Sales Intelligence Glossary

Master the language of modern sales intelligence. From conversation analytics to revenue operations, learn the terms that top-performing agencies use every day.

A

Account-Based Selling

Account-based selling (ABS) is a strategic sales approach that treats individual accounts as markets of one, coordinating personalized outreach and engagement across multiple stakeholders within a target organization. Unlike volume-based selling, ABS focuses resources on high-value accounts with coordinated multi-touch, multi-stakeholder strategies.

B

Buyer Persona

A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of an ideal buyer based on market research, customer data, and behavioral patterns. It describes the individual decision-maker's role, goals, challenges, communication preferences, and buying behavior. Effective buyer personas are built from real data — including conversation intelligence — rather than demographic assumptions alone.

C

Call Coaching

Call coaching is the practice of using real sales call recordings and analysis to develop individual rep skills through targeted feedback, example-based learning, and performance tracking. Unlike generic sales training, call coaching addresses specific behaviors observed in actual conversations, making feedback concrete, actionable, and directly tied to revenue outcomes.

Call Recording Software

Call recording software captures and stores audio (and sometimes video) from sales calls for later review, analysis, and compliance purposes. Modern call recording solutions go beyond simple capture to include transcription, AI-powered analysis, and integration with CRM and sales intelligence platforms. For sales teams, recording is the essential first step that enables coaching, quality assurance, and conversation intelligence.

Call Transcription

Call transcription is the process of converting spoken audio from sales calls into written text using speech-to-text technology. Modern AI-powered transcription goes beyond simple dictation by identifying speakers, handling industry terminology, and producing near-human-accuracy results in real time or from recorded audio. Transcription is the foundational layer upon which conversation intelligence and sales analytics are built.

Closing Techniques

Closing techniques are the methods and approaches sales professionals use to secure a prospect's commitment to purchase. Modern closing has evolved from manipulative tactics to value-driven approaches where the close is a natural progression of a well-conducted sales process. Conversation intelligence reveals which closing approaches actually work in practice, replacing conventional wisdom with evidence.

Competitive Intelligence

Competitive intelligence in sales is the systematic collection and analysis of information about competitors to inform sales strategy, messaging, and positioning. For conversation intelligence, competitive intelligence specifically refers to extracting competitor mentions, comparisons, and objections from sales calls to understand how prospects view the competitive landscape.

Conversation Analytics

Conversation analytics is the measurement and analysis of quantifiable patterns in sales conversations — talk-time ratios, question frequency, topic duration, monologue length, response times, and engagement indicators. While conversation intelligence focuses on extracting qualitative insights (objections, sentiments, themes), conversation analytics provides the numerical metrics that enable comparison, benchmarking, and trend tracking.

Conversation Intelligence

Conversation intelligence is the use of AI and natural language processing to analyze sales conversations, extracting actionable insights like objections, buying signals, and competitive mentions. Unlike basic call recording, conversation intelligence transforms unstructured dialogue into structured data that sales teams can use to improve performance, coach reps, and understand why deals are won or lost.

D

Deal Intelligence

Deal intelligence is the use of data — particularly from sales conversations — to assess the health, risk level, and likelihood of closing for individual deals in a pipeline. Unlike subjective rep assessments, deal intelligence aggregates signals from calls, emails, and engagement patterns to provide an evidence-based view of where each deal truly stands.

Discovery Call

A discovery call is the initial sales conversation focused on understanding a prospect's needs, challenges, goals, timeline, and decision process. The primary purpose is qualifying the opportunity and gathering information, not pitching. Effective discovery calls determine whether there is a genuine fit and lay the foundation for a compelling, customized sales approach.

I

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a detailed description of the type of company or buyer that gets the most value from your product or service and is most likely to become a successful, long-term customer. Unlike broad target markets, an ICP defines specific firmographic, technographic, and behavioral attributes that predict fit, including company size, industry, tech stack, pain points, and buying behavior.

L

Lead Scoring

Lead scoring is the practice of assigning numerical values to leads based on their characteristics and behaviors to prioritize which prospects are most likely to convert. Traditional scoring uses demographic and firmographic data, while modern approaches incorporate behavioral signals including engagement with content, website activity, and increasingly, conversation intelligence signals from sales calls.

O

Objection Handling

Objection handling is the skill and process of addressing concerns raised by prospects during sales conversations in a way that acknowledges the objection, provides relevant information, and moves the conversation forward. Effective objection handling is both a technique (specific response frameworks) and a data practice (understanding which responses work best for which objections).

P

Pipeline Management

Pipeline management is the process of tracking, organizing, and optimizing the flow of sales opportunities from initial contact through to closed deal. Effective pipeline management provides visibility into deal volume, velocity, value, and health at each stage, enabling accurate forecasting and strategic resource allocation.

R

Revenue Intelligence

Revenue intelligence is the practice of using AI and data analytics to capture, analyze, and act on signals from across the revenue cycle — including sales conversations, email interactions, CRM data, and buyer behavior. It provides a unified view of pipeline health, deal risks, and revenue predictions based on actual buyer engagement rather than subjective rep forecasts.

