WGU – D099 Sales Management – Western Governors University – Complete
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
"right" principle - ansGetting the right goods or services to the right people at the right place,
time, and price, using the right promotional techniques
360-degree customer view - ansA process of collecting aggregated data from various
customer touchpoints for complete understanding of the customer and to guide interactions
with the customer
401(k) plans - ansA qualified retirement plan that allows eligible employees of a company to
save and invest for their own retirement on a tax-deferred basis
80/20 rule - ansSuggests that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your
results
absolute error percentage - ansA measure of error that can be calculated by subtracting the
absolute value of the difference between the actual sales and the forecasted sales divided by
the actual sales
absorption costing - ansCompanies treat all manufacturing costs, including both fixed and
variable manufacturing costs, as product costs
account management - ansMaintaining a long-term relationship with customers who
purchased from the firm in the past
account-based marketing (ABM) - ansConcentrates sales and marketing resources on a
clearly defined set of target accounts within a market and employs personalized campaigns
designed to resonate with each account
accounts - ansCurrent business clients' records of transactions
achievement test - ansA type of test that measures someone's current knowledge
Active accounts - ansHave consistent transactions and engagement with the business
activity center - ansAn activity center is a unit of the organization that performs some activity
activity goals - ansA metric that measures how many sales calls of each type a representative
has to make in a certain period of time
Activity-based costing - ansA costing method that first assigns costs to activities, then assigns
costs to products based on their consumption of activities
adaptive selling - ansUsing social styles to customize a sales approach to the specific
customer
Affective job satisfaction - ansA person's emotional feeling about the job as a whole
Affiliative selling relationships - ansA situation where the buyer needs extensive expertise
from the seller to make a decision
algorithm - ansA process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-
solving operations, especially by a computer
Alliance agreements - ansA formal agreement among companies who want to share resources
to create a competitive advantage
American Marketing Association Code of Conduct/Ethics (AMA) - ansAmerican Marketing
Association's standard of professional ethical norms and values for its members
(practitioners, academics and students)
,WGU – D099 Sales Management – Western Governors University – Complete
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
Analytical decision-making - ansAn approach where a leader or manager only makes
important business decisions with solid data or information in hand
applicant pool - ansThe total number of people who have applied for an open position
approach - ansThe salesperson meets the buyer and introduces the company
aptitude test - ansA type of test that measures a person's ability to learn new skills
artificial intelligence - ansAn area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of
intelligent machines that work and react like humans
assumptions - ansAnything that is accepted as true or certain to happen, without any proof
Asynchronous learning - ansSelf-directed learning with no instructor
balance sheet - ansA balance sheet is a statement of assets, liabilities, and capital for an
organization at a particular point in time
Behavioral data - ansData based on a customer's action or behavior
big data - ansLarge, complex data sets that require nontraditional data processing software
big data analytics - ansLarge, complex data sets that require non-traditional data processing
software to predict trends and forecasts
Biographical information blanks (BIBs) - ansA series of questions about a person's history
that may have shaped his or her behavior
BOFU - ansMarketing acronym for the bottom of the sales/buyer journey funnel
boundary spanners - ansAn individual who has the role of connecting an organization's
internal network with external sources of information
brag book - ansA list of recommendation letters, awards, and achievements that the candidate
shares with the interviewer
brand trust - ansThe willingness of the average consumer to rely on the ability of the brand to
perform its stated function.
breakdown model - ansDetermining the size of a sales force by dividing the sales expected
from each representative
Brown bag lunch training delivery - ansA training delivery meant to create an informal
atmosphere in which the training occurs during lunchtime, employees bring their food, and
someone presents training information to them
business-to-business (B2B) - ansSales to another company that consumes the product or
services as part of operating the business or uses the product in the assembly of the final
product it sells to consumers
business development - ansActivities to develop and implement growth opportunities within
organizations
Business intelligence (BI) - ansThe use of data in an enterprise to facilitate decision-making.
