Sales Prospecting Techniques

Multi-channel marketing uses various platforms—like email, social media, and direct mail—to engage with customers wherever they are.

Fulfillment logistics is the entire process of getting an order to a customer, from storing inventory to picking, packing, and final shipment.

A cloud-based CRM is a customer relationship management tool hosted online, letting teams access and manage customer data from anywhere.

Learn about B2B sales process, including key components of B2B sales processes, & crafting an effective B2B sales strategy.

Cold emailing is sending unsolicited emails to potential customers you haven't contacted before, aiming to start a business conversation.

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.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total cost a business spends to gain a new customer. It includes all sales and marketing expenses.

A touchpoint is any time a potential or existing customer comes in contact with your brand, from seeing an ad to receiving an email.

Customer buying signals are the actions, behaviors, or statements a prospect makes that indicate they are moving towards a purchase decision.

Database management is the process of organizing, storing, and maintaining data in a database to ensure its accuracy, security, and availability.

Sales forecast accuracy is a key metric that compares your predicted sales revenue against the actual sales revenue you ultimately achieve.

A Product Qualified Lead (PQL) is a user who has experienced a product's value, signaling a strong potential to convert to a paid customer.

Predictive lead generation uses data and AI to find prospects most likely to buy, helping teams focus their efforts on high-value leads.

Email personalization uses subscriber data—like their name, interests, or past behavior—to create highly relevant and targeted email campaigns.

Multi-threading allows a single CPU core to run multiple independent threads (or tasks) at the same time, boosting efficiency and performance.

Data mining is the process of discovering patterns, trends, and useful information from large datasets to make better business decisions.

Phishing attacks are fraudulent attempts to trick you into revealing sensitive data like passwords or financial info by posing as a trusted source.

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 trusted advisor is an expert who builds a deep client relationship by consistently prioritizing their best interests over any single transaction.

An Account Executive (AE) is a sales professional responsible for closing new business deals and managing existing client relationships to drive revenue.

A Request for Quotation (RFQ) is a document that a company sends to one or more suppliers to get a quote for specific products or services.

Learn about B2B buyer intent data, including sources and types of buyer intent data, & key benefits of leveraging buyer intent data.

Sentiment analysis, or opinion mining, automatically determines the emotional tone behind text—whether it's positive, negative, or neutral.

Firmographic data is information used to classify firms. It includes attributes like industry, employee count, location, and annual revenue.

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) is a sales strategy where a brand sells its products directly to end customers, bypassing any third-party retailers.

Copyright compliance is adhering to laws that protect creative works. It involves legally using content by obtaining permission or licenses.

Objection handling is the process of responding to a prospect's concerns or hesitations about a product or service to move a deal forward.

Learn about B2B contact base, including building an effective B2B contact base, & strategies for expanding your contact base.

Funnel analysis is a method for understanding the steps users take to complete a goal, revealing where they drop off in the conversion process.

Key accounts are a company's most valuable customers, vital due to their significant revenue contribution and strategic importance for growth.

Psychographics categorizes people by their attitudes, interests, and lifestyles, revealing the 'why' behind their purchasing decisions.

Intent leads are prospects who show buying signals through their online actions, indicating they're actively looking to make a purchase.

Demand is the economic principle describing a consumer's desire and willingness to purchase a specific good or service at a particular price.

Total Audience Measurement (TAM) provides a holistic view of content consumption, tracking viewership across all platforms and devices.

Demand capture is the strategy of engaging potential customers who are already actively looking for a solution that your company provides.

A sales playbook is a guide that outlines your sales process, best practices, and tools to help reps sell more efficiently and consistently.

A soft sell is a low-pressure sales tactic that uses subtle persuasion and relationship-building to gently guide customers toward a purchase.

The Challenger Sales Model is a sales approach where reps challenge a customer's thinking by teaching, tailoring, and taking control of the sale.

Data-driven lead generation is the process of using data insights to identify, attract, and convert high-quality leads into customers.

Touches are the individual interactions you have with a prospect throughout the sales process, from emails and calls to social media messages.

CPM, or Cost Per Mille, is a key advertising metric. It's the cost an advertiser pays for one thousand views or impressions of a single ad.

The sales pipeline velocity formula is a key metric that measures how quickly deals move through your pipeline and turn into revenue.

The buyer journey maps the path a potential customer takes, from first learning about a product to the final decision to buy.

Customer churn rate is the percentage of subscribers or customers who cancel their service with a company during a given time frame.

