B2B Sales Glossary

An Auto Dialer is a software tool used in B2B sales to automate the dialing of phone numbers, allowing sales representatives to focus on live conversations with prospects rather than manual dialing.

Automated voicemail in B2B sales development is the use of sales dialers or phone systems to drop pre-recorded voicemail messages automatically when a call goes unanswered.

B2B cold calling is the practice of sales development reps (SDRs) proactively phoning business prospects who have not previously expressed interest, to spark a sales conversation or book a meeting.

B2B phone sales is the practice of using live telephone conversations to generate, qualify, and advance sales opportunities between businesses.

B2B telemarketing is the practice of using outbound and inbound phone calls to identify, qualify, and nurture business prospects, typically as part of an SDR or inside sales function.

B2C telemarketing is the practice of using outbound phone calls to sell products, services, or subscriptions directly to individual consumers rather than businesses.

A B2B call center is a centralized, often distributed team of sales development reps (SDRs) who conduct high-volume outbound and inbound sales calls to identify prospects, qualify leads, and book meetings for account executives.

Call recording in B2B sales development is the systematic capture and secure storage of outbound and inbound sales conversations, typically via VoIP dialers or conversation intelligence platforms.

Call sentiment is the qualitative and quantitative assessment of a prospect’s emotional tone, engagement level, and attitude during a sales call, often categorized as positive, neutral, or negative.

Call-to-Meeting Rate is the percentage of outbound calls that result in a scheduled meeting, usually a qualified discovery or demo.

Caller ID in B2B sales development is the phone number (and sometimes business name or logo) that displays when your SDRs place outbound calls.

A calling script is a structured, research-backed talk track that guides B2B SDRs and account executives through cold calls, discovery calls, and follow-ups.

Calls Per Day is a core B2B sales development metric that measures how many outbound phone calls a sales development representative (SDR) completes in a single working day.

Click-to-Call (also called click-to-dial) is a telephony feature that lets B2B sales reps place a phone call by clicking a phone number in a CRM, browser, or sales engagement platform instead of manually dialing digits.

Cold call analysis is the systematic review of outbound sales calls to understand what’s working, what isn’t, and how to improve results.

A cold caller is a sales development professional who uses outbound phone calls to engage previously uncontacted B2B prospects, qualify their needs, and book meetings for account executives.

Cold calling in B2B sales development is the process of proactively phoning targeted companies that have not previously expressed interest, with the goal of starting sales conversations and booking qualified meetings.

A cold calling agency is a specialized B2B sales development partner that runs outbound phone campaigns to generate qualified sales meetings for your account executives.

Cold Calling Conversion Rate is the percentage of outbound cold calls that result in a meaningful next step, such as a booked meeting, qualified opportunity, or sales acceptance.

Cold Calling CRM is a sales CRM setup specifically designed to plan, execute, and track outbound phone outreach in B2B sales development.

Cold Calling KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are the specific, measurable metrics B2B sales teams use to evaluate how effectively their SDRs turn outbound phone calls into qualified meetings and pipeline.

Cold calling lead generation is the process of using outbound phone calls to identify, qualify, and book meetings with new B2B prospects who have not previously engaged with your company.

A cold calling list is a structured, prioritized database of B2B accounts and decision-makers that sales development reps (SDRs) call to generate pipeline.

Cold calling objection handling is the skill and process of effectively responding to a prospect’s concerns, pushbacks, and “not interested” statements during an outbound phone conversation.

Cold calling outsourcing is the practice of hiring an external B2B sales development partner to handle outbound calling, prospecting, and appointment setting on your behalf.

Cold Calling Personality Types are distinct, repeatable styles that B2B SDRs and callers use when engaging prospects by phone, such as challenger, consultant, or relationship-builder.

A cold calling platform is a software system that helps B2B sales development teams plan, automate, and analyze outbound phone outreach at scale.

Cold calling rapport is the ability of a sales development representative (SDR) to quickly build trust, comfort, and credibility with a completely new prospect over the phone.