It encompasses understanding the actual operation of the company, as well as the anticipation
of future events, with the aim of providing knowledge to support business decisions
business-to-consumer (B2C) - ansSales made to individual consumers rather than to other
businesses
,WGU – D099 Sales Management – Western Governors University – Complete
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
Business-to-government (B2G) markets - ansWhen companies sell to local, state, and federal
governments
buyer's journey - ansThe buyer's journey is the process buyers go through to become aware
of, consider and evaluate, and decide to purchase a new product or service
buying center - ansAlso called decision-making unit (DMU), brings together all those
members of an organization who become involved in the buying process for a particular
product or service
buying centers - ansA group of people within an organization who make business purchasing
decisions
buying power - ansPurchasing power
C-suite - ansThe executive-level managers within a company
capital budgeting - ansThe budgeting process to evaluate potential major projects or
investments
Central tendency error - ansThe tendency of managers and interviewers to rate all or most of
the employees or interviewees as average
Centralization - ansThe concentration of control of an activity under a single authority
clinical selection approach - ansA selection approach where decision makers review the data
and, based on what they learn from the candidate and the information available to them,
decide who should be hired for a job
close rate - ansThe number of deals closed versus the number of opportunities in the pipeline
*Close Rate = Number of deals closed / Number of opportunities x 100*
Closing the sale - ansAgreeing on the terms of the sale and finalizing the transaction
Co-marketing agreements - ansAn agreement where companies share resources to market
their products together
code of ethics - ansA document that outlines the mission and values of the business or
organization, how professionals are supposed to approach problems, the ethical principles
based on the organization's core values, and the standards to which the professional is held
cognitive ability test - ansA type of test that measures reasoning skills, math skills, and verbal
skills
Cognitive job satisfaction - ansHow satisfied employees feel concerning some aspect of their
job, such as pay, hours, or benefits
cold calling - ansMaking an unsolicited call on (someone), by telephone or in person, in an
attempt to sell goods or services
cold calls - ansSales calls to a person without any information on that person's interest or
interactions with the company or product
commission - ansA form of variable pay that is contingent on discretion, performance, or
results achieved
company-direct - ansThe producer sells a product to a consumer directly
, WGU – D099 Sales Management – Western Governors University – Complete
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
compensatory model - ansA type of statistical approach that permits a high score in an
important area to make up for a lower score in another area
competitive advantage - ansA condition or circumstance that puts a company in a favorable
or superior business position.
competitors - ansFirms that provide similar products or services and try to attract the same
customers
confirmatory bias - ansThe tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that
confirms a person's pre-existing beliefs
Conflict resolution - ansA set of ideas and ways to reduce sources of conflict
consultative selling - ansSales approach where the seller becomes a trusted advisor to the
customer and builds a relationship to truly understand his or her needs
control - ansMonitoring the behavior of organizational members and the effectiveness of the
organization itself to determine whether organizational goals are being achieved, and taking
corrective action if necessary
conversion rates - ansThe percentage of prospective customers who take a specific action you
want
Conversion ratios - ansA performance metric that measures how good a salesperson is at
moving customers from one stage in the selling cycle to the next
corporate structure - ansAn organization's different departments or business units within a
company to achieve its overall mission and goals
cost drivers - ansA cost driver is an activity or transaction that causes costs to be incurred
cost of living annual increases (COLAs) - ansA type of pay increase given to employees as an
annual inflationary increase
Criteria development - ansThe process of determining which sources of information will be
used and how those sources will be scored during the interview
CRM analytics - ansA systematic electronic analysis of customer data to improve decision-
making
cross-selling - ansA sales strategy aimed at generating more sales by suggesting additional,
related, or complementary items to a buyer who is already committed to making a purchase
customer (buyer) journey - ansA framework that acknowledges a buyer's progression through
a research and decision process ultimately culminating in a purchase
Customer acquisition - ansProcess of gaining new customers by persuading them to purchase
a company's products and/or services
customer lifetime value (CLV) - ansA prediction of the net profit attributed to the entire
future relationship with a customer
customer loyalty - ansHaving a positive attitude toward a product or brand, which induces
supportive behavior from the customer.
