Soft Sell

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.

Firmographics are descriptive attributes of organizations, used to segment companies by characteristics like industry, size, and location.

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

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

Rapport building is the process of establishing a connection and mutual understanding with someone, creating a foundation of trust and affinity.

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.

Channel marketing is a strategy where a company sells its products or services through third-party partners, like resellers or affiliates.

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

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

Google Analytics is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic, offering insights into user behavior and marketing effectiveness.

A lead list is a curated database of potential customers (leads) with contact information and other key data for sales and marketing outreach.

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.

Learn about B2B sales, including key strategies for B2B success, types of B2B sales models, & B2B vs. B2C sales: understanding the differences.

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.

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

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.

Sales velocity is a key metric measuring the speed at which your company makes money. It shows how fast deals move through your sales pipeline.

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.

Cost Per Impression (CPI) is the price an advertiser pays for each time their ad is displayed to a user, irrespective of clicks.

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.

Digital analytics is the analysis of data from digital channels to understand user behavior and optimize online experiences for business goals.

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.

A channel partner is a company that works with a manufacturer or producer to market and sell their products, software, or services to customers.

A marketing attribution model is a framework for assigning credit to the marketing touchpoints that lead a customer to convert.

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.

Learn about B2B, including what is it, its key elements, the benefits of B2B partnerships, the differences between B2B and B2C, and strategies for effective marketing.

A performance plan is a formal document outlining an employee's goals, expectations, and metrics for success over a specific period.

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

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

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.

Targeted marketing focuses on specific consumer groups whose needs align with your product, allowing for more personalized and effective messaging.

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.

Remote sales is selling from a distance. Reps use digital tools to connect with prospects and close deals without meeting them in person.

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.

Outside sales reps sell products/services in person, traveling to meet clients and close deals face-to-face, outside of a traditional office.

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.

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

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.