We’re back with Part 2 of our Revenue Glossary series. This time: D through K. These are the terms that cover how deals are run, how teams are structured, and how revenue organizations think about strategy.
Whether you’re prepping for a discovery call, figuring out what GTM really means, or building your vocabulary as you grow in your role, this is your reference.
Think there is something missing? Let us know!
D
Discovery (Call)
Often the most important conversation in the entire sales cycle. A discovery call is an early meeting designed to understand a prospect’s needs, challenges, and goals before you ever start proposing a solution. Done well, it shapes everything that follows.
Decision Maker
The person with the authority to say yes and commit budget. This is distinct from an influencer, an end user, or a champion. Identifying the true decision maker early is one of the most important things a rep can do in a complex deal.
Demo
A live demonstration of your product. The best demos are tailored to the prospect’s specific situation and challenges, not a generic feature tour. A great demo shows value in context. It doesn’t just list capabilities.
DMU (Decision-Making Unit)
The full group of people involved in a buying decision. In complex B2B deals, there’s almost never a single decision maker. The DMU typically includes economic buyers, champions, end users, gatekeepers, and more. Mapping it is a critical step.
E
Economic Buyer
The person who controls the budget and has final sign-off on the purchase. Not always the most vocal person in the room. Identifying and reaching the economic buyer is a key skill in enterprise selling.
Enablement (Sales Enablement)
The function that equips revenue teams with the training, content, and tools they need to sell effectively. Good enablement sits at the intersection of learning, content, and performance and directly impacts how quickly reps ramp and how consistently they perform.
Expansion
Growing revenue from existing customers through upsells, cross-sells, or additional seats. Expansion is one of the most efficient ways to grow a business and a primary driver of Net Revenue Retention.
F
Forecast / Forecasting
A prediction of how much revenue will close in a given period, based on pipeline and deal probability. Good forecasting is a discipline. It requires honest deal assessments, not optimism.
Funnel
A model of the buyer journey from first awareness through to closed deal, narrowing at each stage. Revenue teams track how prospects move through the funnel to understand where deals stall or fall off.
G
Gatekeeper
A person, often an assistant or receptionist, who controls access to a decision maker. Gatekeepers aren’t obstacles. Treating them with respect is both the right approach and, frankly, the smart one.
GRR (Gross Revenue Retention)
The percentage of recurring revenue retained from existing customers, excluding any expansion. GRR caps at 100%, so it’s a clean measure of retention without upsells masking churn in the numbers.
GTM (Go-to-Market)
The overall strategy for how a company brings a product to its customers. It covers target audience, channels, pricing, and messaging. A strong GTM strategy aligns sales, marketing, and product around a shared plan and a shared definition of who you’re trying to reach.
H
Handoff
The transfer of a prospect or customer from one role to another: for example, from SDR to AE, or from AE to CSM. A clean handoff means full context is passed along. A poor handoff means the customer has to repeat themselves, which is damaging to trust from the very start.
Health Score
A composite measure of how likely a customer is to renew or churn, based on usage data, engagement levels, and sentiment. CSMs use health scores to prioritize their time and identify accounts that need attention before problems become visible.
I
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
A detailed description of the type of company that gets the most value from your product and is the best fit to sell to. A well-defined ICP helps teams focus outreach and avoid spending time and energy chasing deals that were never going to be a good fit.
Inbound
Prospects who come to you, drawn in by marketing content, referrals, or brand awareness, rather than through outbound prospecting. Inbound leads typically arrive with higher intent because they’ve already expressed some level of interest.
Intent Data
Signals that suggest a prospect is actively researching a solution or ready to make a purchase decision. Intent data helps reps prioritize outreach, so time goes to the accounts most likely to convert right now rather than being spread evenly across the entire list.
J
The writer here. I cam unstuck. Can you help? Something with a J!?
K
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
A measurable value that shows how effectively a rep, team, or function is hitting a target. In revenue roles, common KPIs include meetings booked, pipeline created, win rate, and average deal size.
That’s D through K. Part 3 covers L through N, including some of the most important and most commonly misunderstood abbreviations used right across a business.