customer relationship management (CRM) - ansProcesses implemented by a company to
handle its contact with customers with the goal of creating a unified customer experience to
maximize retention
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
"right" principle - ansGetting the right goods or services to the right people at the right place,
time, and price, using the right promotional techniques
360-degree customer view - ansA process of collecting aggregated data from various
customer touchpoints for complete understanding of the customer and to guide interactions
with the customer
401(k) plans - ansA qualified retirement plan that allows eligible employees of a company to
save and invest for their own retirement on a tax-deferred basis
80/20 rule - ansSuggests that 20 percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your
results
absolute error percentage - ansA measure of error that can be calculated by subtracting the
absolute value of the difference between the actual sales and the forecasted sales divided by
the actual sales
absorption costing - ansCompanies treat all manufacturing costs, including both fixed and
variable manufacturing costs, as product costs
account management - ansMaintaining a long-term relationship with customers who
purchased from the firm in the past
account-based marketing (ABM) - ansConcentrates sales and marketing resources on a
clearly defined set of target accounts within a market and employs personalized campaigns
designed to resonate with each account
accounts - ansCurrent business clients' records of transactions
achievement test - ansA type of test that measures someone's current knowledge
Active accounts - ansHave consistent transactions and engagement with the business
activity center - ansAn activity center is a unit of the organization that performs some activity
activity goals - ansA metric that measures how many sales calls of each type a representative
has to make in a certain period of time
Activity-based costing - ansA costing method that first assigns costs to activities, then assigns
costs to products based on their consumption of activities
adaptive selling - ansUsing social styles to customize a sales approach to the specific
customer
Affective job satisfaction - ansA person's emotional feeling about the job as a whole
Affiliative selling relationships - ansA situation where the buyer needs extensive expertise
from the seller to make a decision
algorithm - ansA process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-
solving operations, especially by a computer
Alliance agreements - ansA formal agreement among companies who want to share resources
to create a competitive advantage
American Marketing Association Code of Conduct/Ethics (AMA) - ansAmerican Marketing
Association's standard of professional ethical norms and values for its members
(practitioners, academics and students)
,WGU – D099 Sales Management – Western Governors University – Complete
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
Analytical decision-making - ansAn approach where a leader or manager only makes
important business decisions with solid data or information in hand
applicant pool - ansThe total number of people who have applied for an open position
approach - ansThe salesperson meets the buyer and introduces the company
aptitude test - ansA type of test that measures a person's ability to learn new skills
artificial intelligence - ansAn area of computer science that emphasizes the creation of
intelligent machines that work and react like humans
assumptions - ansAnything that is accepted as true or certain to happen, without any proof
Asynchronous learning - ansSelf-directed learning with no instructor
balance sheet - ansA balance sheet is a statement of assets, liabilities, and capital for an
organization at a particular point in time
Behavioral data - ansData based on a customer's action or behavior
big data - ansLarge, complex data sets that require nontraditional data processing software
big data analytics - ansLarge, complex data sets that require non-traditional data processing
software to predict trends and forecasts
Biographical information blanks (BIBs) - ansA series of questions about a person's history
that may have shaped his or her behavior
BOFU - ansMarketing acronym for the bottom of the sales/buyer journey funnel
boundary spanners - ansAn individual who has the role of connecting an organization's
internal network with external sources of information
brag book - ansA list of recommendation letters, awards, and achievements that the candidate
shares with the interviewer
brand trust - ansThe willingness of the average consumer to rely on the ability of the brand to
perform its stated function.
breakdown model - ansDetermining the size of a sales force by dividing the sales expected
from each representative
Brown bag lunch training delivery - ansA training delivery meant to create an informal
atmosphere in which the training occurs during lunchtime, employees bring their food, and
someone presents training information to them
business-to-business (B2B) - ansSales to another company that consumes the product or
services as part of operating the business or uses the product in the assembly of the final
product it sells to consumers
business development - ansActivities to develop and implement growth opportunities within
organizations
Business intelligence (BI) - ansThe use of data in an enterprise to facilitate decision-making.
