Dictionary

A sales qualified lead marks a transition in buyer behaviour, not a static label. Why SQL definitions drift, and where revenue leaks after scoring.

ZOPA is the zone of possible agreement, the range where both sides can settle. Why it is social rather than mathematical, and how misread limits kill it.

AI sales training uses simulated buyer conversations, scoring and feedback so reps practise before the call. It fixes a coaching gap, not a content gap.

MEDDIC is a B2B qualification framework: Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain, Champion. It exists for forecasting.

Sales roleplay is rehearsing real sales conversations in a simulated setting so reps build skill without burning pipeline. Good sessions versus bad.

Conversation intelligence is software that records, transcribes and analyses sales calls, so teams can coach reps, spot deal risk and hear the buyer.

Sales enablement is the function that gives reps content, training, tools and the process discipline to use all three. Measured by ramp time and win rate.

BANT is a qualification framework standing for Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline, first used at IBM in the 1960s. What each letter really means.

SPIN Selling is a question-led method built on Situation, Problem, Implication and Need-payoff questions. Neil Rackham drew it from 35,000 sales calls.

A discovery call is the first real conversation where a rep finds out whether a deal is worth pursuing. What is broken, what it costs and who decides.

A cold call is unscheduled phone outreach to a prospect who is not expecting it. The first ten seconds decide the call, and the best ones are rehearsed.

Objection handling is what a rep does when a buyer pushes back on price, timing, competition or authority. Most objections are not what they sound like.

Sales coaching is the ongoing one-to-one work that makes a rep better at the craft, using real calls as material. It is not pipeline review or training.

Sales onboarding is the process of turning a new hire into a productive rep. Good programmes cut ramp time by 30 to 40 per cent. Bad ones add to it.

Ramp time is how long a new rep takes to reach full productivity, typically three to nine months for a SaaS AE. What drives it and how to shorten it.

Win rate is the percentage of qualified opportunities that close won, usually 15 to 30 per cent in B2B SaaS. What counts as worked changes the number.

A sales playbook is the documented system for how a team sells, covering stages, messaging, objection responses and the tactics that move deals forward.

Pitch practice is deliberate rehearsal of the sales conversation, said out loud against pushback. It closes the gap between knowing and doing in the room.

A sales simulation puts a rep inside a realistic buyer conversation, with pushback and objections, before it counts. Scored consistently and run on demand.

A buyer persona is a profile of a type of person who buys from you, covering role, problems, motivations and how they decide. Psychology, not demographics.

A sales methodology is the named system a team uses to run conversations and qualify deals. BANT, MEDDIC, SPIN, Sandler and Challenger compared.

Revenue enablement equips every customer-facing team, not just sales, with content, training, tools and process. Broader in scope, same underlying work.