Don’t guess your way through appointment setting. These 5 real-world metrics will tell you if your strategy’s working — and what to fix if it’s not.
What Actually Tells You If Appointment Setting Works?
It’s easy to say “we’re booking meetings,” but how do you know those meetings are actually helping your sales team?
Not all booked calls are equal. Some waste your reps’ time. Others move straight to pipeline. The difference? Tracking the right numbers.
Here are five simple, real-world KPIs that show whether your appointment setting strategy is doing its job.
1. Show Rate – Are People Showing Up?
A meeting isn’t real until someone shows up.
Let’s say your SDR books 50 meetings this month. If only 25 people show, that’s 25 lost hours for your sales team. That adds up.
What’s good?
Most teams aim for 60–70%. Anything below 50% needs work — maybe your SDRs are rushing the booking or not confirming properly.
Quick fix:
Send calendar invites right after booking. Add a quick email or SMS reminder 24 hours before.
2. Meetings That Turn Into Real Opportunities
It’s not about how many meetings — it’s about the right ones.
One company we worked with had SDRs booking 80+ meetings a month, but less than 10 turned into real opportunities. Once they focused more on targeting and qualifying, that jumped to nearly 30.
What to watch:
Out of every 5 meetings, at least 1 should move to the next stage. If not, revisit your ICP and scripts.
3. How Fast Do You Get That First Meeting?
If it takes weeks to land a call, that’s a red flag.
Speed matters — especially in outbound. When a new list or campaign goes live, you should see meetings getting booked within a few days.
What’s ideal?
- For cold campaigns: 3–5 business days
- For warm leads: ideally within 48 hours
Slow ramp-up usually means the messaging’s off or your SDRs need support.
4. What’s the Cost Per Qualified Meeting?
This one’s simple but powerful.
If you’re spending $7K/month on outreach but only getting 20 meetings, you’re paying $350 a pop. You better hope they’re worth it.
Benchmarks (real examples):
- In-house US SDR: $300–$500 per meeting
- Outsourced India-based SDR: around $100–$150
Run the numbers monthly. It tells you whether your setup is sustainable.
5. How Many Meetings Turn Into Pipeline?
Let’s say 10 people show up. How many turn into a follow-up call or proposal?
If only 1 or 2 do, you might have a hand-off problem — or your SDRs are booking too wide.
A healthy outbound flow converts 20–30% of meetings into pipeline. Anything lower deserves a deeper look.
Final Thought
Forget the vanity metrics. These five numbers give you a clear view of what’s actually working. No fluff. Just real performance.
Keep it simple: Are people showing up, are they a fit, and are they turning into business?
That’s what appointment setting success looks like.