Appointment Setting vs Lead Generation: What Is the Difference?
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Lead generation produces names of possible buyers; appointment setting turns them into qualified meetings on your calendar. CFE Marketing Services is an appointment setting company: US based reps build the list, run cold calling and cold email, and book BANT qualified meetings, reported weekly as booked and attended.
Lead generation vs appointment setting side by side
| Lead generation | Appointment setting | |
|---|---|---|
| What you receive | Contacts or inquiries | Meetings on your calendar |
| Who contacts the buyer first | Often your team | The provider's reps |
| How to measure | Lead volume | Meetings booked and attended |
How a CFE program works
- Strategy call. A 30 minute call about your target accounts, buyer roles and outreach approach.
- Live in a week. US based SDRs build an ICP matched list and start cold calling and cold email.
- One month pilot. Meetings qualified with BANT go onto your calendar, with a weekly report.
- Month to month. After the pilot the program runs month to month. Cancel with 30 days notice.
Results by industry
Results by industry
| Industry | Meetings booked | Client | Case study |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing agencies | 500+ in one year | Agency clients (confidential) | Read the case study |
| Commercial solar | 400+ | Commercial solar company (confidential) | Read the case study |
| Staffing | 300+ | FlexTrades | Read the case study |
| CPA and accounting | 300+ | CPA and accounting firm (confidential) | Read the case study |
| Fintech | 300+ | Confidential | Read the case study |
| HR and payroll | 300+ | Confidential | Read the case study |
| Commercial insurance | About 250 | Confidential | Read the case study |
| B2B SaaS | 200 | Rethink | Read the case study |
| Consulting | 200 | Confidential | Read the case study |
| Logistics and freight | 150+ | Confidential | Read the case study |
| B2B SaaS | 120+ in 90 days | Smartling | Read the case study |
| AI | 120 | AI company (confidential) | Read the case study |
| Commercial real estate | 120+ | Confidential | Read the case study |
| Capital raising | 90+ | Lansing Capital Group | Read the case study |
| B2B SaaS | 80 | SaaS company (confidential) | Read the case study |
| IT services | 75+ | IT services company (confidential) | Read the case study |
| ERP partner | 75+ | Confidential | Read the case study |
| Manufacturing | 65+ | Confidential | Read the case study |
| Cybersecurity | 40 in the first two months | Cybersecurity company (confidential) | Read the case study |
CFE-reported meetings booked. Timeframes are client confidential unless shown.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between appointment setting and lead generation?
Lead generation produces names of possible buyers; appointment setting turns them into qualified meetings on your calendar. CFE Marketing Services is an appointment setting company: US based reps build the list, run cold calling and cold email, and book BANT qualified meetings, reported weekly as booked and attended.
Is an appointment setter the same as an SDR?
Most companies use SDR or BDR for the same outbound role: a rep who prospects and books qualified meetings for the sales team. An appointment setter does that same work.
Should I hire a lead generation agency or an SDR?
If your team needs meetings rather than names, hire for appointment setting, either an in-house SDR or an outsourced SDR team. Compare the two options before you decide.
What is inbound vs outbound appointment setting?
Inbound appointment setting follows up on people who asked to hear from you. Outbound appointment setting starts the conversation with buyers who did not ask. CFE does both.
Which one does CFE do?
Appointment setting, with cold calling and cold email, plus inbound lead follow-up.