Outbound Sales Glossary

An email testing method used to compare two versions of an email to determine which one performs better in terms of user engagement. Sales engagement software will present different versions (A and B) to users and analyze the resulting data.

A sales professional traditionally responsible for managing, nurturing, and closing deals with potential customers and accounts.

Account-based prospecting is when salespeople look at and sell to a target company holistically, organizing their outreach by company rather than by individual.

The total yearly revenue generated from a customer's single-purchase, service agreement, or contract with a company.

Pre-programmed email messages sent automatically in response to predefined triggers, events, or schedules.

The use of technology and software to streamline and automate repetitive tasks in the sales process, such as lead management, email outreach, and follow-up, with the aim of increasing efficiency and productivity.

The percentage of emails that are returned to the sender because they could not be delivered to the intended recipient. A good email bounce rate benchmark is generally considered to be 2% or less.

Phone calls that have been successfully established with both parties on the line.

A cold call metric that represents the percentage of unconnected cold calls that result in a successful callback from the prospect.

The percentage of recipients who click on a link or call-to-action button in an email or web page.

The process of monitoring and recording users' interactions with clickable elements such as links, buttons, or advertisements in emails, often used to measure engagement, analyze user behavior, and optimize email strategies.

An unsolicited phone call made by a salesperson to a potential customer, often who has not expressed prior interest in the product or service, used as a method to initiate sales conversations and generate leads.

An unsolicited email sent to a potential customer or prospect, often who has not previously engaged with the sender, used as a method to initiate sales conversations and generate leads.

A cold call metric that represents the percentage of attempted cold calls that result in successful connections with the intended recipients.

Contact-based prospecting is when reps find and identify the right individuals within an organization and thoroughly research their company, their space, and who they are as people.

The percentage of interactions or outreach attempts that result in a confirmed appointment or meeting with a prospect.

Sales software that provides insights based on recorded phone conversations, analyzing talk time, keywords, and action items.

The percentage of prospects who take a desired action, such as booking a meeting or making a purchase, out of the total number of prospects you engaged.

Email domains that are separate from main company domains but look similar with slight variations (ex. apollomail.io vs. the apollo.io main domain). These are meant to safeguard your main domain in the case of any negative sending ramifications.

A software system or strategy used by businesses to manage interactions and relationships with current and potential customers, typically including features like data storage, activity tracking, and communication management.

A professional responsible for ensuring that customers achieve their desired outcomes, get value, and receive support from your products or services.

Private messages sent between LinkedIn users on the platform.

An email authentication protocol that tells email servers to accept, reject, or quarantine messages from your domain that don't pass SPF or DKIM checks.

An email authentication protocol that adds a “digital signature” to your outgoing emails to make sure nothing has changed in transit from when you sent it to when it lands in your prospect’s inbox.

A naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet, translating domain names (ex. www.example.com) into IP addresses (ex. 192.0.2.1) and vice versa.

Snippets of copy that automatically add specific, personalized details such as contacts' names, the time of day, and information about contacts' companies to your emails. (ex. {{first_name}})

A set of techniques and protocols used to verify the legitimacy of an email sender's identity. Email service providers use it to detect unauthorized email activities, such as spoofing or phishing.

The unique identifier associated with an email address, typically comprising the domain name followed by ".com", ".org", or ".net".

The rate at which an email recipient engages with or interacts with the content of an email, such as opening the email, clicking on links, or taking any desired action specified within the email.

The maximum number of emails that a user or organization is allowed to send within a specific timeframe, typically imposed by email service providers (or internally to prevent oversending).

A company or platform that offers email-related services, including email hosting, sending, delivery, and management tools. Common ESPs include Google, Outlook, and Yahoo.

The process of gradually increasing the volume of outbound emails sent from new or dormant email domains to establish a positive reputation with email service providers.

Sets of parameters set within a database that allow you to refine your searches to more easily target your ideal buyers. Examples include filtering across job title, industry, company size, or location.

A sales approach in which a single sales representative is responsible for managing the entire sales process from prospecting and lead generation to closing deals and post-sale follow-up. In full cycle selling, the sales representative takes the traditional role of both a sales development representative (SDR) and an account executive (AE), handling all aspects of customer acquisition and relationship management.

The strategic process of bringing a product or service to market and effectively reaching target customers, through market research, product development, pricing, distribution, marketing, and sales.

ICPs, also called “personas,” are sets of attributes that detail which types of companies get the most value from your product or service and include specific demographic and firmographic characteristics like job title or role, seniority, location, company type, company size, and industry.

Private messages sent between LinkedIn users on the platform used to connect with members who are not in your immediate network (unlike direct messages).

Also referred to as top-of-funnel metrics, input metrics measure the effort you’re putting into outreach. Typical input metrics include activities like number of emails sent, calls made, and connections sent.

Behavioral, quantitative, or qualitative indicators that suggest a person's intention or interest in a particular product, service, or topic. These signals can be observed through various online activities, such as web searches, website visits, content engagement, or social media interactions.

The quantifiable metrics used to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of specific sales activities, processes, or initiatives. Examples include customer lifetime value, sales cycle length, and conversion rate.

The process of evaluating and ranking potential sales leads or prospects based on predefined criteria, such as demographics, behavior, or engagement level, to determine their likelihood of converting into customers.

The process of assigning weight to specific attributes of each persona, helping you automatically rank every lead in your database and giving your reps a strategically prioritized list of leads.

A sales approach that involves engaging with customers across multiple channels or platforms, such as email, phone calls, social media, direct mail, and more.

An account-based prospecting technique where you build multiple relationships across your target personas within an account.

