Lead Generation (page 3)

Definitions of the B2B lead generation terms sales teams use. To see how SalesHive runs a full outbound pipeline, visit our Lead Generation page.

Home · Lead Generation · Previous · Next · Page 3 of 6

B2B Direct Marketing

B2B direct marketing is targeted, one-to-one outreach from a company to specific business decision-makers using channels like email, phone, direct mail, and LinkedIn. In sales development, it focuses on generating qualified conversations and meetings by delivering personalized, trackable messages to well-defined accounts and buying committees, rather than relying on broad, brand-focused campaigns.

Business Development Manager

A Business Development Manager (BDM) finds and opens new commercial opportunities for a company: new customers, new markets, partnerships and sales channels, and the relationships that lead to larger deals. The exact scope varies by company. In many B2B sales teams, a BDM owns pipeline generation, choosing which accounts to target and often leading outbound prospecting, while account executives close deals and account managers grow existing customers.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Return on Investment (ROI) is a financial metric that measures the gain from an investment relative to its cost, used across business and finance to judge whether spending pays off. In B2B sales development, ROI compares the revenue and pipeline generated by activities like SDR outreach, cold calling, and email campaigns to the total cost of those efforts. It helps leaders see which channels, campaigns, and vendors produce profitable, scalable growth and which to optimize or cut.

Revenue Sharing

Revenue sharing is a commercial model where partners split the revenue generated from a product, service, or deal according to an agreed percentage. In B2B sales development, a lead-generation or SDR partner earns a share of revenue from deals they source or influence, so incentives align between the client and the provider once opportunities convert.

B2B Lead Generation Agency

A B2B lead generation agency is an outside team hired to find and engage potential business customers. Its scope may cover prospect research, campaigns, qualification and sales handoffs. Agree on the deliverable before comparing providers.

Pay Per Meeting

Pay per meeting is appointment-based pricing: a provider charges for meetings under agreed billing and qualification rules. The contract, not the label, determines whether a booking or an attended meeting is billable.

Pay Per Appointment Lead Generation

Pay per appointment lead generation is a pricing model that charges for sales appointments under agreed billing and qualification rules. A booked meeting, a held meeting and a sales opportunity are different outcomes.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the strategy and software B2B sales teams use to capture, organize, and act on prospect and customer data across the entire sales cycle. For sales development, a CRM is the single source of truth for accounts, leads, touchpoints, and pipeline, enabling SDRs and AEs to prioritize outreach, personalize conversations, and forecast revenue more accurately.

Business To Business Direct Mail

Business to business direct mail is a targeted outbound prospecting tactic where physical letters, packages, or printed materials are sent to specific companies and decision-makers to generate sales conversations and pipeline. In B2B sales development, it’s typically used alongside cold calling and email outreach to penetrate key accounts, warm up executives, and increase response rates on high-value outreach sequences.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is the use of video content to capture attention, build trust, and move an audience toward action. In B2B sales development, it puts short, targeted videos into outbound channels like email, LinkedIn, and sales calls to start and advance conversations, using 1:1 videos, product walkthroughs, webinar clips, and customer stories to convert cold accounts into qualified meetings.

Value Proposition

A value proposition is a clear statement of the specific value a product or service delivers and why it beats the alternatives. In B2B sales development, it explains the business outcomes your product delivers for a defined buyer, connecting prospect pain points to measurable results and guiding SDR scripts, outbound emails, and cold calls so prospects quickly understand why to give you time and budget.

UTM Tracking Link

A UTM tracking link is a URL with added UTM parameters (like `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, and `utm_campaign`) used to identify exactly where a lead or website visitor came from. In B2B sales development, these links connect outbound touches, emails, ads, social, even QR codes, to pipeline and revenue, so SDR and marketing teams can see which channels, messages, and sequences actually generate qualified meetings and opportunities.

