Do Appointment Setting Companies Work, and Are They Worth It?
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Appointment setting companies work when meetings are qualified, booked and attended meetings are reported separately, and you can test on a short contract. CFE Marketing Services has booked thousands of meetings since 2022 (CFE-reported) and publishes 19 case studies, including Smartling 120+ meetings in 90 days.
What makes a program work
- A clear ICP.
- Qualification such as BANT.
- Booked and attended meetings reported separately.
- Cold calling plus cold email.
- Fast follow-up by your team.
Why programs fail
- An unclear ICP.
- Unqualified meetings.
- No tracking of attended meetings.
- Long contracts before proof.
How to test one
Start with a one month pilot, then run month to month. Judge the pilot on booked and attended meetings in the weekly report.
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
Do appointment setting companies work?
Appointment setting companies work when meetings are qualified, booked and attended meetings are reported separately, and you can test on a short contract. CFE Marketing Services has booked thousands of meetings since 2022 (CFE-reported) and publishes 19 case studies, including Smartling 120+ meetings in 90 days.
Are lead generation companies worth it?
They can be when the provider delivers qualified meetings rather than names, reports booked and attended meetings separately, and lets you test on a short contract.
Does outsourced cold calling still work?
CFE's US based callers make about 75 dials a day and pair calls with cold email. See the results table on this page for published booking totals.
How do I know if meetings are real?
Ask for booked and attended meetings reported separately each week. CFE does that on every program.
How can I test without a long contract?
Start with a one month pilot, then run month to month. Cancel with 30 days notice.