9 guides

B2B Sales and Lead Generation Definitions

Plain definitions of the terms outbound teams use daily, each with the operational detail the dictionary version leaves out.

Most definitions of these terms are circular. A sales lead is defined as a potential customer, which tells you nothing about when a record becomes one or what changes when it does.

Each guide here gives the definition, then the part that matters operationally: what the term means for your data, your process and the number you report at the end of the month.

They are also the entry points to the deeper guides. If you are new to outbound, start here and follow the links into the deliverability and data clusters.

Every guide in this cluster

Short reads. Each one links into the operational guides on the same subject.

MQL vs SQL: A Definition Fight Worth Settling OnceWhat separates a marketing qualified lead from a sales qualified one, who owns the handoff, and how to write criteria both teams can be held to. 8 min readWhat Is Cold Email? The Definition and the Rules That Bind ItCold email is unsolicited business outreach to a named person. What separates it from spam, what the law requires, and the numbers that decide if it works. 8 min readWhat Is Outbound Sales? The Model and Its Real ConstraintsOutbound sales means you start the conversation. What the model requires, where it beats inbound, and the arithmetic that decides if it can work. 8 min readWhat Is a Sales Lead? Three Conditions, Not One NameA name in a spreadsheet is not a lead. The three conditions a record must meet, the types teams confuse, and why most counted leads fail the second one. 8 min readWhat Is Account Based Marketing? The Version That Survives Contact With a Small TeamABM targets accounts rather than leads. What it actually requires, the three tiers that make it affordable, and when it is the wrong model entirely. 8 min readWhat Is Buyer Intent? Separating Evidence From InferenceBuyer intent covers observed behaviour and modelled guesses under one word. What each type can support, how they are collected, and where they mislead. 8 min readOutbound vs Inbound: Choosing by Constraint, Not by PreferenceThe two motions differ in who starts, how fast they ramp and what they cost. A decision framework based on market size, deal value and time to results. 8 min readWhat Is a Sales Pipeline? Stages That Mean SomethingA pipeline is a set of stages with exit criteria and conversion rates. How to define stages that hold up, and how to work backwards from a revenue number. 8 min readWhat Is Sales Automation? Automating the Steps, Not the JudgementSales automation removes repeated mechanics from a rep's day. What is safe to automate, what breaks when you do, and the order that pays back fastest. 8 min read

Frequently asked

What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?

An MQL has matched a marketing threshold, usually engagement based, while an SQL has been accepted by sales as worth working. The gap between them is a definition agreement, which is why the same funnel produces very different conversion rates at different companies.

What is cold email?

A commercial message sent to a business contact with no prior relationship, which is lawful in the US, EU and UK subject to conditions on the message itself and, in Europe, on the lawful basis for processing the contact's data.

What is buyer intent?

A signal suggesting an account is actively researching a problem you solve. Its value depends entirely on how directly it was observed, with first-party behaviour on your own properties far stronger than modelled third party inference.

Other guides

DeliverabilityEmail VerificationFinding EmailsB2B Data OpsTool PricingOutbound StrategyIndustry PlaybooksLead Scraping

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