Glossary
The lexicon of B2B sales and freelance selling
The terms of the trade, explained simply. From BIG vocabulary to B2B sales acronyms, so you speak the same language as the pros.
Acronyms, anglicisms and jargon: B2B sales has its own vocabulary. Here are the short definitions of the terms you'll come across on BIG and in our resources.
- Pass'D
- The sales mission a company publishes on BIG. It describes the context (industry, targets, deal size, sales cycle, skills) and is the reference for matching.
- BIG Score
- A score out of 100 per context, computed on six weighted criteria and rated by clients on every mission. It proves a rep's experience instead of declaring it.
- Day rate
- The price of a freelance rep's day of work. It varies with experience, industry and mission complexity.
- SDR (Sales Development Representative)
- A rep specialised in outbound prospecting: they identify and qualify new contacts to feed the pipeline, ahead of closing.
- BDR (Business Development Representative)
- Close to the SDR, they generate and qualify opportunities. The term often stresses opening new accounts and business development.
- AE (Account Executive)
- A rep in charge of closing sales. They take over qualified contacts and steer the deal through to signature.
- Closing
- The stage of concluding a sale: turning a qualified opportunity into a signed contract.
- Cold calling
- Cold phone prospecting: calling a contact who isn't expecting to be approached, to open a sales conversation.
- Cold emailing
- The email equivalent of cold calling: sending a cold message to a qualified prospect to start a sales relationship.
- ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
- The ideal customer profile: the typical description of the company your offer brings the most value to, guiding sales targeting.
- Persona
- The typical portrait of the targeted buyer at the client (their role, stakes, decision criteria). Selling to a CFO is nothing like selling to a CIO.
- Sales cycle
- The length and stages between first contact and signature. An SMB cycle is counted in days or weeks, an Enterprise cycle in months.
- Pipeline
- All the sales opportunities in progress, sorted by stage. A healthy pipeline is regularly fed and cleaned.
- MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)
- The predictable revenue generated each month by subscriptions or recurring contracts.
- ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue)
- The annual recurring revenue, i.e. MRR over twelve months. It's the key metric for subscription models.
- Referral partner
- A person who connects a client and a provider and earns a commission on the invoicing generated. On BIG, you set your referral rate, up to 20%.
- SMB / Mid-market / Enterprise
- Market segments by company size: small and medium businesses (SMB), mid-sized companies (Mid-market) and large accounts (Enterprise). Each segment has its own cycles and codes.
- New business vs Account management
- Two sales jobs: new business opens new accounts, account management develops and retains existing clients.
- Outsourced sales force
- Entrusting all or part of your sales activity to independents rather than employees. See our dedicated page on the outsourced sales force.