Buying Cycle

An account is a company or organization that you're targeting for sales. It can be a prospective, current, or even a past customer.

Learn about B2B sales channels, including types of B2B sales channels, strategies for effective channel selection, & integrating technology in B2B sales.

A Letter of Intent (LOI) is a document declaring the preliminary commitment of one party to do business with another, outlining the chief terms.

Sales Operations, or Sales Ops, streamlines sales processes, manages tools, and analyzes data to help sales teams sell more effectively.

The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools a company uses to sell products, defined by the 4Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.

Site retargeting is a marketing strategy that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website but left without converting.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based model where users subscribe to an application and access it over the internet.

Warm outbound is a sales strategy for contacting prospects who've shown interest in your brand through prior engagement, like website visits.

A Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) API is a web service that uses XML to exchange structured information between different applications.

A Unique Selling Point (USP) is the distinct feature or benefit that sets your product, service, or brand apart from the competition.

Freemium is a business model offering a product's basic features for free, while charging for advanced or supplemental features.

A sales coach is a mentor who trains and guides sales reps to enhance their skills, boost performance, and ultimately close more deals effectively.

Predictive lead scoring uses AI to analyze data and rank leads by their likelihood to convert, helping sales teams prioritize their efforts.

Accounts Payable (AP) is the money a company owes its suppliers for goods or services bought on credit. It's listed as a current liability.

GPCTBA/C&I is a sales qualification framework for understanding a prospect's goals, plans, challenges, timeline, budget, and authority.

Multi-touch attribution is a marketing analytics method that credits multiple touchpoints on the customer journey for a conversion.

Sales pipeline management is the process of organizing, tracking, and managing potential deals through every stage of your sales funnel.

Direct sales involves selling products directly to consumers in a non-retail setting, such as at home, online, or person-to-person.

Sales enablement technology refers to software and tools that equip sales teams with the resources they need to close more deals efficiently.

Learn about BANT framework, including implementing BANT in sales strategy, advantages of the BANT methodology, & BANT vs. other qualification models.

Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.

Price optimization is the process of finding the ideal price for a product or service to maximize profitability or other business objectives.

Sales pipeline reporting is the process of analyzing sales data to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and forecast future revenue.

A decision-maker is an individual with the authority to make significant choices for a company, especially regarding purchases or strategy.

Marketo is a marketing automation platform used by B2B marketers to manage lead generation, nurturing, email marketing, and analytics.

Guided selling simplifies complex sales by giving reps step-by-step instructions and data-driven recommendations to close deals faster.

Adobe Analytics is a leading web analytics solution for gaining real-time insights into user activity across websites and mobile applications.

A Salesforce Administrator is a certified professional who manages and customizes the Salesforce platform to meet a company's specific business needs.

Inside sales metrics are quantifiable measures used to track the performance, activities, and effectiveness of an internal sales team.

Customer experience (CX) is a customer's total perception of your business, based on every interaction across the entire customer lifecycle.

Generic keywords are broad search terms that lack specific details like brand or location. They attract a wide audience with less specific intent.

Learn about bulk API, including how it works, the advantages of using it, common use cases, and tips for optimizing it.

Sales territory planning is the process of dividing customers into geographic areas to be assigned to specific sales reps or teams.

An elevator pitch is a short, memorable summary of what you do, designed to be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator.

Prospecting is the process of identifying potential customers, or prospects, to build a sales pipeline and generate new business opportunities.

A needs assessment is the process of identifying the gap between a company's current state and its desired future state.

Learn about B2B marketing KPIs, including identifying key B2B marketing KPIs, setting achievable KPI targets, B2B vs B2C marketing KPIs: understanding the differences.

User-generated content (UGC) refers to any form of content, like images, videos, or text, created and shared by users on online platforms.

Outbound lead generation means proactively reaching out to potential customers who haven't yet expressed interest to introduce them to your brand.

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the predictable income a company expects to receive from its customers over a one-year period.

Webhooks are automated messages sent by an app when a specific event occurs. They push real-time data to another app's unique URL.

Outbound sales is when reps proactively contact potential customers through cold calls or emails to generate leads and build a sales pipeline.

Enrichment is the process of adding third-party data to your existing customer profiles to get a more complete picture of your leads.

Virtual selling is the process of selling to customers remotely using technology like video calls, rather than meeting them in person.

Audience targeting is the process of segmenting consumers into specific groups to deliver more personalized and relevant marketing messages.

Sales prospecting software automates the process of finding, contacting, and tracking potential customers to help sales teams build their pipeline.

A marketing automation platform is software that automates marketing actions. It helps manage tasks like email campaigns and lead nurturing.

The lead qualification process is how you determine which prospects are most likely to become customers by evaluating them against specific criteria.

