Outsourcing
I run an outbound agency, so read this section knowing where I sit. Everything here is a test you can put to any agency, mine included. It is written for founders who are about to pay someone to fill their calendar and want to know what they are actually buying.
From my side of the table, the difference between agencies that deliver and those that do not rarely comes through on a sales call. You find it in dull details: who builds the list and how, who writes the messages, who answers the replies, who owns the domains, and what the weekly report leaves out. I would also hold any agency to one standard for proof. A case study needs a number, a timeframe and a named outcome. A testimonial is not one.
Mistakes come from both sides. Buyers sign because of a meeting count promised before anyone has looked at their offer. They judge a pilot after 30 days, when setup has barely finished. They expect an agency to need nothing from them, when the honest answer is proof they can use, profiles fixed before sending, and a person with time for the calls.
The articles below run in the order you will meet the decision. Choosing a model: agency types, freelancer, fractional lead, GTM agency, AI SDR or an in-house SDR, with real salary and ramp data. Pricing and contracts: what agencies charge, pay per meeting or retainer, terms, guarantees and domain ownership. Vetting: red flags, comparing proposals, Clutch reviews and checking case studies. Working together: onboarding, copy approval, weekly reports, junk meetings, and when to bring outbound in-house.
Start with the six agency types, then pricing, then the red flags sorted by when they show up.
Start here
Types of Lead Generation Agencies and What Each Delivers
Six ways an outbound agency can be built, who actually does the sending in each one, and the question that tells you which kind you are talking to.
How Much Do Lead Generation Agencies Actually Charge?
Published price ranges for retainers, per-lead, per-meeting, hybrid and project work, checked in September 2026, each with its source and how far to trust it.
Lead Generation Agency Red Flags, From Pitch to Month 3
The warning signs sorted by the stage where they surface, what each one costs if it slips past you, and what to do the day you spot one.
All articles in Outsourcing
Outsourcing
Do Lead Gen Agencies Guarantee Results? What to Check
When a promised number is a warning sign, when a guarantee is worth signing for, and the plain terms of the one my team offers.
Last updated · 11 min read
Outsourcing
SDR Salary by Country, Plus the Employer Cost of One Hire
Median pay, the employer's share and the monthly cost of one sales development rep in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
Last updated · 10 min read
Outsourcing
Boutique or Large Lead Generation Agency for a Small Team
Headcount decides who touches your campaign, but whether the agency ever turns a client down tells you more about how it will run yours.
Last updated · 9 min read
Outsourcing
Do AI SDRs Work? I Checked the Stats Everyone Quotes
Four of the most repeated AI SDR numbers link to pages that do not contain them. Here is what holds up, graded, and how to test a tool on your own list.
Last updated · 10 min read
Outsourcing
Does It Matter Where Your Lead Generation Agency Is Based?
For cold email and LinkedIn outbound, the office address is one of the weakest signals on a proposal, and four other things decide whether distance costs you.
Last updated · 10 min read
Outsourcing
Done-for-You or Done-with-You Lead Generation? How to Pick
Three ways to buy outbound help, what each one takes from your own team, and the calendar test that should decide before price does.
Last updated · 12 min read
Outsourcing
GTM Engineering Agency or Outbound Agency? How to Choose
One builds the machine behind your outreach and the other runs the outreach itself, so here are three rules for picking and the case for buying neither yet.
Last updated · 12 min read
Outsourcing
How an Outbound Agency Works With Your Internal Sales Team
Who owns which step, what should arrive with every booked call, who answers the prospect after the booking, and how feedback reaches people outside your company.
Last updated · 10 min read
Outsourcing
How to Compare Two Lead Generation Agency Proposals
Pull the same 12 lines from each proposal, score what is explained against what is only promised, and turn both prices into one comparable number.
Last updated · 9 min read
Outsourcing
Is Your Appointment Setting Agency Booking Junk Meetings?
A six-question scorecard for meetings you already had, the arithmetic that turns a hunch into a number, and what to do with the result.
Last updated · 9 min read