| B-2-B |
| A sales organization whose primary effort is selling to and doing business with other businesses. |
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| B-2-C |
| A sales organization whose primary effort is selling to and doing business with consumers, or with individual users. |
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| Backup Plan |
| Usually referred to as "Plan B" if a salesperson's primary call objective is not attained. |
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| Balanced Feedback |
| A communications skill used by coaches to communicate both what is working well and what needs to be changed or eliminated for progress to continue. |
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| Barter |
| The process of exchanging one item or commodity for another. Bartering usually involves going back and forth or "haggling" to reach mutual agreement. |
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| Base Salary |
| The guaranteed portion of a salesperson's monetary compensation. Base salaries reward salespeople for their accumulated experience and overall selling efforts. |
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| Belief |
| A point of view, or conviction of the truth held by a group. In sales, beliefs help shape reality. A salesperson's beliefs can be contagious and often flow to the customer in a sales conversation. |
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| Benefit |
| The value experienced by the customer as a result of the purchase of a product or service. Salespeople who focus on communicating benefits and aligning those benefits to a customer's business objectives, increase the likelihood of gaining a sale. |
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| Best Practices |
| In sales organizations, Best Practices represent proven methods salespeople or sales managers use to achieve a specific objective. The sharing and documentation of best practices is integral to an organization's ability to create lift and raise its own standards of excellence. |
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| Big Picture Questions |
| High-level questions that seek to understand the broad business issues an organization is facing. |
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| Blitz |
| A slang term in sales, used to denote a concentrated effort or activity to achieve a given objective. The term is usually used to describe a concentrated effort in prospecting. |
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| Blown Away |
| A slang term used to describe the impact a salesperson might have had on the customer as a result of a very successful presentation. |
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| Bluebird |
| Sales slang for an opportunity (or actual sale) that presents itself to the salesperson or the selling organization without having made much direct effort in securing it. That sale was a "bluebird." |
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| Blueprint |
| A visual or drawing which lays out in detail the approach that will be used. Often, blueprints are also referred to as "models," or "prototypes." |
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| BOAT |
| Acronym - Background, Objective, Achieve, Time. Acronym used to remember areas you want to consider in your opening statement with a customer. |
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| Body Language |
| The gestures, body movements, and mannerisms by which a person communicates their outlook or frame of mind. Paying attention to and reading body language can provide valuable insight in the selling process. |
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| Bonus |
| In sales compensation, this refers to a type of incentive payment, typically awarded when the salesperson or sales team achieves pre-determined financial objectives. |
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| Bottlenecks |
| Something that hinders progress. Salespeople who sell effectively look for bottlenecks or gaps, where problems or slowdowns may exist. By identifying them, areas of opportunity may surface where the selling organization can help improve productivity and overall performance. |
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| Brainstorming |
| A methodology undertaken by a person or a team to solve a problem or to generate ideas by rapidly listing a variety of possible solutions and approaches. |
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| Brand |
| A name, term, or symbol used to identify the products and services of the selling organization and to differentiate them from those of competitors. |
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| Broker / Agent |
| See Agent / Broker |
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| Budget |
| In many sales organizations, the word "budget" is a synonym for quota of for the financial sales goal. The more traditional definition used by customers and other organizations is the sum of financial resources allocated for a particular purpose. |
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| Business Advisor |
| Often considered the role many senior salespeople aspire to. Business advisors are perceived and looked to for counsel. They are highly trusted such that the customer does not want to make strategic business decisions (at least in regard to the sales organization's product or service) before talking to the sales professional. The best business advisor sales professionals are sought after for their counsel in areas not directly related to their product or service because they are perceived to have high business acumen. |
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| Business Case |
| When working with accounts, this refers to the process of establishing a believable business rationale for your product or service. The use of this term is more directed to complex selling situations than to shorter term business decisions. |
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| Business Cycle |
| A sequence of economic activities typically characterized by recessions, recovery, growth, and at times, decline. Salespeople who are attuned to a company's business cycle are able to position their products effectively against the challenges being experienced and know how their products and services can alleviate some of the conditions being experienced in the business cycle. |
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| Business Issue |
| A business problem or concern that can drive the need for your product or service. Business issues tend to reflect areas the customer is challenged by, or that are predominantly on the customer's mind. By aligning their product or service to these business issues, salespeople are perceived as more consultative and valuable to the customer. |
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| Business Review |
| A powerful tactic for developing key accounts, business reviews represent the formal methodology where executives of the selling organization formally meet with executives of the customer organization to present what has been accomplished between their two companies during the previous 12-month period. When done well, this method is a collaborative two-way dialog where the customer is also involved in setting and agreeing to mutual goals for the business relationship. |
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| Business Savvy |
| Term used to describe a sales professional who has strong understanding of business fundamentals, business common sense, and the drivers that motivate a customer to make business decisions. |
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| Buyer |
| The person who purchases or procures the product or service you are selling. This person may also be the decision maker, but not necessarily. |
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| Buying Process |
| The steps a customer organization or a buyer actually takes in making a purchase for a product or service. |
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| Buying Signal |
| A statement or indication from a prospect or customer that suggests s/he is considering making a purchase. Buying signals cover a wide range of behaviors. Some of the most common include: when the customer begins to ask questions after the salesperson has presented; when the customer is saying yes to questions being asked; when you hear positive comments. Most of the time, buying signals are subtle; they suggest the salesperson attempt a trial close. Buying signals indicate an attitude of acceptance. |
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