Cold Email & Sales Glossary

Master the language of successful cold email and B2B sales. Over 100 essential terms defined and explained.

A

A/B Testing

The practice of sending two different versions of an email to see which performs better. Commonly used to test subject lines, email content, or …

Analytics Read more →

Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

A strategic approach to B2B marketing where you target specific high-value accounts with personalized campaigns rather than casting a wide net.

Strategy Read more →

Autoresponder

An automated email sequence that is triggered by specific actions or time intervals. Essential for nurturing leads through the sales funnel.

Automation Read more →

Average Order Value (AOV)

The average amount spent each time a customer places an order. Used to measure the effectiveness of upselling and cross-selling strategies.

Metrics Read more →

Abandonment Email

Automated emails sent to prospects who started but didn't complete a desired action, like filling out a form or booking a demo.

Automation Read more →

Above the Fold

The portion of an email that's visible without scrolling. Critical real estate for capturing attention and including key messages.

Design Read more →

Acceptance Rate

The percentage of emails that are accepted by the receiving mail server, regardless of whether they reach the inbox or spam folder.

Deliverability Read more →

Attribution Modeling

Method of determining which touchpoints in the customer journey contributed to conversions or sales.

Analytics Read more →

B

Blacklist

A list of email addresses or domains that are blocked from receiving emails. Getting blacklisted severely impacts email deliverability.

Deliverability Read more →

Bounce Rate

The percentage of emails that cannot be delivered to recipients' inboxes. High bounce rates can damage sender reputation.

Deliverability Read more →

B2B Sales

Business-to-business sales where companies sell products or services to other businesses rather than individual consumers.

Sales Read more →

Buyer Persona

A semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.

Targeting Read more →

Breakup Email

The final email in a sequence, typically sent when a prospect hasn't responded after multiple attempts. Often gets the highest response rates.

Outreach Read more →

Bulk Email

Large-scale email sending to multiple recipients simultaneously. Requires careful management to maintain deliverability.

Outreach Read more →

Behavioral Targeting

Targeting prospects based on their actions, behaviors, and engagement patterns rather than just demographic data.

Targeting Read more →

C

Call-to-Action (CTA)

A prompt that encourages the recipient to take a specific action, such as clicking a link, downloading content, or scheduling a call.

Copywriting Read more →

Cold Email

An unsolicited email sent to a potential customer with whom you have no prior relationship. The foundation of outbound sales and marketing.

Outreach Read more →

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The percentage of email recipients who clicked on one or more links in your email. A key metric for measuring engagement.

Metrics Read more →

Conversion Rate

The percentage of email recipients who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or booking a demo.

Metrics Read more →

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

The total cost of acquiring a new customer, including all marketing and sales expenses divided by the number of customers acquired.

Metrics Read more →

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

The total amount of money a customer is expected to spend with your business during their entire relationship.

Metrics Read more →

CAN-SPAM Act

U.S. law that sets rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, and gives recipients the right to stop emails.

Compliance Read more →

Cadence

The timing and rhythm of your email outreach sequence, including how many emails to send and when to send them.

Outreach Read more →

Champion

An internal advocate at a prospect's company who supports your solution and helps navigate the sales process.

Sales Read more →

Churn Rate

The percentage of customers who stop using your product or service during a given time period.

Metrics Read more →

Cross-selling

Sales technique where you offer complementary products or services to existing customers.

Sales Read more →

D

Deliverability

The ability of an email to successfully reach the recipient's inbox rather than being filtered into spam or bouncing back.

Deliverability Read more →

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

An email authentication method that allows the receiver to check that an email was indeed sent and authorized by the owner of that domain.

Technical Read more →

Double Opt-in

A confirmation process where subscribers must verify their email address by clicking a link in a confirmation email before being added to a mailing …

Compliance Read more →

Drip Campaign

A series of automated emails sent over time to nurture leads or customers. Each email is 'dripped' out according to a predetermined schedule.

Automation Read more →

Decision Maker

The person at a prospect's company who has the authority to make purchasing decisions for your product or service.

Sales Read more →

Deliverability Rate

The percentage of emails that successfully reach recipients' mailboxes (inbox or spam folder) without bouncing.

Deliverability Read more →

DMARC

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance - an email authentication protocol that builds on SPF and DKIM.

Technical Read more →

Data Enrichment

The process of enhancing existing contact data with additional information like job titles, company size, or social media profiles.

Data Read more →

E

Email Authentication

Technical methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) used to verify that an email is legitimate and not spoofed or forged.

Technical Read more →

Email Warm-up

The process of gradually increasing email sending volume and establishing a positive sender reputation with email service providers.

Deliverability Read more →

Engagement Rate

A metric that measures how actively recipients interact with your emails through opens, clicks, replies, and forwards.

