B2B data, or business-to-business data, refers to any information that benefits B2B companies, particularly their sales, marketing, and revenue operations teams. This data includes account and contact information for company decision-makers with purchasing power, and is essential for activities such as lead generation, outbound sales, and analytics, ultimately leading to more effective and efficient revenue generation.
There are five essential types of B2B data:
Leveraging B2B data for sales success involves a combination of strategies and best practices. To make the most of your B2B data, consider the following:
Ensuring the accuracy of B2B data is crucial for effective sales and marketing efforts. To maintain data accuracy, businesses should consider the following techniques:
B2B data privacy and compliance issues are increasingly important as businesses collect and utilize data to enhance their sales and marketing efforts. Adhering to data privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is crucial to avoid potential financial and reputational damage.
To address these challenges, businesses should implement strict data storage guidelines and data governance practices to minimize the risk of data breaches and ensure the privacy and safety of the data they access.
Demand generation is the process of creating awareness and interest in your products to build a pipeline of qualified leads for your sales team.
A buying signal is any action from a prospect that indicates they are interested in making a purchase, helping sales teams prioritize leads.
An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed description of the perfect, hypothetical company that would get the most value from your product.
A Sales Manager leads a sales team, setting goals, analyzing performance, and developing strategies to drive revenue and meet targets.
Lead scoring models rank prospects by assigning points for their behaviors and demographics, helping sales teams prioritize their outreach.
A sales stack is the suite of tech tools—from CRMs to prospecting software—that sales reps use to close deals faster and more efficiently.
Smarketing is the process of aligning your sales and marketing teams. This integration focuses on shared goals to improve lead quality and drive revenue.
Outside sales reps sell products/services in person, traveling to meet clients and close deals face-to-face, outside of a traditional office.
Closed Lost is a sales term for a deal that didn't go through. The prospect decided not to buy, or the sales team disqualified them.
Dynamic segments are self-updating lists that group contacts based on real-time data, ensuring your outreach is always timely and relevant.
Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to their organization, motivating them to contribute to the company's success.
Objection handling is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns or hesitations about a product or service to move a deal forward.
Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.
A value statement is a clear, concise declaration of the unique benefits a company provides to its customers, outlining its core purpose.
Google Analytics is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic, offering insights into user behavior and marketing effectiveness.
Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) is a business model where companies sell products directly to customers, bypassing traditional retail middlemen.
Think of a trademark as a brand's unique signature—a word, symbol, or phrase that legally protects its identity and sets it apart from the rest.
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High availability (HA) describes a system's capacity to function continuously with minimal downtime, ensuring consistent operational performance.
Multi-channel marketing uses various platforms—like email, social media, and direct mail—to engage with customers wherever they are.
A knowledge base is a self-serve online library of information about a product, service, department, or topic.
Forecasting uses historical data to make informed predictions about future trends, helping businesses anticipate outcomes and plan accordingly.
Sales pipeline management is the process of organizing, tracking, and managing potential deals through every stage of your sales funnel.
NoSQL ("Not only SQL") databases offer a flexible alternative to relational models, excelling at managing large and unstructured data sets.
Segmentation analysis is the process of dividing a broad market into smaller, distinct groups of consumers with similar needs or characteristics.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication method that lets you specify which mail servers can send emails on behalf of your domain.
A canary release is a deployment strategy where new software is rolled out to a small user group first, minimizing risk before a full release.
Content syndication is the process of republishing your web content on third-party sites to reach a much wider audience.
A triggered email is an automated message sent to a user in response to a specific action or event, like signing up or making a purchase.
A cold email is an initial outreach sent to a potential customer with whom you've had no prior contact, aiming to introduce your business.
Siloed describes the isolation of data, teams, or systems within a company, which blocks collaboration and creates operational bottlenecks.
The Dark Funnel describes customer buying activities that are untrackable by companies, such as private chats and word-of-mouth referrals.
Content curation involves gathering, organizing, and sharing the most relevant online content on a specific topic for a particular audience.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud model where a provider delivers a platform for users to develop, run, and manage applications online.
Sales engagement is the sum of all interactions between a seller and a prospect, aimed at building a relationship and moving a deal forward.
Lead Velocity Rate (LVR) is the growth rate of your qualified leads, measured month-over-month. It's a key indicator of future revenue.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated phone system that uses voice and keypad inputs to interact with callers and route their calls.
Data hygiene is the practice of ensuring your customer data is clean, accurate, and up-to-date by removing duplicates and correcting errors.
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to easily create, manage, and publish websites and blogs.
A value gap is the difference between the value a customer expects from a product and the actual value they receive, often leading to churn.
Webhooks are automated messages sent by an app when a specific event occurs. They push real-time data to another app's unique URL.
A stakeholder is any individual, group, or party that has an interest in an organization and the outcomes of its actions.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium tool helping sales teams find and engage with the right leads and accounts on the LinkedIn network.
Learn about business continuity, including understanding key components, steps to ensure continuity, common challenges, & best practices.
Private labeling is when a company rebrands a product made by a third-party manufacturer and sells it as their own.
User Experience (UX) refers to a person's overall feelings and perceptions while interacting with a product, system, or service.
