If you’re debating whether to hire SDRs in-house or bring in an outsourced SDR team, you are probably feeling the same pressure as most B2B leaders: pipeline is lumpy, AEs are too busy to prospect, and marketing leads are stalling in the CRM.

You don't just need more activity. You need qualified meetings with the right people, every week.

But let’s be honest: Outsourcing has a reputation.

An industry survey from Saastr found that 67% of companies said their outsourced SDR initiatives didn't work. Only 7% called them highly successful.

So, why do smart companies still do it? Because for that top 7%, outsourcing isn't just a vendor relationship, it's a revenue engine that ramps 3x faster than internal hires and costs 30–50% less.

This guide walks through exactly how to bridge that gap, how to hire SDR partners that actually perform, and the specific mistakes that doom the other 93%.

In most B2B companies, everyone agrees on one thing:
“We need more good conversations with the right prospects.”

The question is how you get there.
Founders try to do it all themselves. AEs squeeze in cold calls between demos. Marketing generates leads that sit untouched in the CRM. And somewhere in the middle, pipeline stalls.
That’s where appointment setters come in.

They’re the people (or teams) whose entire job is to create qualified sales conversations on a consistent basis, not once in a while, not when someone has time, but every single week.

This post breaks down what appointment setters actually do, how they fit into a modern sales org, and when it makes sense to bring in help or use an outsourced SDR or appointment setting team like LevelUp Leads.

Tracking the right lead generation metrics separates guesswork from growth. As the B2B landscape evolves in 2026, these essential KPIs help teams focus on what truly moves pipeline and revenue forward.

B2B buyers engage across more channels than ever, and that complexity creates real challenges for marketers. Understanding where common breakdowns happen, and how to solve them can turn fragmented efforts into coordinated growth.

Let's be honest: most lead scoring systems are running on autopilot with outdated rules that someone set up three years ago and never touched again.
You know the drill. Someone downloads a whitepaper? Add 10 points. They visit the pricing page? Another 15 points. Hit 50 points total, and boom, they're "sales qualified." Your sales team gets the lead, makes the call, and... nothing. The prospect was just doing research. Or the prospect was a student. Or they already bought from your competitor six months ago.
Sound familiar?
The problem isn't that lead scoring is broken,it's that the way most of us are doing it hasn't kept pace with how buyers actually behave today. And worse, we're drowning in so many inbound leads that we can't separate the tire-kickers from the people ready to buy.
Here's the good news: AI is finally making lead scoring actually work the way it was supposed to.

Businesses today are faced with unprecedented challenges. From economic uncertainty to increased competition to the pressure to do more with less, it is more difficult than ever to generate revenue. With rapidly evolving technological advances, companies are up against more competition, but with fewer resources to stand out. Budget cuts mean smaller teams, and yet today’s customers expect more from sales outreach, including a more personalized experience, faster response times, and more.

With all of these obstacles threatening sales teams’ success, it’s no wonder that so many companies are turning to outsourced appointment-setting firms to help ease the load. Appointment-setting companies not only help supplement sales staff, they are also equipped with expert knowledge and specialized strategies to help businesses increase their pipelines and grow their ROI.

We’ve rounded up the best B2B appointment-setting companies to consider for 2026 (and beyond). Find out what makes each of these appointment-setting agencies unique and how to choose the right one for your business.