285+ Essential Sales Terms & Definitions

80% of results come from 20% of efforts. In sales, 20% of reps often generate 80% of revenue.

Testing two versions of an email, subject line, or landing page to see which performs better.

Traditional sales mindset focused solely on closing deals. Modern approach: Always Be Connecting.

Marketing strategy treating individual accounts as markets. Highly personalized campaigns for high-value targets.

Sales approach targeting specific high-value accounts with personalized outreach. Inverts traditional funnel.

Customer or prospect record containing purchase history, interactions, and contact information.

Sales role responsible for closing deals and managing customer relationships post-sale.

Average revenue per customer contract over one year. Key metric for SaaS businesses.

Percentage of users who complete a key action indicating product value. Critical for product-led growth.

Sales strategy focusing on defined actions that lead to sales, not just results.

Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Classic sales framework describing buyer journey stages.

Software using artificial intelligence to automate sales tasks like research, sequencing, and qualification.

Predictable yearly revenue from subscriptions. Essential SaaS metric for forecasting and planning.

Process of scheduling qualified meetings between prospects and sales reps.

Annual recurring revenue lost from cancellations and downgrades. Key retention metric.

Mean price at which a product or service is sold. Helps with revenue forecasting.

Software gradually building sender reputation by mimicking human email behavior over 21 days.

Mean value of closed-won opportunities. Indicates target customer profile and sales strategy.

Mean time between prospect receiving email and responding. Faster indicates higher urgency.

Mean time from first contact to closed deal. Varies by deal size and complexity.

Top-of-funnel stage where prospects recognize they have a problem or need.

Transactions between two businesses, not between business and consumer.

Transactions between business and individual consumers.

Cold email strategy targeting websites for link-building opportunities.

Prospect unlikely to convert due to budget, authority, need, or timing misalignment.

Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline. Classic qualification framework for lead scoring.

Sales role focused on generating qualified leads through outbound prospecting.

Standard metric used to measure performance against industry averages.

Database of email addresses, domains, or IPs flagged for spam. Kills deliverability.

Similar to blacklist. Prevents emails from specific senders reaching inboxes.

Final sales stage where prospects evaluate solutions before purchasing.

Percentage of emails that fail to deliver. Keep below 2% for good deliverability.

Final follow-up email attempting to re-engage unresponsive prospect.

Extent to which prospects recognize and remember your brand.

Tools tracking brand visibility and mentions across LLMs and AI platforms.

Process of creating long-term value through customers, markets, and relationships.

Signals indicating prospect is researching solutions and ready to buy.

Steps prospects take from awareness to purchase and beyond.

Semi-fictional representation of ideal customer based on research and data.

Series of steps organizations follow when making purchasing decisions.

Verbal or behavioral cue indicating prospect is ready to purchase.

Total sales and marketing spend divided by new customers. Lower is better.

Sequence and timing of touchpoints in outreach campaign.

Specific action you want prospect to take. Clear CTA improves conversion.

US law regulating commercial email. Requires opt-out mechanism and sender identification.

Internal advocate who promotes your solution within prospect's organization.

Sales methodology teaching prospects new perspectives. Teach, Tailor, Take Control.

Percentage of customers who stop using product over period. Critical retention metric.

Percentage of email recipients who click on links. Indicates engagement level.

Deal that didn't result in sale. Tracking reasons helps improve strategy.

Successfully completed sale. Deal moved to customer success or onboarding.

Percentage of opportunities that close as won deals. Key performance indicator.

Phone outreach to prospect with no prior relationship. Still effective in 2026.

Unsolicited email to prospect with no prior relationship. Works when done right.

Ability of cold emails to reach primary inbox, not spam. 87% is excellent.

Technical setup including domains, authentication, warm-up, and monitoring.

Series of automated follow-up emails sent over time. 3-7 touches optimal.

Text appearing in inbox preview. 1-5 words for mobile, 6-10 for desktop.

Strategy targeting prospects using competitor solutions. Requires gap analysis.

Adherence to email regulations like CAN-SPAM, GDPR, CASL. Non-negotiable.

Middle-of-funnel stage where prospects evaluate solutions.

