Definition

Opportunity is a qualified sales prospect that has been determined to have a genuine need for your product or service, the authority and budget to make a purchase decision, and a defined timeline for taking action.

What is an Opportunity?

The concept of sales opportunities has existed since the formalization of sales methodologies in the mid-20th century. However, it gained particular prominence in the 1980s and 1990s with the development of structured sales processes and the introduction of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems that needed standardized ways to track potential deals.

In modern sales organizations, an opportunity represents the transition from a qualified lead to a potential revenue event that can be forecast and managed through a defined sales process. Today's sales intelligence platforms like Saber help teams more accurately identify and prioritize opportunities by analyzing engagement patterns, relationship networks, and historical deal data to predict which opportunities have the highest likelihood of closing successfully.

How Opportunities Work

Opportunities move through a structured sales process with defined stages that help organizations forecast revenue and manage sales activities.

• Opportunity Creation: A lead becomes an opportunity when it meets specific qualification criteria and enters the formal sales process, typically requiring approval from a sales representative or manager.

• Opportunity Stages: Each opportunity progresses through predetermined stages (such as Discovery, Solution Development, Proposal, Negotiation, Closed Won/Lost) with specific milestones and activities for each stage.

• Opportunity Management: Sales representatives track key details including potential value, probability of closing, expected close date, decision-makers involved, and competitive factors.

• Opportunity Scoring: Many organizations use data-driven scoring models to assess opportunity health and likelihood of closing based on various engagement and activity signals.

Example of an Opportunity

A sales representative at an enterprise software company identifies a potential opportunity with a mid-sized financial services firm. After an initial discovery call confirms the prospect has a legitimate need for their compliance solution, budget approval for the project, and plans to implement within the next quarter, the rep creates an opportunity in their CRM. The opportunity is valued at $75,000 based on the number of users and modules required, assigned a 40% probability of closing in the discovery stage, and forecasted to close in 90 days. As the deal progresses through solution demonstration, technical validation, and contract negotiations, both the probability percentage and forecast accuracy increase.

Why Opportunities Matter in B2B Sales

Opportunities form the foundation of sales forecasting and revenue predictability, critical functions for business planning and resource allocation. By formalizing the tracking of potential deals, companies can analyze patterns in their sales pipeline, identify bottlenecks in their process, and make data-driven decisions to improve win rates and accelerate deal velocity. For individual sales representatives, properly managing opportunities ensures they focus on qualified prospects with genuine potential rather than spending time on leads unlikely to convert. Additionally, opportunity data provides valuable insights that help organizations continuously refine their ideal customer profile and sales strategies.