How to Sound Like a Real Person Instead of a Corporate Robot

How to Sound Like a Real Person Instead of a Corporate Robot

From Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint by Tavershima Ayede

April 27, 2026 · 7 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the pitfalls of using corporate jargon in sales communication and offers alternatives for more effective interactions.

Let’s talk about that one phrase we all love to hate—or maybe we just use it out of habit: Please kindly advise. If you’re in sales or trying to move a relationship forward, I’m here to tell you: stop saying it. I know why we do it. We want to be polite, or we want to make it clear that the ball is in the other person's court (they are now responsible for taking the next action). And let’s be honest, if you’ve worked in a corporate environment here in Nigeria, you’ve picked up the habit because your managers and colleagues say it all the time. But here is why this phrase is actually holding you back: It’s Redundant: Grammatically, "please" and "kindly" mean the same thing. If you absolutely must use it, just pick one—but I'd suggest moving away from both. It’s Too Corporate: Sales is about building a connection between two human beings. When you use stiff, formal jargon, you sound like a robot. You want to bring the temperature down and be conversational, or at least semiformal, to make the other person feel at ease. What should you do instead? Instead of using filler phrases that people often ignore, be specific and proactive. Try these alternatives: Ask for…

People in this episode

Host: Tavershima Ayede

Topics covered

  • sales communication
  • corporate jargon
  • relationship building
  • effective feedback
  • conversational tone

Keywords

  • sales
  • corporate language
  • communication skills
  • feedback
  • relationship management

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