Percentage of leads advancing to next funnel stage. Track at each transition.

Software centralizing customer data, interactions, and pipeline management.

Selling additional products to existing customers. Easier than new acquisition.

Role ensuring customers achieve desired outcomes with product.

Unique domain separate from primary domain. Protects main domain reputation.

Buyer research happening outside tracked channels. LinkedIn, podcasts, communities.

Adding firmographic and contact data to leads. Improves targeting and personalization.

Verifying email addresses are valid before sending. Reduces bounce rates.

Speed at which deals move through pipeline. Faster indicates better fit.

Person with authority to approve purchase. Economic buyer in MEDDIC.

Percentage of emails reaching recipient inboxes. Goal: 87%+.

Emails delivered divided by emails sent. Different from inbox placement.

Creating interest and awareness for products. Feeds top of funnel.

Product demonstration showing how solution solves prospect's problem.

Initial conversation uncovering prospect's needs, pain points, and fit.

Sales stage focused on understanding prospect's situation and requirements.

Email authentication protocol verifying sender legitimacy. Required for deliverability.

Domain-based Message Authentication. Tells receiving servers how to handle failed authentication.

Sender reputation score assigned by email providers. Higher = better inbox placement.

Overall reputation and deliverability status of sending domain.

How email providers view your domain based on sending behavior and engagement.

Gradually building new domain's reputation over 21 days. Critical first step.

Automated email sequence sent over time based on triggers or schedules.

Email content changing based on recipient data. Advanced personalization.

Time prospect spends reading email. Engagement signal for algorithms.

Person controlling budget and making final purchase decision.

30-second summary of value proposition. Clear, compelling, memorable.

SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup proving you're legitimate sender. Non-negotiable.

Software sending personalized emails based on rules and triggers.

Failed email deliveries. Hard bounces permanent, soft bounces temporary.

Timing and frequency of emails in sequence. Impacts engagement and deliverability.

Coordinated series of emails targeting specific audience with clear goal.

Opens, clicks, replies indicating recipient interest. Critical for deliverability.

How often emails are sent over period. Too high triggers spam filters.

Maintaining clean list by removing invalid and inactive addresses.

Removing invalid emails, spam traps, and dead accounts before sending.

Percentage of recipients opening email. 40%+ excellent for cold email.

Customizing email content based on recipient data. Beyond {{firstName}}.

Series of emails sent in specific order over time. Foundation of outbound.

Platform managing email delivery. Gmail and Outlook preferred for cold email.

Sales framework translating product features into customer benefits.

ISPs notifying senders of spam complaints. Helps maintain reputation.

Solving prospect's question or objection on initial call. Indicates preparation.

Crediting first marketing touchpoint for eventual sale. Ignores nurture.

Subsequent emails after initial outreach. 42% of replies come from follow-ups.

Predicting future sales based on pipeline and historical data.

Obstacles preventing prospects from advancing in buying process.

Visual representation of customer journey from awareness to purchase.

Percentage of leads converting at each funnel stage.

KPIs measuring performance at each sales funnel stage.

Specific phase in buyer journey. TOFU, MOFU, BOFU.

Person controlling access to decision maker. Requires respectful approach.

EU data protection regulation requiring consent for processing personal data.

Comprehensive plan for bringing product to market and reaching customers.

Goals, Plans, Challenges, Timeline, Budget, Authority, Consequences, Implications. Qualification framework.

Permanent email delivery failure. Invalid address or domain. Remove immediately.

Target account with significant revenue potential. Requires ABM approach.

Opening line grabbing prospect's attention. Make it count.

Product serving multiple industries. Broad applicability.

Minimum acceptable return on investment for pursuing opportunity.

Combining inside sales and field sales based on deal size.

Description of perfect-fit customer based on firmographic and behavioral criteria.

Prospect who contacted you first. Higher conversion than outbound.

Responding to prospects who initiated contact. Pull strategy.

Emails landing in primary inbox vs spam. 87% excellent, 60-70% average.

Percentage of delivered emails reaching inbox vs promotions/spam folders.

Selling remotely via phone, email, video. No in-person meetings.

Information showing prospect is researching solutions. Indicates buying readiness.

