Knowledge base
CRM glossary
64 terms buyers run into, defined in plain English and linked to the guides, industries and services where they matter.
- 64 terms
- 7 categories
- Browse the knowledge base
A
- Account · Company recordCRM basicsA record for a business you sell to, grouping the contacts, deals and activity that belong to that company.
- ActivityCRM basicsA logged interaction or task: a call, email, meeting, note or follow-up attached to a contact, account or deal.
- Annual billing · Annual prepayPricing and contractsPaying for a year up front in exchange for a lower monthly rate than month-to-month billing.
- API · Application programming interfaceData and integrationsThe interface developers use to read and write CRM data from other software.
- AttributionMarketingCrediting revenue to the marketing sources and touches that produced it, such as ads, referrals or events.
- Auto-renewalPricing and contractsA contract clause that renews your subscription for another term unless you cancel by a notice date.
C
- Conflict checkIndustry termsSearching a firm's records for parties whose interests conflict with a prospective client, before accepting a matter.
- ContactCRM basicsA record for one person: name, email, phone, the company they work for and the history of every interaction with them.
- CRM · Customer relationship managementCRM basicsSoftware that stores every contact, conversation and deal in one place so a team can manage relationships and sales consistently.
- CRM administrator · CRM adminSelection and rolloutThe person responsible for configuring the CRM, managing users and permissions, and keeping data clean.
- CRM health check · CRM auditSelection and rolloutA review of an existing CRM's setup, data quality, adoption and cost to find what to fix before replacing it.
- Custodian integrationIndustry termsA data feed from the firm holding client assets, such as Schwab or Fidelity, into an advisor's CRM.
- Custom field · Custom propertyCRM basicsA field you add to a record to capture information the CRM doesn't track out of the box, like loan type, practice area or contract end date.
- Custom objectCRM basicsA new record type you define, such as Properties, Policies or Projects, with its own fields and links to contacts and deals.
D
- Data exportData and integrationsGetting all of your records, activity and files out of a CRM in a usable format.
- Data migrationData and integrationsMoving contacts, deals, activities and files from an old system into a new CRM.
- Deal · OpportunityCRM basicsA potential sale with an expected value and close date, tracked through the stages of your pipeline.
- Deduplication · DedupeData and integrationsFinding and merging duplicate records so each person or company appears once.
- Demo script · Scripted demoSelection and rolloutA set of your real scenarios every vendor must walk through in a demo, so products are compared on the same tasks.
- DispatchIndustry termsAssigning jobs to technicians and crews, and routing them through the day.
- Drip campaignMarketingA pre-written series of emails or texts sent automatically on a schedule after someone signs up or reaches a stage.
F
- Field mappingData and integrationsMatching each field in one system to its counterpart in another, for an integration or a migration.
- Field service management · FSMIndustry termsSoftware for trades and service businesses that combines a CRM with scheduling, dispatch, quotes, invoicing and payments.
- Free plan · FreemiumPricing and contractsA permanently free tier with limited users or features, unlike a time-limited trial.
H
I
- IDX · Internet Data ExchangeIndustry termsThe policy and feeds that let real estate brokers display MLS listings on their websites, which generate buyer leads.
- Implementation partner · Systems integratorSelection and rolloutA consulting firm that configures and launches a CRM for you, common with Salesforce and Dynamics.
- Industry CRM · Vertical CRMIndustry termsA CRM built for one industry, with its key integrations, workflows and compliance features included.
- iPaaS · ZapierData and integrationsA no-code integration service, such as Zapier or Make, that connects apps by moving data when something happens in one of them.
L
- LeadCRM basicsA person or company that has shown interest but hasn't yet been qualified as a real sales opportunity.
- Lead nurturingMarketingStaying in touch with leads who aren't ready to buy yet, using useful content and timed follow-up until they are.
- Lead routing · Lead assignmentSales processAutomatically assigning new leads to the right rep by territory, product, round robin or availability.
- Lead scoringSales processRanking leads by how likely they are to buy, using points for traits (title, company size) and behavior (email opens, page visits).
- Legal intake · Client intakeIndustry termsThe steps between a potential client's first contact and an opened matter: screening, conflict check, consultation and engagement letter.
- Lifecycle stageMarketingWhere a contact stands in the overall relationship: subscriber, lead, MQL, SQL, opportunity, customer.
- Loan origination system · LOSIndustry termsThe system lenders use to take, process and close mortgage loans, such as ICE's Encompass.
M
- Marketing automationMarketingSoftware that sends emails, scores leads and moves contacts between stages automatically based on rules and behavior.
- MQL · Marketing qualified leadMarketingA lead marketing judges ready for sales follow-up, based on fit and engagement such as a demo request or pricing page visit.
N
O
P
- Paid add-on · Add-onPricing and contractsA feature sold separately from the base plan, such as lead generation tools, AI features or extra storage.
- Per-user pricing · Per-seat pricingPricing and contractsPaying a monthly fee for each person who logs into the CRM, the most common CRM pricing model.
- Pipeline stage · Deal stageCRM basicsOne step in the sales pipeline, such as Qualified, Proposal sent or Negotiation, often with a probability of closing attached.
- Power dialer · Auto dialerSales processA calling tool that dials the next number on a list automatically, so reps spend their time talking rather than dialing.
- Practice management softwareIndustry termsSoftware law firms use to run matters: calendars, deadlines, documents, time tracking and billing.
- Price increase cap · Renewal capPricing and contractsA contract term limiting how much the vendor can raise your price at renewal, often stated as a percentage.
Q
R
- Record permissions · Roles and permissionsData and integrationsRules that control who can see, edit or delete which records and fields.
- Requirements briefSelection and rolloutA short document listing what the CRM must do, which systems it must connect to and what the budget is, agreed before demos.
- RFP · Request for proposalSelection and rolloutA formal document asking vendors to answer the same questions and price the same scope, used by larger buyers.
S
- Sales cadence · SequenceSales processA scheduled series of emails, calls and tasks a rep follows with a prospect until they respond.
- Sales forecastSales processA projection of revenue expected to close in a period, built from deal values, close dates and stage probabilities.
- Sales pipeline · PipelineCRM basicsThe ordered set of stages a deal moves through, from first contact to closed, usually shown as a board or list.
- Sales velocitySales processHow fast a pipeline produces revenue: opportunities × average deal size × win rate ÷ sales cycle length.
- SandboxSelection and rolloutA copy of your CRM for testing changes and integrations without touching live data.
- Seat minimumPricing and contractsThe fewest users a plan will bill for, even if fewer people use it.
- Single sign-on · SSOData and integrationsLogging into the CRM with your company identity provider, such as Microsoft Entra ID, Google or Okta, instead of a separate password.
- SQL · Sales qualified leadMarketingA lead a salesperson has confirmed has the need, budget and timing to become a real opportunity.
T
- Territory managementSales processDividing accounts among reps by geography, industry or size, with rules that control ownership and visibility.
- Total cost of ownership · TCOPricing and contractsEverything a CRM costs over a period: seats, required fees, add-ons, usage, integrations and the time to run it.
- Two-way sync · Bi-directional syncData and integrationsAn integration where changes in either system update the other, rather than data flowing in only one direction.