The process of addressing and overcoming concerns or hesitations raised by prospects during the sales process. It involves actively listening to the prospect's objections, empathizing with their concerns, and providing relevant information or solutions to alleviate their doubts and move the sales conversation forward.

The expected total income paid to a salesperson often includes a mix of a base salary or fixed income and commission they earn by doing their jobs. OTEs are the total amount of money salespeople should expect to make in a year if they hit their quotas.

The percentage of recipients who open a particular email campaign or message out of the total number of emails delivered.

The proactive approach of reaching out to potential customers or leads. It involves sales representatives initiating contact with prospects through methods such as cold calling, cold emailing, or direct mail.

Also referred to as bottom-of-funnel outputs, output metrics measure the quantifiable result of your outreach and include things like net new opportunities, meetings booked, and deals closed.

The practice of tailoring content, products, or experiences to meet the specific needs, preferences, and characteristics of individual prospects or customers. It uses data such as personal and company demographics, past behaviors, interactions, to deliver relevant and customized messages.

A structured sales model that outlines the stages a prospect goes through as they move towards becoming a customer. It includes stages such as lead generation, qualification, presentation or demonstration, negotiation, and closing.

Popularized by the book “Predictable Revenue” and also called a “split model,” this is a way to set up a sales team where half of the team focuses on booking meetings (often SDRs) and the other half focuses on closing deals (often AEs).

The initial stage of the sales process focused on identifying and qualifying potential customers (prospects) who fit the ideal customer profile. It involves researching target markets, industries, and individuals to identify leads with a high likelihood of conversion.

The process of assessing potential customers to determine their likelihood of making a purchase. It involves asking qualifying questions to understand their needs, budget, and authority, helping sales teams prioritize efforts and focus on leads with the highest potential for conversion.

The percentage of outbound communications, such as emails or messages, that receive a response from the recipient as compared to total emails sent.

A salesperson traditionally responsible for outbound prospecting activities like researching, qualifying, and generating leads or opportunities for the sales pipeline. SDRs typically qualify leads based on specific criteria before passing them on to account executives (AEs) for closing deals.

The interactions and communications between salespeople and prospects or customers throughout the sales process. It includes activities such as emails, calls, meetings, and other personal interactions aimed at moving prospects through the sales funnel to close.

An end-to-end workflow automation tool that helps you reduce manual tasks, increase efficiency, and drive more pipeline. In Apollo, sales plays automate time-consuming manual actions by allowing you to set actions based on triggered-responses including adding or removing contacts from a sequence or list, scheduling tasks for your reps, and updating contact job changes. You can also configure alerts to remind you when you need to take manual actions.

A mini outreach campaign with any number of sequential contact points and tasks that you can personalize and schedule to engage your audience wherever they are at (email, phone, LinkedIn, and beyond).

A process that involves dividing leads or potential customers into distinct groups based on shared characteristics or behaviors. This process allows sales teams to tailor their approach and messaging to each segment's specific needs and preferences, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

An email authentication protocol that verifies your identity as the sender. It tells mail servers which IP addresses are authorized to send emails on your behalf. If an IP address isn’t listed in that record, the email might be flagged as spam.

Coined and created by #samsales Founder Samantha McKenna, this is a sales methodology for Tier 1 prospects that involves deep, targeted research across a prospect, their company, and their space and highly-personalized messaging to show you understand their pain points and see them as a person instead of a pocketbook.

A specific set of granular filters that signify a prospect is likely ready to buy right now, acting as “triggers” for timely outreach. Examples include recent job changes, newly-acquired funding, or recent acquisitions.

The practice of showcasing real-life examples, testimonials, or success stories from satisfied customers to validate the effectiveness or value of a product or service.

The practice of using social media platforms to engage with potential customers, build relationships, and ultimately drive sales. It involves sharing valuable content and social proof, connecting with prospects and their network, and sending relevant direct messages.

A process used to identify and remove unsolicited or unwanted emails from reaching a user's inbox. It involves the use of algorithms and rules to analyze incoming emails and determine whether they are spam or legitimate messages.

The frequency or percentage of unwanted or unsolicited emails received by an individual or organization relative to the total volume of emails sent and received.

A domain that exists under the umbrella of your main email domain, but has an additional identifier to the left (ex. “knowledge.apollo.io”). Subdomains are treated as distinct entities when it comes to email deliverability, allowing for finer control over your sender reputation.

Your highest-quality leads that are most likely to convert into paying customers (typically the top 3% who are “ready to buy”). They often have a strong interest in the product or service, fit well within the target market, and exhibit buying intent.

Your good-to-moderate quality leads that have potential to convert into customers (typically the 6-7% who are “open to buying”). While they may show interest in the product or service, they might require further nurturing or qualification before making a purchase decision.

Your lower-quality leads that show little-to-no purchase intent and are less likely to convert into customers (typically the bottom ~90% of your pipeline). They may have shown minimal interest or engagement with the product or service, or they may not fit well within the target market.

The initial stage in the sales or marketing process where potential customers first become aware of a product or service.

The overall revenue opportunity available for a product or service within a specific market. It represents the maximum potential sales that could be achieved if every possible customer in the market purchased the offering at the optimal price.

A term that refers to a specific sector or niche within an industry, grouping together companies that focus on similar products, services, or markets. For instance, in the technology industry, verticals could be healthcare IT, fintech, or automotive technology.

Referenced in chapter one by Mark Kosoglow, the zero-interest rate policy is an economic recovery policy employed after the Great Recession of 2008 to stimulate economic growth with interest rates close to zero and a grow-at-all-costs approach to company growth and spend.