Metrics Read more →

Email Client

Software applications used to access and manage email, such as Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, or mobile email apps.

Technical Read more →

Email Service Provider (ESP)

Companies that provide email marketing services, tools, and infrastructure for sending bulk emails.

Technical Read more →

Email Throttling

Deliberately controlling the rate of email sending to maintain good deliverability and avoid triggering spam filters.

Deliverability Read more →

F

Follow-up

Additional emails sent to prospects who haven't responded to your initial outreach. Critical for cold email success as most replies come from …

Outreach Read more →

From Line

The sender name and email address that appears in the recipient's inbox. A crucial element that affects open rates.

Copywriting Read more →

Frequency Capping

Limiting the number of emails sent to a recipient within a specific time period to prevent overwhelming them.

Deliverability Read more →

Feedback Loop

A service provided by ISPs that notifies senders when recipients mark their emails as spam.

Deliverability Read more →

G

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

European privacy regulation that affects how businesses collect, store, and use personal data, including email addresses.

Compliance Read more →

Gatekeeper

A person (often an assistant) who controls access to decision-makers. Common obstacle in B2B sales that requires specific strategies to overcome.

Sales Read more →

Growth Hacking

Marketing strategies focused on rapid growth through creative, low-cost tactics and data-driven experiments.

Strategy Read more →

Go-to-Market Strategy

A plan that details how a company will reach target customers and achieve competitive advantage.

Strategy Read more →

H

Hard Bounce

An email that cannot be delivered due to a permanent reason, such as an invalid email address or blocked domain.

Deliverability Read more →

HTML Email

Emails formatted with HTML code that can include images, colors, fonts, and layout designs, as opposed to plain text emails.

Technical Read more →

Hook

An attention-grabbing opening line or element in an email designed to capture the recipient's interest immediately.

Copywriting Read more →

I

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

A description of the company that would get the most value from your product or service and would be most likely to buy.

Targeting Read more →

Inbox Placement Rate (IPR)

The percentage of sent emails that successfully land in the recipient's primary inbox rather than spam or other folders.

Deliverability Read more →

Inbound Sales

Sales strategy where potential customers reach out first after being attracted by content marketing, SEO, or other marketing efforts.

Sales Read more →

IP Warming

The process of gradually increasing email volume from a new IP address to build a positive sender reputation.

Deliverability Read more →

Intent Data

Information about prospects' online behavior that indicates their likelihood to purchase, such as content consumption or search patterns.

Data Read more →

L

Lead Generation

The process of identifying and cultivating potential customers for your business's products or services.

Sales Read more →

Lead Nurturing

The process of developing relationships with buyers at every stage of the sales funnel through targeted content and communication.

Sales Read more →

Lead Scoring

A methodology used to rank prospects based on their likelihood to become customers, often using demographic and behavioral data.

Sales Read more →

List Hygiene

The practice of regularly cleaning your email list by removing invalid, inactive, or unengaged email addresses.

Deliverability Read more →

Lead Magnet

Valuable content offered in exchange for a prospect's contact information, such as ebooks, templates, or webinars.

Lead Generation Read more →

Lifecycle Email

Automated emails triggered by specific customer behaviors or milestones in their journey with your company.

Automation Read more →

M

Mail Merge

The process of personalizing bulk emails by automatically inserting recipient-specific information like names, companies, or other data.

Personalization Read more →

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

A lead that has been deemed more likely to become a customer compared to other leads based on engagement and behavior.

Sales Read more →

Mass Email

Sending identical or similar emails to a large number of recipients simultaneously, often used for announcements or promotions.

Outreach Read more →

Multi-touch Campaign

A marketing campaign that uses multiple touchpoints (emails, calls, social media) to engage prospects across different channels.

Strategy Read more →

Marketing Automation

Technology that automatically manages marketing processes and campaigns across multiple channels.

Automation Read more →

O

Open Rate

The percentage of email recipients who open your email. A fundamental metric for measuring the effectiveness of subject lines.

Metrics Read more →

Opt-in

The process by which someone gives explicit permission to receive emails from your organization.

Compliance Read more →

Outbound Sales

A sales strategy where sales representatives proactively reach out to potential customers through cold calls, emails, or social media.

Sales Read more →

Onboarding Sequence

A series of emails designed to welcome new customers and help them get started with your product or service.

Automation Read more →

Opt-out

The process by which recipients can unsubscribe from receiving future emails, required by law in most jurisdictions.

Compliance Read more →

Omnichannel

A marketing approach that provides a seamless customer experience across all channels and touchpoints.

Strategy Read more →

P

Personalization

The practice of tailoring email content to individual recipients using their name, company, industry, or other relevant information.

Personalization Read more →

Pipeline

A visual representation of where prospects are in the sales process, from initial contact to closed deal.