Specific behavior indicating buying interest. Website visits, downloads, searches.

Sending IP address reputation with email providers. Affects deliverability.

Gradually increasing sending volume from new IP address.

Person or company showing interest in your product. Not yet qualified.

Process of attracting and converting strangers into prospects.

Free resource offered in exchange for contact information.

Building relationships with leads not yet ready to buy.

Determining if lead meets criteria to become sales-ready opportunity.

Numerical value indicating lead quality based on fit and behavior.

System assigning points to leads based on criteria like BANT.

Channel where lead originated. Website, referral, cold email, etc.

Month-over-month growth rate of qualified leads. Leading revenue indicator.

Creating targeted prospect lists based on ICP criteria.

Regular cleaning of email lists to maintain quality and deliverability.

Dividing email list into targeted groups based on shared characteristics.

Specific, low-volume search phrase. Higher intent, lower competition.

Reviewing closed-lost opportunities to identify improvement areas.

Sales process requiring minimal human interaction. Self-serve focused.

Total revenue expected from customer over relationship duration.

Customer lifetime value divided by acquisition cost. Target 3:1 or higher.

Company hosting email services. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.

Lead meeting marketing criteria indicating sales readiness. Passed to sales.

Metrics, Economic Buyer, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identify Pain, Champion, Competition. Enterprise qualification.

Percentage of prospects booking meetings from outreach. 0.3-2.5% range.

Dividing audience into highly specific groups for personalized messaging.

Consideration stage where prospects evaluate solutions.

Predictable monthly subscription revenue. Key SaaS metric.

Combining email, LinkedIn, phone, video across campaigns.

Building relationships with multiple stakeholders in account.

Response indicating lack of interest. 'Not interested' or 'Remove me.'

New annual recurring revenue from new customers and expansion.

Customer satisfaction metric measuring likelihood to recommend. 0-10 scale.

Revenue retained plus expansion minus churn. Target 100%+.

Link not passing SEO value. Indicates paid or sponsored content.

Email sequence educating leads not ready to buy. Build trust over time.

Series of automated emails moving leads through funnel.

Addressing prospect concerns preventing purchase. LAER framework.

Process helping new customers successfully adopt product.

Closing deal on first interaction. Rare for complex B2B sales.

Percentage of recipients opening email. 25-40% good for cold email.

Qualified prospect with defined need, budget, and timeline.

Explicit consent to receive emails. Required for marketing emails.

Request to stop receiving emails. Must honor within 10 days.

Prospect you contacted first. Lower conversion than inbound.

Proactive outreach to prospects. Cold email, cold calling, social selling.

Process of contacting prospects to generate interest and meetings.

Specific problem prospect is experiencing. Solution addresses this.

Backlink purchased for SEO. Against Google guidelines.

Percentage of target market using your product.

Formal plan to help underperforming rep meet quota. Often precedes termination.

Customizing message based on recipient data. Critical for cold email.

Variable placeholder replaced with prospect data. {{firstName}}, {{company}}.

Visual representation of all active deals by stage.

Pipeline value divided by quota. Target 3-4x for healthy coverage.

Process of tracking and advancing deals through sales stages.

KPIs measuring pipeline health. Velocity, coverage, conversion rates.

Speed deals move through pipeline. (Opps × Deal Size × Win Rate) / Cycle Length.

Concise presentation of value proposition. Tailored to prospect's needs.

How you differentiate from competitors in prospect's mind.

Percentage of replies showing interest. Excludes 'not interested.'

Main business domain used for company emails. Protect at all costs.

Focus on prospect's problem before presenting solution.

Growth strategy where product drives acquisition and expansion.

Formal document outlining solution, pricing, and terms.

Qualified lead with potential to become customer.

Identifying and reaching out to potential customers.

Determining if prospect is good fit for product.

Lead meeting specific criteria indicating sales readiness.

Sales target assigned to rep for specific period.

Percentage of quota achieved. 85%+ considered successful.

Time required for new rep to reach full productivity. Usually 3-6 months.

Two websites linking to each other. Low SEO value.

Prospect introduced by existing customer or connection.