Data encryption translates data into another form, or code, so that only people with access to a secret key or password can read it.
On-Target Earnings (OTE) is a salesperson's total potential pay, combining base salary and commission for hitting their sales quota.
Marketo is a marketing automation platform used by B2B marketers to manage lead generation, nurturing, email marketing, and analytics.
Intent data tracks a user's online behavior—like searches and site visits—to identify signals that they are ready to make a purchase.
A sales script is a pre-written guide of talking points that helps salespeople navigate conversations with potential customers.
A sales pipeline is a visual representation of where prospects are in the sales process, from the first contact to the final sale.
Account match rate is the percentage of target accounts successfully identified and matched against a specific database or data provider.
Drupal is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) for building websites and applications. It's known for its robust flexibility.
A tire-kicker is a prospect who shows interest in a product but has no intention of buying, wasting a salesperson's time and resources.
Predictive analytics uses historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning to identify the likelihood of future outcomes.
Deal closing is the final step in a sales cycle. It's when a prospect signs a contract and officially converts into a paying customer.
Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in code, allowing developers to collaborate and manage project history effectively.
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Retargeting marketing is a digital advertising strategy that targets users who have previously interacted with your website or brand online.
Sales enablement provides sales teams with the necessary tools, content, and information to help them sell more effectively and efficiently.
Personalization is the practice of using data to tailor products, services, or content to an individual's specific needs and preferences.
Data privacy is an individual's right to control their personal information, including how it's collected, processed, stored, and shared.
Learn about B2B marketing analytics, including key components of B2B marketing analytics, & getting started with B2B marketing analytics.
Sales pipeline reporting is the process of analyzing sales data to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and forecast future revenue.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is technology that controls access to copyrighted digital content, restricting its use, modification, and distribution.
An on-premise CRM is a system hosted on a company's own servers, offering complete control over data, security, and system maintenance.
Revenue forecasting is the process of estimating a company's future revenue, using historical data and market trends to guide strategic planning.
Mobile app analytics involves collecting and analyzing data from mobile apps to understand user behavior and optimize the app's performance.
Demographic segmentation divides a market into groups based on traits like age, gender, and income, allowing for more targeted marketing efforts.
Yield management is a dynamic pricing strategy that adjusts prices based on demand to maximize revenue from a fixed, perishable inventory.
Tokenization is the process of breaking down text into smaller units called tokens, such as words or characters, for AI to process.
Direct mail is a marketing method where businesses send physical promotional materials directly to potential customers' mailboxes.
Multi-threading allows a single CPU core to run multiple independent threads (or tasks) at the same time, boosting efficiency and performance.
A channel partner is a company that works with a manufacturer or producer to market and sell their products, software, or services to customers.
Deal flow refers to the stream of business proposals and investment opportunities that a company or investor receives.
Personalization in sales means tailoring outreach to a prospect's specific needs, interests, and context to make communication more relevant.
Sales Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are quantifiable metrics used to measure how effectively a sales team is achieving its key objectives.
The decision stage is where a well-researched buyer chooses a vendor. They compare specific products and pricing before making their final purchase.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites that look and feel like native mobile apps, offering features like offline access and push notifications.
GPCTBA/C&I is a sales qualification framework for understanding a prospect's goals, plans, challenges, timeline, budget, and authority.
A Representational State Transfer (REST) API is a web service that uses a simple, stateless architecture for systems to communicate online.
Process Builder is a Salesforce automation tool that lets you create 'if/then' business processes with a user-friendly visual interface.
Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computer systems, networks, and data from digital attacks, theft, and unauthorized access.
Scrum is an agile framework that helps teams structure and manage their work through a set of values, principles, and practices.
A Master Service Agreement (MSA) is a foundational contract that sets the general terms for an ongoing business relationship between two parties.
The purchase stage is when a buyer has decided on a solution and is ready to buy. They're comparing vendors to make a final choice.
Learn about B2B sales process, including key components of B2B sales processes, & crafting an effective B2B sales strategy.
Target Account Selling is a focused sales strategy where teams identify and pursue a specific list of high-value accounts.
Lead nurturing is the process of developing and reinforcing relationships with buyers at every stage of the sales funnel.
A sales coach is a mentor who trains and guides sales reps to enhance their skills, boost performance, and ultimately close more deals effectively.
Buying criteria are the specific requirements and standards a customer uses to evaluate products or services before making a decision.
Accessibility testing is a software testing method that verifies an application is usable by people with disabilities, like vision or hearing loss.
A decision-maker is an individual with the authority to make significant choices for a company, especially regarding purchases or strategy.
Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method where all expenses are re-evaluated and must be justified from scratch for each new budget period.
An HTTP request is a message sent by a client, like a web browser, to a server to ask for a resource, such as a web page or an image.
Event tracking is the method of collecting data on specific user actions, or 'events,' on a website or app, such as clicks or downloads.
Upselling is a sales tactic encouraging customers to purchase a higher-end version of a product or related add-ons to boost revenue.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total cost a business spends to gain a new customer. It includes all sales and marketing expenses.
Total Audience Measurement (TAM) provides a holistic view of content consumption, tracking viewership across all platforms and devices.