| Qualify | In business-to-business, a process whereby respondents to an ad or a mailing are determined (usually by a telephone interview) to be worth a salesman’s time and attention. In efficient operations, a telemarketer will qualify an incoming lead before the name is sent to a salesman for action. |
| Quantitative easing | This is a policy used by authorities in extreme circumstances to ease pressure placed on banks. The authorities buy bonds from the banks and from the commercial sector to make sure banks have enough cash to continue operating. |
| Quantitative easing (qe) | Central bank purchases of financial assets aimed at reducing interest rates on those assets when conventional monetary policy is ineffective because the policy interest rate is at the zero lower bound. See also: zero lower bound. |
| Quantity discount | A reduction in total price given in exchange for an agreement to purchase many items. |
| Quantity-based environmental policy | Policies that implement environmental objectives by using bans, caps, and regulations. |
| Query | A question designed to retrieve information from a database. The result can be a count, a cross tab or a report. |
| Quid pro quo | Latin for “something for something.” It refers to the practice of trading something of value for another thing of value in business dealings. |
| Quintile | One fifth of a mailing, usually divided by percentage of response. “Our top quintile gave us 70% of our total revenue.” |
| Quota | A limit imposed by the government on the volume of imports allowed to enter the economy during a specific period of time. |
