The B2B sales glossary
The language of outbound, defined.
Clear, practical definitions of the cold calling, email outreach, lead generation, and sales development terms that actually move pipeline. Written by the team that runs outbound every day.
438 terms and growing · 6 categories · Updated continuously
A/B TestingA/B testing is a method of comparing two versions of something by showing each to a separate group to see which performs better. In B2B sales...
Account-Based AdvertisingAccount-Based Advertising (ABA) is a B2B demand generation strategy that uses highly targeted digital ads to reach a specific list of high-value...
Account-Based MarketingAccount-Based Marketing (ABM) is a coordinated B2B growth strategy where marketing, sales, and SDR teams focus resources on a defined set of...
Account-Based ReportingAccount-Based Reporting is a measurement approach in B2B sales development that tracks performance, engagement, and revenue at the account level...
Account-Based SellingAccount-Based Selling (ABS) is a B2B sales development strategy where SDRs and AEs focus outbound efforts on a defined list of high-value target...
Account Development Rep (ADR)An Account Development Rep (ADR) is a specialized B2B sales development role focused on researching target accounts, engaging key stakeholders, and...
Account Executive (AE)An Account Executive (AE) is the quota-carrying seller responsible for owning qualified opportunities from discovery through closing and expansion....
Account ListIn B2B sales development, an account list is a prioritized, structured set of target companies that match your ideal customer profile (ICP) and will...
Account ResearchAccount research in B2B sales development is the structured process of gathering and analyzing detailed information about target companies and their...
Address ValidationAddress validation is the process of verifying and standardizing business postal addresses in B2B prospect and customer databases by checking them...
Ad-Hoc ReportingAd-hoc reporting is the ability to quickly build one-off, custom reports or dashboards on demand to answer a specific question, without waiting on IT...
Adoption ProcessThe adoption process is the series of stages a person or organization moves through when deciding to accept and fully use a new product, tool, or...
Advertising BudgetAn advertising budget is the planned amount a company allocates to paid channels, such as LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads, and programmatic display. In B2B...
Advertising SpendAdvertising spend is the total budget a B2B sales organization allocates to paid channels, such as search, social, display, and sponsored content, to...
AgriTechAgriTech (agricultural technology) refers to the ecosystem of B2B companies providing software, hardware, data and biotech solutions to modernize...
AIDA FrameworkThe AIDA Framework (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is a classic copywriting and sales model used to structure outbound B2B sales emails and...
Annual Contract Value (ACV)Annual Contract Value (ACV) is the average yearly revenue a company earns from a single B2B customer contract, normalized to one year regardless of...
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the normalized annual value of all active, contracted recurring revenue in a subscription or usage-based B2B...
Appointment SettingAppointment setting in B2B sales is the process of turning targeted prospects into scheduled meetings or demos for account executives, typically...
Appointment Setting CompanyAn appointment setting company is a specialized B2B sales development partner that builds and runs outbound programs to secure qualified meetings for...
Auto DialerAn auto dialer is software that dials phone numbers automatically from a list, removing the manual work of entering each number by hand. In B2B...
Automated Follow UpsAutomated follow ups are system-triggered sales touchpoints, usually via email, calls, SMS, or LinkedIn, that are scheduled and sent based on...
Automated VoicemailAutomated voicemail is the use of a dialer or phone system to drop a pre-recorded voicemail message automatically when a call goes unanswered, so the...
Auto-ResponderAn auto-responder is an email system that sends preconfigured replies or follow-up messages automatically based on triggers such as a form fill, a...
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is a revenue metric that shows how much recurring revenue your company earns per active customer or account over a...
B2B Cold CallingB2B cold calling is the practice of sales development reps (SDRs) proactively phoning business prospects who have not previously expressed interest,...
B2B DirectB2B Direct refers to a sales development and lead-generation approach where vendors engage business buyers directly, through channels like cold...
B2B Direct MailB2B direct mail is the practice of sending physical, highly targeted mail, such as letters, dimensional packages, or printed offers, to business...
B2B Direct Mail MarketingB2B direct mail marketing is the use of physical mail, letters, postcards, dimensional packages, or gifts, sent to specific business contacts and...
B2B Direct MarketingB2B direct marketing is targeted, one-to-one outreach from a company to specific business decision-makers using channels like email, phone, direct...
B2B Lead GenerationB2B lead generation is the structured process of identifying, engaging, and qualifying organizations that are likely to buy your product or service,...
B2B Lead Generation AgencyA B2B lead generation agency is a specialized partner that builds and runs programs to identify, contact, and qualify decision-makers at target...
B2B Lead Generation CompanyA B2B lead generation company is a specialized partner that builds and manages outbound and inbound programs to identify, qualify, and book meetings...
B2B MarketingB2B marketing is the set of strategies and channels companies use to identify, attract, and nurture other businesses as customers. In a sales...
B2B OutsourcingB2B outsourcing is the practice of delegating parts of your business-to-business sales development function, such as prospecting, cold calling, email...
B2B Phone SalesB2B phone sales is the practice of using live telephone conversations to generate, qualify, and advance sales opportunities between businesses. It...
B2B TelemarketingB2B telemarketing is the practice of using outbound and inbound phone calls to identify, qualify, and nurture business prospects, typically as part...
B2C TelemarketingB2C telemarketing is the practice of using outbound phone calls to sell products, services, or subscriptions directly to individual consumers rather...
BANTBANT is a classic B2B sales qualification framework that helps SDRs and account executives quickly assess whether a prospect is worth pursuing based...
Best B2B Direct Mail CampaignsBest B2B direct mail campaigns are highly targeted, data-driven physical mail programs designed to generate qualified sales pipeline from business...
About this glossary
A working reference, not a textbook
The short version is on the surface. Open any question to go deeper.
It is a practical reference for the language of B2B outbound sales. Every entry explains a cold calling, email outreach, lead generation, or sales development term in plain English, with the context and best practices that actually matter when you run campaigns.
They come from the SalesHive team, the same strategists and SDRs who run outbound campaigns for thousands of clients every day. The goal is working knowledge you can apply, not textbook theory.
Search by name at the top of the page, filter by category, or browse the A to Z list below. Each term links to a full definition with key benefits, best practices, common challenges, and FAQs.
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