Is outsourcing appointment setting worth the investment? We unpack the math, the time saved, and the real-world impact on revenue — minus the fluff.
Let’s Talk ROI — Not Assumptions
Outsourcing sales work, especially appointment setting, used to be a gamble. These days, it’s more of a strategy call. But one question still comes up in every leadership meeting:
“Is it actually worth it?”
Instead of spinning theory, let’s walk through what the return on investment looks like when you outsource appointment setting — using real numbers.
Cost First: What Are You Actually Spending?
Most outsourced appointment setting services cost around $4,000 per month for one rep. That includes tools, outreach, reporting — the whole workflow.
Let’s say that rep books around 35 quality meetings a month. That’s 420 per year.
Now do the math:
- Annual cost: ~$48,000
- Cost per meeting: $115
For comparison, a US-based in-house SDR — once you include salary, benefits, onboarding, ramp-up time, and tools — will often run you over $100,000/year.
And no, that’s not an exaggeration. Anyone who’s built an internal team knows those costs pile up fast.
Now, What’s the Return?
Say your sales team closes 1 deal out of every 20 meetings. That’s a 5% close rate — modest, but realistic.
420 meetings → 21 closed deals
Let’s keep it simple:
If each deal brings in $10,000, that’s $210,000 in revenue from one outsourced rep.
Now look at the return:
- Spend: $48,000
- Earn: $210,000
- ROI: 4.3x
And that doesn’t factor in the deals that renew or expand later.
The Hidden Value: Time
Beyond the dollars, there’s something else teams get back when they outsource: time.
No more:
- Writing cold emails
- Scraping LinkedIn
- Chasing no-shows
- Training entry-level hires who quit 6 months in
Instead, your closers start their day with qualified meetings already on the calendar. That alone is worth its weight in gold if you’ve got a lean team.
But What If You Hire In-House?
Let’s play it out.
You hire a junior SDR at $60K. Add benefits, tech tools, a manager’s time, and lost productivity during ramp-up. Your actual cost is more like $110K+ per year.
Even if they also book 420 meetings, your cost per meeting is double. Your ROI? Around 1.9x
Still positive — but less efficient, less flexible, and far more risk.
Final Word
This isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about doing the math.
If your goal is predictable pipeline without the overhead, outsourcing makes a strong case. Just make sure the partner you choose has experience, process, and actual results behind them.
Otherwise, it’s just another shiny object.