Revenue Operations (RevOps)

Revenue operations (RevOps) is the strategic alignment of sales, marketing, and customer success teams through shared processes, technology, and data to drive predictable revenue growth. RevOps breaks down silos between departments by creating a unified view of the customer journey and optimizing the entire revenue engine rather than individual departmental metrics.

S

Sales Analytics

Sales analytics is the practice of using data analysis to evaluate sales performance, identify trends, and inform strategic decisions. Modern sales analytics combines traditional metrics (conversion rates, deal velocity, win rates) with conversation intelligence data (objection patterns, talk ratios, sentiment trends) to provide a comprehensive view of sales effectiveness.

Sales Cadence

A sales cadence is a structured sequence of outreach touchpoints — calls, emails, social touches, and other interactions — designed to engage prospects over a defined period. Effective cadences balance persistence with relevance, using multiple channels and data-informed timing to maximize response rates and meeting bookings.

Sales Coaching

Sales coaching is the ongoing process of developing sales reps' skills, behaviors, and performance through structured feedback, practice, and reinforcement. Effective sales coaching goes beyond telling reps what to do — it uses data from actual sales conversations to identify specific improvement areas, demonstrate best practices from top performers, and measure progress over time.

Sales Data Mining

Sales data mining is the process of analyzing large volumes of sales conversation data to discover patterns, trends, and insights that improve sales performance. Unlike real-time conversation intelligence that focuses on individual calls, sales data mining operates across entire call archives to identify aggregate patterns — which objections correlate with lost deals, what ICP signals predict conversion, and how top performers differ from average reps across hundreds or thousands of conversations.

Sales Enablement

Sales enablement is the strategic process of providing sales teams with the content, tools, training, and data they need to effectively engage buyers at every stage of the sales cycle. Modern sales enablement increasingly relies on conversation intelligence to identify what resources reps actually need, measure adoption, and validate effectiveness through deal outcomes.

Sales Forecasting

Sales forecasting is the process of predicting future revenue based on current pipeline data, historical patterns, and market conditions. Accurate forecasting enables agencies to make informed decisions about hiring, spending, and growth. Modern forecasting increasingly incorporates conversation intelligence signals alongside traditional CRM data to improve prediction accuracy.

Sales Methodology

A sales methodology is a structured framework that guides how sales teams approach and execute their sales process. Popular methodologies include SPIN Selling, Challenger Sale, MEDDIC, Sandler, and Solution Selling. Each provides a philosophy and set of techniques for engaging prospects, qualifying opportunities, and closing deals.

Sales Objections

Sales objections are concerns, hesitations, or pushback that prospects raise during the sales process that may prevent them from moving forward with a purchase. Common categories include price objections, timing objections, authority objections, need objections, and competitive comparisons. Understanding and systematically addressing objections is fundamental to improving close rates.

Sales Onboarding

Sales onboarding is the structured process of ramping new sales hires to full productivity, covering product knowledge, sales process, tools, messaging, and market understanding. Effective onboarding combines theoretical training with practical exposure to real sales conversations, dramatically reducing the time from hire to first closed deal.

Sales Playbook

A sales playbook is a comprehensive reference document that codifies a team's best practices, processes, messaging, and strategies for each stage of the sales cycle. Modern playbooks go beyond theoretical frameworks to include data-driven talk tracks, objection responses, and competitive positioning validated by actual conversation outcomes.

Sentiment Analysis

Sentiment analysis in sales is the use of AI and natural language processing to detect emotional tone, attitude, and engagement levels in customer conversations. Applied to sales calls, sentiment analysis identifies positive signals (enthusiasm, agreement, buying intent), negative signals (frustration, skepticism, disengagement), and shifts in sentiment that may indicate deal progression or risk.

T

Talk-Time Ratio

Talk-time ratio is the measurement of how much time a salesperson spends talking versus listening during a sales conversation. Expressed as a percentage or ratio (e.g., 40:60 means the rep talked 40% and the prospect talked 60%), this metric is a leading indicator of conversation quality. Research consistently shows that top-performing sales reps listen more than they talk, particularly during discovery and qualification stages.

V

Value Selling

Value selling is a sales approach focused on demonstrating the specific business value and outcomes a prospect will achieve, rather than competing on features or price. It requires deeply understanding each prospect's unique challenges and quantifying how your solution addresses them in terms of revenue impact, cost savings, or efficiency gains.

Voice of Customer (VoC)

Voice of Customer (VoC) is the practice of capturing, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback and preferences to improve products, services, and experiences. In a sales context, VoC specifically refers to extracting customer insights from sales conversations — the unfiltered, candid feedback prospects share during calls about their needs, frustrations, preferences, and decision criteria.

W

Win-Loss Analysis

Win-loss analysis is the systematic evaluation of why deals are won or lost, examining factors like messaging effectiveness, competitive positioning, pricing, timing, and buyer engagement. When powered by conversation intelligence, win-loss analysis goes beyond post-mortem interviews to use actual call data showing what happened during the sales process.

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