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.