Sales Dictionary
Opportunity
Definition
A qualified lead that is being actively pursued by sales.
Deep Dive
In sales and business development, an "opportunity" represents a qualified lead that has a high potential to become a paying customer and is actively being pursued by the sales team. Unlike a raw lead, an opportunity has typically passed through an initial qualification stage where its budget, authority, need, and timeline (BANT) or similar criteria have been assessed and confirmed. This means the prospect has a recognized need, the financial capacity, the decision-making power, and a defined timeframe for purchase.
Examples & Use Cases
- 1A marketing-qualified lead (MQL) from a webinar expresses direct interest in a demo, confirms their budget, and has a clear need, thus becoming an opportunity for the sales team to actively pursue.
- 2A B2B software company identifies a prospect who has downloaded several whitepapers, attended a product demo, and scheduled a follow-up call to discuss specific implementation details, indicating a strong opportunity.
Related Terms
Lead QualificationSales PipelineCRM