| Objection |
| A term often used in sales when a customer challenges or rejects a salesperson's idea or suggestion, or when the customer communicates issues that will prevent the sale from moving forward. Many sales organizations are moving away from the word "objection," preferring to use a more collaborative term such as "concerns" to describe the same customer reaction. |
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| Observation Call / Coaching Call |
| A call involving a salesperson and a manager where the manager's role is minimal, and the manager's primary objective is to observe the skills of the salesperson and the reaction of the customer in order to provide quality feedback during the post-call debrief session. |
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| Obstacles |
| Issues that surface during the sales cycle that could keep the selling organization from winning the business. These cover a wide range of possibilities, including financial obstacles, implementation obstacles, existing methods being used, etc. |
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| OEM |
| Acronym - Original Equipment Manufacturer. |
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| Open-Ended Questions |
| Questions that encourage the customer to respond freely. They include questions with What, Why, and How that require more information from the customer than a simple yes or no answer. |
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| Opening Statement |
| The words used to initiate a conversation with a customer or prospect. Superior salespeople plan their opening statements carefully, as they can often set the tone for the remaining portion of the sales call. |
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| Opportunity |
| A situation, need, condition, or circumstance where you have the potential to meet a customer's business requirements. |
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| Opportunity Planning |
| The methodology within the discipline of Account Management to assess, select, and plan for securing an opportunity with a customer. |
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| Organic Growth |
| A term used to refer to growth from within, and not as a result of acquisition. |
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| Outbound Call |
| A call made by a telesales person to a prospect for your product or service. |
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| Outside Sales |
| Those salespeople who make the majority of their sales from the field, or outside of the organization's primary place of business. |
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| Overachievement Pay |
| In sales compensation, a term used to refer to pay that is awarded over and above expected achievement levels. |
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| Overrides |
| In sales compensation, this is typically a payment mechanism for sales managers, or lead salespeople, who may receive a percentage of other employee's sales production. |
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| Owner |
| In sales, owner is the term sometimes given to that decision maker who is most responsible for the decision. |
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