Sales Read more →

Plain Text Email

Emails sent without HTML formatting, containing only text. Often preferred for cold outreach as they feel more personal.

Technical Read more →

Prospecting

The process of identifying and qualifying potential customers who might be interested in your product or service.

Sales Read more →

Pain Point

A specific problem that potential customers are experiencing that your product or service can solve.

Sales Read more →

Preheader Text

The short summary text that follows the subject line in email inboxes, providing additional context to encourage opens.

Copywriting Read more →

Progressive Profiling

Gradually collecting more information about prospects over time rather than asking for everything upfront.

Data Read more →

Q

Qualified Lead

A prospect who has been researched and vetted to have a higher probability of becoming a customer.

Sales Read more →

Qualification Framework

Systematic approach to evaluating prospects (like BANT, MEDDIC, or CHAMP) to determine their likelihood to buy.

Sales Read more →

R

Reply Rate

The percentage of sent emails that receive a response from the recipient. A key metric for cold email effectiveness.

Metrics Read more →

Reputation Score

A measure of your sender reputation based on factors like bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement metrics.

Deliverability Read more →

Referral Email

Emails sent to ask satisfied customers to refer friends, colleagues, or other potential customers to your business.

Growth Read more →

Re-engagement Campaign

Email sequence designed to win back inactive subscribers or customers who haven't engaged with your emails recently.

Automation Read more →

Revenue Operations

Business function that aligns sales, marketing, and customer success operations to drive growth and efficiency.

Operations Read more →

S

Sales Accepted Lead (SAL)

A marketing qualified lead that has been reviewed and accepted by the sales team as worthy of direct sales follow-up.

Sales Read more →

Sales Development Representative (SDR)

A sales professional focused on prospecting, qualifying leads, and setting up meetings for account executives.

Sales Read more →

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

A prospective customer that has been researched and vetted by both marketing and sales teams and is ready for the next stage.

Sales Read more →

Sender Authentication

Technical protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) that verify the legitimacy of email senders to improve deliverability.

Technical Read more →

Sender Reputation

A score that Internet Service Providers assign to organizations that send email, affecting whether emails reach the inbox or spam folder.

Deliverability Read more →

Sequence

A series of emails sent to prospects over time, typically including an initial email and several follow-ups.

Outreach Read more →

Soft Bounce

A temporary failure in email delivery, often due to a full inbox or temporary server issues.

Deliverability Read more →

Spam

Unsolicited bulk email, often commercial in nature. Cold emails must be carefully crafted to avoid being classified as spam.

Compliance Read more →

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

An email authentication method that helps prevent spammers from sending emails on behalf of your domain.

Technical Read more →

Subject Line

The first line of text recipients see when they receive your email. Critical for determining whether emails get opened.

Copywriting Read more →

Social Proof

Evidence that other people have used and benefited from your product, such as testimonials, case studies, or customer logos.

Copywriting Read more →

Split Testing

Another term for A/B testing - comparing two versions of an email to see which performs better.

Analytics Read more →

Sales Intelligence

Technology and data used to better understand prospects and customers to improve sales effectiveness.

Sales Read more →

T

Target Audience

The specific group of people most likely to be interested in your product or service, defined by demographics and characteristics.

Targeting Read more →

Template

A pre-written email format that can be customized and reused for different prospects while maintaining personalization.

Outreach Read more →

Throttling

The practice of controlling the rate at which emails are sent to avoid triggering spam filters or overwhelming recipients.

Deliverability Read more →

Touchpoint

Any interaction between your company and a prospect or customer, including emails, phone calls, meetings, or social media interactions.

Sales Read more →

Trigger Email

Automated emails sent in response to specific actions or behaviors, such as signing up, making a purchase, or abandoning a cart.

Automation Read more →

Territory Management

Process of organizing and optimizing sales territories to maximize coverage and revenue potential.

Sales Read more →

U

Unsubscribe Rate

The percentage of email recipients who opt out of receiving future emails from your organization.

Metrics Read more →

Upselling

Sales technique where you encourage customers to purchase a more expensive version of a product they're already considering.

Sales Read more →

V

Value Proposition

A clear statement that explains how your product solves customers' problems, delivers specific benefits, and why it's better than alternatives.

Copywriting Read more →

Velocity

The speed at which leads move through your sales pipeline, from initial contact to closed deal.

Sales Read more →

W

Warm Email

An email sent to someone with whom you have an existing relationship or connection, as opposed to a completely cold prospect.

Outreach Read more →

Whitelist

A list of approved email addresses or domains that are allowed to bypass spam filters and reach the inbox.

Deliverability Read more →

Win Rate

The percentage of qualified opportunities that result in closed deals, indicating the effectiveness of your sales process.

Metrics Read more →

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