Cold Calling ROI (Return on Investment) in B2B sales development measures how much revenue or qualified pipeline you generate for every dollar spent on cold calling.

A cold calling script is a structured talk track B2B SDRs and sales reps use to guide live outbound calls, including openers, discovery questions, value propositions, objection handling, and next-step language.

Cold Calling SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) are specialized outbound reps who focus on initiating contact with net-new B2B prospects by phone, qualifying their needs, and booking sales meetings for account executives.

Cold calling services are specialized B2B sales development programs where trained SDRs make proactive, outbound phone calls to target accounts to generate qualified leads and book meetings.

A cold calling team is a specialized group of sales development representatives (SDRs) dedicated to generating B2B pipeline by engaging net-new prospects over the phone.

Cold calling tone of voice is the way an SDR sounds on a sales call, including pace, volume, pitch, warmth, and confidence, and how that delivery shapes a prospect’s first impression.

A cold calling value proposition is the clear, 20-30 second statement SDRs use at the start of a B2B sales call to explain why they’re calling and what specific business outcome they can help the prospect achieve.

In B2B sales development, a Do Not Call (DNC) List is a suppression list of phone numbers that sales and telemarketing teams are prohibited from calling, either because the number appears on the U.S.

A full-time cold caller is a dedicated sales development professional whose primary responsibility is to make outbound calls to new, uncontacted B2B prospects, qualify them, and book meetings for account executives.

In B2B sales development, a gatekeeper is the person or system that screens and controls access to decision-makers, such as executive assistants, receptionists, office managers, or centralized switchboards.

In-house cold calling is when a B2B company builds and manages its own internal team of sales development representatives (SDRs) to make outbound calls to target accounts and decision-makers.

Live Answer Rate (LAR) in B2B sales development is the percentage of outbound cold calls that result in a live conversation with a human, rather than voicemail, IVR, or no answer.

The National Do Not Call Registry is a U.S. federal database that lets consumers opt out of most telemarketing sales calls.

Near shore cold calling is the practice of outsourcing outbound B2B sales calls to teams located in nearby or neighboring countries that share similar time zones and cultural alignment with your target market.

Off-shore cold calling is the practice of using sales development reps (SDRs) based in lower-cost countries (such as the Philippines or India) to make outbound B2B prospecting calls into higher-cost markets like the U.S.

A part-time cold caller is a sales development professional who spends a limited number of hours each week making outbound B2B calls to identify prospects, qualify leads, and book meetings for account executives.

A power dialer is an outbound calling tool that automatically dials the next number in a prioritized list as soon as an SDR finishes a call, typically dialing one contact per available rep.

A predictive dialer is an automated outbound calling system that uses algorithms to dial multiple numbers ahead of agent availability, filtering out voicemails, busy signals, and no-answers so SDRs are connected only to live prospects.

In B2B sales development, “Robo Dials” refers to the use of automated dialing systems, such as power, preview, or predictive dialers, to rapidly place large volumes of outbound cold calls to targeted prospect lists.

A speed dialer is a sales dialing tool that automatically queues and launches the next outbound call the moment an SDR finishes the previous one, minimizing idle time and manual number entry.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a U.S. federal law that restricts telemarketing calls, texts, and certain automated dialing practices, including those used in B2B sales development.

A telemarketer in B2B sales development is a sales professional who uses outbound phone calls, often supported by email and other touchpoints, to initiate conversations with target accounts, qualify decision-makers, and book sales meetings.

In B2B sales development, telemarketing is the systematic use of outbound phone calls by SDRs or inside sales teams to identify prospects, qualify needs, and book sales meetings.

Telemarketing companies are specialized providers that run outbound calling programs to generate and qualify B2B sales opportunities.

Telesales is the process of selling products or services over the phone, typically through structured outbound or inbound calls.

In B2B sales development, a voicemail drop is the practice of leaving a pre-recorded sales voicemail automatically or with one click when a prospect doesn’t answer.

VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is a technology that delivers phone calls over the internet instead of traditional phone lines, typically through cloud-based softphones and dialers.