Lead qualification is the process of determining which prospects are most likely to become paying customers based on predefined criteria.

Account mapping is comparing your customer list with a partner's to find common prospects and unlock new sales opportunities.

Expansion revenue is the extra money a business makes from its current customers via upgrades, new products, or additional services.

Learn about brand awareness, including understanding its importance, building an effective strategy, key metrics to track, & examples in the real world.

Incident response is an organization's systematic approach to managing and mitigating the aftermath of a security breach or cyberattack.

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

Load balancing is the practice of distributing incoming network traffic across a group of backend servers, ensuring no single server is overworked.

A stakeholder is any individual, group, or party that has an interest in an organization and the outcomes of its actions.

A positioning statement is a concise description of your target market and how your product or service uniquely fills their needs.

Amortization is the process of spreading out a loan or the cost of an intangible asset over a specific period for accounting and tax purposes.

Learn about B2B2C, including benefits of B2B2C model, key strategies for B2B2C success, & B2B2C vs. B2C vs. B2B: understanding the differences.

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

A Representational State Transfer (REST) API is a web service that uses a simple, stateless architecture for systems to communicate online.

Marketing intelligence is gathering and analyzing data about your market, customers, and competitors to inform strategic marketing decisions.

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.

Lead enrichment tools are platforms that automatically add missing data to your leads, like contact info, firmographics, and buying signals.

A Point of Contact (POC) is the designated individual or department that serves as the main hub for information and communication on a matter.

Learn about branded keywords, including identifying your branded keywords, & strategies for optimizing branded keywords.

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

An electronic signature is a digital method for getting consent on electronic documents. It's a legally binding way to sign agreements online.

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.

No Cold Calls is a sales strategy that replaces unsolicited calls with warm outreach to prospects who have already demonstrated interest.

A vertical market is a niche where businesses cater to a specific industry or group of customers with specialized needs, not the mass market.

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is technology that controls access to copyrighted digital content, restricting its use, modification, and distribution.

Email engagement measures how your audience interacts with your emails. It includes key actions like opens, clicks, replies, and forwards.

A closed question is a type of query that elicits a simple, often one-word answer like 'yes' or 'no,' or a specific, factual response.

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

A go-to-market (GTM) strategy is an action plan that outlines how a company will reach target customers and achieve a competitive advantage.

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

Net Revenue Retention (NRR) is the percentage of recurring revenue kept from existing customers, including upsells, downgrades, and churn.

HubSpot is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform with tools for marketing, sales, and service, all aimed at helping businesses grow.

A sales demonstration is a presentation showing a prospect how a product or service works and how it can solve their specific problems.

Sales enablement provides sales teams with the necessary tools, content, and information to help them sell more effectively and efficiently.

CRM data is the information businesses use to manage customer relationships. It covers contact details, purchase history, and communication logs.

Shipping solutions are services or software that streamline the logistics of getting products to customers, from label printing to final delivery.

Triggers are predefined conditions that, when met, automatically launch a workflow or action, ensuring timely and relevant outreach.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a focused B2B strategy where marketing and sales collaborate to target and convert high-value accounts.

CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software is a sales tool for creating accurate, configurable quotes for complex products and services.

Cloud storage is a service model where data is stored on remote servers and accessed from the internet, rather than on a local drive.

After-sales service is the support provided to customers after they've purchased a product. It includes things like warranties, training, or repairs.

Logo retention is a key B2B metric that measures a company's ability to retain its customers, or 'logos,' over a specific period.

A sales strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how a business will sell its products or services to achieve its revenue goals.

SPIN selling is a sales technique using a sequence of questions—Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff—to uncover a buyer's needs.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts a victim's files, holding them hostage until a ransom is paid for the decryption key.

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

An Account Development Representative (ADR) identifies and qualifies new business opportunities, creating a pipeline for account executives.

Persona-based marketing uses fictional customer profiles, or personas, to create targeted messaging for specific audience segments.

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.

Gated content is premium online material, like an ebook or webinar, that users can only access after providing their contact information.

A commission is a service charge paid to an agent for a transaction. It's typically a percentage of the sale, rewarding performance directly.

A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is software that gathers and organizes customer data from various touchpoints into a single, unified profile.

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

Application Performance Management (APM) monitors and manages an application's performance, availability, and the experience of its end-users.

Lead management is the process of capturing, nurturing, and qualifying leads to guide them from initial interest to sales-ready.

Cohort analysis is a behavioral analytics tool that groups users with common traits to track their actions and engagement over time.

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