It encompasses understanding the actual operation of the company, as well as the anticipation
of future events, with the aim of providing knowledge to support business decisions
business-to-consumer (B2C) - ansSales made to individual consumers rather than to other
businesses
,WGU – D099 Sales Management – Western Governors University – Complete
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
Business-to-government (B2G) markets - ansWhen companies sell to local, state, and federal
governments
buyer's journey - ansThe buyer's journey is the process buyers go through to become aware
of, consider and evaluate, and decide to purchase a new product or service
buying center - ansAlso called decision-making unit (DMU), brings together all those
members of an organization who become involved in the buying process for a particular
product or service
buying centers - ansA group of people within an organization who make business purchasing
decisions
buying power - ansPurchasing power
C-suite - ansThe executive-level managers within a company
capital budgeting - ansThe budgeting process to evaluate potential major projects or
investments
Central tendency error - ansThe tendency of managers and interviewers to rate all or most of
the employees or interviewees as average
Centralization - ansThe concentration of control of an activity under a single authority
clinical selection approach - ansA selection approach where decision makers review the data
and, based on what they learn from the candidate and the information available to them,
decide who should be hired for a job
close rate - ansThe number of deals closed versus the number of opportunities in the pipeline
*Close Rate = Number of deals closed / Number of opportunities x 100*
Closing the sale - ansAgreeing on the terms of the sale and finalizing the transaction
Co-marketing agreements - ansAn agreement where companies share resources to market
their products together
code of ethics - ansA document that outlines the mission and values of the business or
organization, how professionals are supposed to approach problems, the ethical principles
based on the organization's core values, and the standards to which the professional is held
cognitive ability test - ansA type of test that measures reasoning skills, math skills, and verbal
skills
Cognitive job satisfaction - ansHow satisfied employees feel concerning some aspect of their
job, such as pay, hours, or benefits
cold calling - ansMaking an unsolicited call on (someone), by telephone or in person, in an
attempt to sell goods or services
cold calls - ansSales calls to a person without any information on that person's interest or
interactions with the company or product
commission - ansA form of variable pay that is contingent on discretion, performance, or
results achieved
company-direct - ansThe producer sells a product to a consumer directly
, WGU – D099 Sales Management – Western Governors University – Complete
Study Guide with Definitions and Concepts.
A complete study guide for the course "D099 Sales Management" at Western
Governors University. It contains a comprehensive list of key concepts,
definitions, formulas, and explanations relevant to sales management,
including topics such as CRM, sales forecasting, B2B vs. B2C, KPIs,
compensation plans, and organizational structures. The content is aligned
with the course objectives and serves as an excellent resource for exam
preparation and concept mastery.
Latest updated Guide 2025/2026
compensatory model - ansA type of statistical approach that permits a high score in an
important area to make up for a lower score in another area
competitive advantage - ansA condition or circumstance that puts a company in a favorable
or superior business position.
competitors - ansFirms that provide similar products or services and try to attract the same
customers
confirmatory bias - ansThe tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that
confirms a person's pre-existing beliefs
Conflict resolution - ansA set of ideas and ways to reduce sources of conflict
consultative selling - ansSales approach where the seller becomes a trusted advisor to the
customer and builds a relationship to truly understand his or her needs
control - ansMonitoring the behavior of organizational members and the effectiveness of the
organization itself to determine whether organizational goals are being achieved, and taking
corrective action if necessary
conversion rates - ansThe percentage of prospective customers who take a specific action you
want
Conversion ratios - ansA performance metric that measures how good a salesperson is at
moving customers from one stage in the selling cycle to the next
corporate structure - ansAn organization's different departments or business units within a
company to achieve its overall mission and goals
cost drivers - ansA cost driver is an activity or transaction that causes costs to be incurred
cost of living annual increases (COLAs) - ansA type of pay increase given to employees as an
annual inflationary increase
Criteria development - ansThe process of determining which sources of information will be
used and how those sources will be scored during the interview
CRM analytics - ansA systematic electronic analysis of customer data to improve decision-
making
cross-selling - ansA sales strategy aimed at generating more sales by suggesting additional,
related, or complementary items to a buyer who is already committed to making a purchase
customer (buyer) journey - ansA framework that acknowledges a buyer's progression through
a research and decision process ultimately culminating in a purchase
Customer acquisition - ansProcess of gaining new customers by persuading them to purchase
a company's products and/or services
customer lifetime value (CLV) - ansA prediction of the net profit attributed to the entire
future relationship with a customer
customer loyalty - ansHaving a positive attitude toward a product or brand, which induces
supportive behavior from the customer.
customer relationship management (CRM) - ansProcesses implemented by a company to
handle its contact with customers with the goal of creating a unified customer experience to
maximize retention