Percentage of emails receiving any response. 3.43% average, 8-10% excellent.

Numerical rating of sender reputation. Higher = better deliverability.

Aligning sales, marketing, and customer success around revenue goals.

Revenue generated divided by investment. Measures profitability.

Customizing message based on prospect's job function.

Lead accepted by sales for qualification. Bridge between MQL and SQL.

Structured sequence of touchpoints over time.

Internal advocate promoting your solution. Key to enterprise deals.

Time from first contact to closed deal. Varies by deal size.

Role focused on qualifying leads and booking meetings for AEs.

Revenue generated per dollar spent on sales and marketing.

Providing reps with content, tools, and training to sell effectively.

Software automating and tracking multi-channel outreach.

Framework mapping prospect journey from awareness to purchase.

Data and insights about prospects and accounts.

Framework guiding sales process. SPIN, MEDDIC, Challenger, Sandler.

Visual representation of deals progressing through stages.

Presentation convincing prospect to buy. Tailored to needs.

Repeatable steps from prospecting to close.

Lead meeting BANT criteria ready for sales engagement.

Active deal in pipeline with clear path to close.

Automated series of touchpoints across channels.

Technology tools used by sales team. CRM, engagement platform, intelligence.

High-level plan for achieving revenue goals.

Specific tactic for advancing deals. Discovery questions, objection handling.

Geographic or account segment assigned to rep.

Revenue generated per unit of time. Measures efficiency.

Sales methodology focusing on pain, budget, decision process.

Separate domain for cold email protecting primary domain reputation.

Dividing audience into groups based on shared characteristics.

How email providers view your sending behavior. Critical for deliverability.

0-100 rating of IP/domain reputation. 90+ excellent.

Series of automated touchpoints sent over time.

Search Engine Results Page. Where prospects research solutions.

Agreement defining expected service standards and response times.

Behaviors indicating prospect is researching and ready to buy.

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound objectives.

Cold calling with positive tone. Volume-based approach.

Evidence others trust your product. Testimonials, case studies, logos.

Building relationships and finding prospects on social media.

Temporary email delivery failure. Full inbox or server issue.

Methodology focused on solving prospect's problems, not pushing product.

Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff questions. Question-based methodology.

Email authentication showing which IPs can send from domain.

Recipient marking email as spam. Damages sender reputation significantly.

Algorithm deciding if email reaches inbox or spam folder.

Email address used to identify spammers. Never send to real person.

Text variation syntax creating unique versions of message.

High-value account fitting ICP criteria. Focus of ABM efforts.

Specific audience segment most likely to buy.

Person evaluating product's technical fit and integration.

Strategic coverage of assigned accounts or geography.

Sales methodology teaching prospects new perspectives. Teach, Tailor, Take Control.

Cold email campaign with initial email plus two follow-ups.

Sending emails when prospects are most likely to engage.

Awareness stage where prospects recognize problem.

Total revenue opportunity available for product.

Any interaction between prospect and company.

Separate domain for tracking links protecting main domain.

Automated email triggered by user action. Order confirmation, password reset.

Change indicating sales opportunity. Funding, hiring, product launch.

Outreach based on specific events. 2.3x higher reply rates.

CRM automatically logging sent and received emails.

One-click option to stop receiving emails. Legally required.

Percentage of recipients opting out. Under 0.5% is good.

Selling higher-tier product to existing customer.

Strength of page's backlink profile. SEO metric.

Purpose behind user's search or action.

Clear statement of benefit product provides.

Framework focused on quantified business value, not features.

Using data fields to customize email content dynamically.

Product serving specific industry. Deep specialization.

Using personalized video in outreach. Higher engagement when done right.

Email to someone with prior relationship or opt-in.

Prospect showing interest and engagement. Higher conversion potential.

21 days gradually building new domain's sender reputation.

Ethical SEO tactics following search engine guidelines.

Educational report demonstrating expertise. Lead magnet.

Percentage of opportunities closing as won. 15-40% typical range.

Reviewing closed deals to identify success patterns and improvement areas.

Software automating repetitive sales tasks.

Fully automated sales process requiring no human interaction.

Price range where prospects hesitate due to perceived value mismatch.