Sales·68·Added 2026-08-26

Move the needle

To achieve an outcome significant enough to register on senior management's radar, usually reserved for targets that are mathematically impossible.

What they actually mean

"Work harder for the same pay."

Heard in the wild

"Sending a weekly newsletter is nice, but we need something that's really going to move the needle."

More from Sales

ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

A mythical, highly cooperative target client who possesses an infinite budget, an urgent business need, and absolutely no procurement department to ruin the deal.

"This lead doesn't quite fit our ICP, but they seem keen."

Translation

They have zero budget and are just using us for free consulting.

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To quarterback

To nominally lead a high-stakes business deal from a safe distance, delegating all actual labor to juniors while reserving the right to accept the praise.

"I’ll quarterback the pitch, but I’ll need you to draft the slides, do the modeling, and present the actual proposal."

Translation

"I will say hello at the start of the meeting and take the credit at the end."

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Multi-threading

The desperate act of badgering multiple contacts at a target client organisation in the hope that at least one of them will accidentally reply.

"I'm multi-threading the account to make sure we have alignment across both IT and procurement."

Translation

"I am spamming five of them now instead of one."

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