Upselling

Upselling is the practice of encouraging a customer to buy a higher-value version, tier, or add-on than the one they were considering. In B2B sales development, effective upselling guides an existing customer or qualified prospect toward an option that better fits their needs, expanding outcomes for the buyer while improving deal size, lifetime value, and net revenue retention.

Unqualified Lead

An unqualified lead is a contact or account that does not yet meet your agreed criteria for active sales pursuit, such as fit, authority, budget, need, timing, or engagement. In B2B sales development, these leads may be a poor match to your ideal customer profile or simply not sales-ready, and should be nurtured, recycled, or removed so SDRs can focus on higher-quality opportunities.

Social Selling

Social selling is the practice of using social media to find, research, and connect with potential buyers, building relationships before making a pitch. In B2B sales development, it centers on professional networks, primarily LinkedIn, to research target accounts, identify buying-committee members, and start conversations that lead to meetings. SDRs and AEs use content, personalized outreach, and ongoing engagement to develop high-quality pipeline.

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is a B2B prospect that has been vetted by both marketing and sales (often by an SDR) as meeting your ideal customer and buying-intent criteria, and is ready for a live sales conversation or meeting. SQLs have clear pain, fit, and timing, and are prioritized in the sales pipeline as the most likely to progress into opportunities and closed revenue.

Sales Prospecting

Sales prospecting is the disciplined process of identifying, researching, and engaging potential B2B customers who match your ideal customer profile. It combines targeted data, personalized outreach, and consistent follow-up across channels like cold calling, email, and LinkedIn to create qualified sales opportunities and keep the pipeline healthy.

Sales Pipeline

A sales pipeline is a visual, stage-by-stage view of every active opportunity your B2B team is working, from first outbound touch to closed deal. It shows how many prospects are in each stage, their expected value, and when they’re likely to close, so sales leaders, SDRs, and AEs can forecast revenue, prioritize outreach, and spot gaps in lead generation and deal progression.

Sales Enablement

Sales enablement is the strategic process of equipping B2B sales development teams with the content, data, tools, and training they need to consistently create and advance qualified pipeline. It aligns SDRs, AEs, marketing, and revenue operations around repeatable plays, so every outbound touch, whether a cold call, email, or social interaction, is timely, relevant, and more likely to convert into a high-quality meeting.

Sales Development

Sales development is the specialized function in B2B sales that focuses on creating, qualifying, and booking meetings with potential customers for account executives. Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) use targeted outreach, typically via cold calling, email, and social channels, to turn raw leads and target accounts into sales-qualified opportunities and predictable pipeline for the business.

Sales Cadence

A sales cadence is a structured sequence of outreach touches (emails, calls, social messages, voicemails, etc.) that sales development reps follow to engage a specific set of B2B prospects over a defined period. It specifies the timing, channel mix, and messaging at each step so SDRs can consistently generate conversations, book meetings, and move accounts through the pipeline in a repeatable, testable way.

Return on Marketing Spend

Return on Marketing Spend (ROMS) is a performance metric that compares the revenue or pipeline generated from marketing activities to the total cost of that spend. In B2B sales development, ROMS shows how effectively channels like outbound email, cold calling, SDR programs, and list building are turning budget into qualified opportunities and closed revenue, helping leaders decide where to double down and where to cut back.

Qualifying Question

A qualifying question is a targeted question used to determine whether a prospect is a good fit and worth pursuing further. In B2B sales development, SDRs and sales reps use qualifying questions to confirm a prospect matches the ideal customer profile and to uncover key details like pain points, budget, authority, need, and timeline, so teams focus effort on the right accounts and avoid wasting time on poor-fit leads.

Prospecting

Prospecting in B2B sales development is the proactive process of identifying, researching, and engaging potential customers that match your ideal customer profile. It involves using channels like cold calling, email outreach, and social selling to create new sales conversations, qualify interest, and build a predictable pipeline of opportunities for your account executives and closing team.