Email verification is the process of confirming that an email address is valid and deliverable, which helps improve campaign performance.

Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.

Sales productivity is the measure of a sales team's efficiency, focusing on maximizing revenue generation while minimizing the resources spent.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) benchmarks are key metrics used to measure the performance and success of your targeted account strategies.

Call analytics is the practice of analyzing phone call data to extract insights, track key metrics, and improve overall business performance.

Regression analysis is a statistical method for estimating the relationships between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.

Content Rights Management involves controlling the use and distribution of copyrighted digital media to protect intellectual property.

A RESTful API is a web service interface that uses HTTP requests to access and use data, adhering to the constraints of REST architecture.

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of rules that lets different software applications talk to each other and share information.

Customer segmentation is dividing customers into groups based on shared traits. This allows for more targeted and effective marketing efforts.

Lead scoring is the process of assigning points to leads based on their attributes and actions to determine their sales-readiness.

Lead response time is the duration between a potential customer showing interest and your team's first point of contact with them.

A talk track is a script that guides sales reps during calls. It ensures they cover key points and maintain a consistent message with prospects.

SQL (Structured Query Language) is the standard language for managing and querying data within relational databases.

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to their organization, motivating them to contribute to the company's success.

Learn about below the line, including key strategies for below the line marketing, & distinguishing above and below the line tactics.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a formal document that outlines a project's needs and invites qualified vendors to submit bids to complete it.

OAuth is an open standard for access delegation. It lets you grant apps access to your data on other services without sharing your password.

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired goal, like a purchase or sign-up, out of the total number of visitors.

Account-Based Everything (ABE) is a strategy aligning sales, marketing, and success teams to focus on a specific set of high-value accounts.

Channel sales is an indirect sales model where a company leverages third-party partners, such as resellers or affiliates, to sell its products.

Learn about business continuity, including understanding key components, steps to ensure continuity, common challenges, & best practices.

Edge locations are globally distributed data centers that cache content close to users, reducing latency and delivering web content much faster.

A sales pitch is a persuasive presentation of a product or service, aimed at convincing a potential customer to make a purchase.

A hybrid sales model blends traditional and digital sales methods to engage customers across multiple channels and buying preferences.

The 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle, posits that 80% of results come from just 20% of the effort. It's a key concept for prioritization.

A spiff is a short-term sales incentive, often a cash bonus, paid directly to a salesperson for selling a specific product or service.

Average Revenue per Account (ARPA) is the average revenue generated from each customer account, usually measured on a monthly or annual basis.

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.

A System of Record (SoR) is the authoritative data source for a specific type of data. It acts as the single source of truth for an organization.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search results.

Video email involves embedding a short video directly into an email. This lets recipients watch your message without leaving their inbox.

Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) is the portion of the market your business can realistically serve with its current products and sales channels.

Cost Per Click (CPC) is a digital advertising model where an advertiser pays a fee each time one of their ads gets clicked by a user.

A sandbox is an isolated testing environment where new or untrusted code can be run safely without affecting the host device or network.

A dialer is software that automatically dials phone numbers for agents, boosting call efficiency and connecting them to live prospects faster.

Sales team management is the process of leading, coaching, and motivating a sales team to achieve its sales goals and drive revenue growth.

Lead generation tactics are the strategies and methods used to attract potential customers and convert them into leads for your sales team.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium tool helping sales teams find and engage with the right leads and accounts on the LinkedIn network.

Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method where all expenses are re-evaluated and must be justified from scratch for each new budget period.

A messaging strategy defines what your brand says, how it says it, and where it says it to connect effectively with your target audience.

A conversion path is the journey a visitor takes to complete a desired goal, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing.

Contract management is the process of creating, executing, and analyzing contracts to maximize performance and minimize financial risk.

LPI, or Lead Per Inquiry, is a key metric that measures how many leads are generated from each inquiry in a marketing campaign.

CCPA compliance is adhering to the California Consumer Privacy Act, a law that grants consumers more control over their personal data.

Sales objections are reasons or concerns raised by a potential customer as to why they are hesitant or unwilling to make a purchase.

Customer Data Management (CDM) is the process of collecting, organizing, and analyzing customer data to create a unified view of your audience.

Customer Retention Rate (CRR) is the metric that measures the percentage of customers a company has kept over a specific period of time.

A buying signal is any action from a prospect that indicates they are interested in making a purchase, helping sales teams prioritize leads.

Learn about buyer intent, including understanding buyer intent signals, strategies to capture buyer intent, & buyer intent vs. customer interest.

Precision targeting is a marketing strategy that uses data to identify and reach a highly specific audience most likely to convert.

A Quarterly Business Review (QBR) is a recurring meeting to assess performance against goals and align on strategy for the next quarter.