Sales Terminology 101

Upon beginning a search for a new sales professionalSales Cycle - a sales cycle is the length of time it
or business development employee, there are salestakes to close an account from start to finish. Typically,
related terms that you should be familiar with. Listedthe larger the monetary value of the account, the
below, are 11 different terms that should help you inlonger the sales cycle is going to be. Depending on the
your resume search.industry, sales cycles can range from 1 month to 1
Business Development - business development is justyear.
another word for "sales." However, when salesAgain, when hiring a sales employee, you want to
candidates have the term "Business Development" onmatch sales cycles. A business development
their resume, potential employers may perceive themrepresentative who is used to dealing with a sales
to be a "Hunter" rather than a "Farmer."cycle of 1 month may not be as successful in a job
Hunter - just as the name sounds, a hunter is a termthat is conducive to sales cycles of up to a year.
for a sales representative that actively goes out andObviously, there are exceptions. However, this is
finds new business. A hunter is the opposite of asomething clients typically want.
farmer.Industry Contacts - candidates who have contacts in
Farmer - a farmer, in sales is someone who isthe industry in which the client hopes to sell into are
considered to take more inbound business than go outworth more on the open market because they don't
and do new business development or a.k.a. behave much of what is called ramp-up time.
considered a hunter.Ramp-up Time - ramp-up time is the time it takes a
Sales Quota- sales quota was how much revenue thesales representative to learn the product and,
sales representative was responsible for driving atsubsequent company that just employed them.
their last or current position. When looking throughObviously, things like industry knowledge and industry
resumes, you always want to match quotas.related contacts whom they can sell to in a quicker
For instance, a sales representative who carried anfashion, lessens the length of the perceived ramp-up
annual quota of $300,000 would probably not be goodtime. This leads to quicker ROI from the hire.
for a job which requires the business development30 / 60 / 90 - presentation that a potential sales
professional to carry a quota of $10m.employee lays down which includes a sales game plan
Industry Verticals Sold Into - a vertical is just a fancyfor the first 30 / 60 / 90 days of employment. More
term for an industry. When looking at sales resumes,often than not, this is provided to the employer via a
you want to match up verticals. To give an example, ifPowerPoint presentation.
someone sold software at their last position into theUpside Potential or OTE - O.T.E. is an acronym that
education vertical, they are not a fit for a job thatdescribes that additional money that a sales
requires hair care sales into salons.professional can make in conjunction with their base
Cold-calling or Prospecting - cold-calling or prospectingsalary. This is also known as the upside potential. The
is a key phrase that most clients want to see on aO.T.E. or upside potential can be expressed in dollars
resume. This is the act of contacting a potential clientof a percentage of the sales representative's base
who does not know you and beginning to establish asalary.
relationship to begin what is called the sales cycle.