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Someone Did a Study on Saying ‘Umm’ in B2B Sales Calls – The Results Are Ummbelievable

Posted by Garrett Hollander on Thu Jul 09, 2015 @ 12:13 PM

Being the data hound that I am, I ran across a study done by a company called Accuvit that analyzed the impact of using filler words in B2B sales calls – fillers like ‘Umm’, ‘Uh’, ‘Like’, and so on.

My first reaction was “Somebody actually did a study on this?!?” But then I read on and started thinking “How interesting. I’m so glad someone did a study on this.” I wanted to share some of the more remarkable findings.

How often do salespeople use filler words during B2B sales calls?

  1. Nearly 80% of calls used at least one filler word, while more than half of those used a filler word at least three times.

  2. On average, reps used more than four filler words per minute.

Is there a measurable impact on the use of filler words in sales conversations?

You bet. Accuvit measured filler word use in B2B sales calls of 30 seconds or shorter and contrasted them with calls of 120 seconds or longer.

  1. Longer calls featured 20% fewer filler words than shorter calls.

  2. Concerning certain filler words (‘umm’ and ‘like’, to be specific), the effect was more apparent with 30% less incidence in long calls than short calls.

Most of us are oblivious to our use of filler words – it’s a sort of blind spot for us in our own speech patterns. Now we have some hard evidence that practicing not using them may have a positive effect in B2B sales. As Accuvit says so succinctly:

“Use fewer filler words, have longer calls. Have longer calls, close more deals. If there was ever a time to eliminate filler words, it’s now.”

There are a few recommendations, as well, to help eliminate filler words from your speech:

  1. Record yourself and listen back for filler words. Score yourself with a tick mark for each one you hear.

  2. Embrace the comfortable pause. If you’re asked a question, it’s fine to pause a moment before answering – no need to fill the silence with ‘umm’.

  3. Try slowing down your speech. Give your mouth a chance to get on the same page as your brain.

  4. Practice, practice, practice. The better you know your pitch, the less likely you are to stumble.

If you ever find interesting metrics on B2B sales and marketing, we would love to hear about them as fodder for future blogs. Feel free to tip us off with an email or comment.

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Garrett Hollander

Director, Content Strategy at SalesStaff

Garrett Hollander serves as the Director of Content Strategy for SalesStaff. In that role, he serves the B2B sales and marketing community with premium content, posts, and ideas around various topics related to B2B sales. In addition, he manages SalesStaff’s social media presence, building a strong community of like-minded sales and marketing professionals.

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