo is also designed to work with you, not for you, ensuring human oversight and quality control for important outreach tasks.

Write Clear Prompts

One of the best ways to generate contextually relevant content and avoid generic outputs is to write a clear, specific prompt for your AI.

You can include bullet points or a summary of your email, including any statistics or quotes. You can also tailor the language – ask for ‘conversational’ or ‘chatty’ text over corporate-speak, or describe your unique brand tone of voice for more personalized content.

Use Industry-Specific Language

Audience-specific, nuanced language is more targeted and will therefore improve relatability and increase your chances of engagement.

These days, readers can spot generic, AI-generated sales messages a mile off, and they won’t engage if they feel like you’re just casting a wide net.

For example, tech executives and engineers may respond better to technical terminology over more chatty language, whereas younger consumers may connect with the latest buzzwords and slang.

Limit Jargon and Acronyms

Although some jargon might be appropriate for technical or corporate audiences, it’s best to avoid it altogether if you want to connect with your audience in a deep way.

If you make it too obvious that you’re trying to speak your consumer’s language or it feels like you’re parodying their way of speaking, they may switch off.

Humans like to be spoken to like humans, so switch out jargon for specific, descriptive terms instead.

Edit for Tone and Style

Although there are a ton of ‘Humanizer’ tools out there that will try to make AI content sound more natural, the only real way to humanize and personalize your writing is through manual editing. AI can handle the execution, but you have to handle the quality control.

Humanizer tools are expensive and inconsistent in quality – often they completely wreck your copy, littering it with errors and out-of-context phrases, so they’re best avoided.

When you’re editing, look out for formalities and try to add personal, conversational elements to make your copy feel more authentic.

Personalize Messages

You can also lean on AI tools to help you personalize at scale, such as inserting personalized insights, quotes or phrases into batch emails, as well as a signature of photograph to help you connect directly with your audience. Find out more about how Topo can help you personalize your sales outreach.

Iterate and Test

As with all outreach, the best way to find what works is to test your campaigns, compare data points and then refine your strategy.

Use an AI tool like Topo to A/B test your email campaigns so you can see which content resonates best with a particular audience.

Topo: Work with AI for Authentic, Efficient Sales Outreach

Topo knows how to not sound like an AI, and which AI words to avoid. Our tool avoids common AI traps by heavily relying on customer input during the training stage, so the result is industry-specific, authentic outreach messages that don’t sound robotic.

We also use feedback loops, so you can continually refine your tone, style and engagement strategies.

Unlike competing AI tools, Topo understands and leverages the power of human oversight, avoiding machine-driven decisions and working with you to perfect your outreach strategy.

We’ll help you avoid cliches and jargon, prioritize personalization and edit for authenticity, creating natural, industry-specific content that speaks to your target audience.

If you want to automate your outreach strategy and generate leads while still maintaining a layer of human oversight, Topo is the tool for you. For a scaleable, human-like AI solution that blends automation with authenticity, book a demo today.