Best Outsourced Sales & SDR Companies: Cold Calling & Lead Generation

I built and sold a $2M SDR agency. Here's who I actively work with today for outsourced SDR, cold calling, and B2B appointment setting.

By Alex Boyd | February 10, 2026 | 18 min read

I grew an outsourced SDR company from 2017-2020 to $2M/year revenue and sold the agency. I've managed SDR teams, trained the reps, built the playbooks, dealt with the bad clients and the good ones. These days I don't offer this as a service, but I built relationships with the right people and know exactly who to go to for what.

I'll be the first to admit: as a founder, the idea of outsourcing anything is nerve-wracking. It's tough to give up control of a business function to someone off your payroll, and tougher still when that function involves being the first line of communication between your company and its prospective customers.

But uncertainty sets in: if you're going to build a Sales Development team yourself, how do you do it? You've never been a VP of Sales before. Or maybe you have a VP Sales, but their focus was never heavy-duty prospecting. Either way, you want professional help. And you're on a timeline—your burn rate is ticking, and that cash won't last forever.

You need meetings. Your options: hire a $60k/year SDR who takes 3 months to ramp, or outsource to a team that's making calls tomorrow.

This guide covers the outsourced sales companies I've used or worked alongside: IAD Growth (who we use for our portfolio company ViewExport's cold calling), SocialBloom (hybrid service + AI SaaS model), The Deal Lab (message-market fit specialists), and OutboundView (HR tech vertical experts). Plus what to avoid based on real experience running an agency and hiring these services.

Quick Comparison: Best Outsourced Sales Companies

What to Look for in an Outsourced Sales Partner

From running an agency and hiring these services, here's what actually matters:

1. Strategy + Execution, Not Just Muscle

The most successful sales development campaigns are collaborative efforts between the SDR, SDR Manager, Sales Ops, VP of Sales, and executive leadership. You need both strategy and execution—you can't do one without the other.

If you think you "just need the muscle" with no additional help, you're probably wrong. Having a second set of experienced eyes on your sales strategy is almost always valuable, especially when that third party isn't engrossed in your company's culture and habits. That independence lets them think clearly about what's working and what isn't.

When you just need execution: If your market is simple, your deal size is low, and your sales process is proven and repeatable, maybe you just need extra SDRs to run the playbook. In this case, consider temp-to-hire SDR staffing vs. a pure agency model.

When you need strategic help: If you're still developing processes, making pipeline generation repeatable, or selling to sophisticated buyers, you need an agency that provides strategic guidance alongside SDRs. You need someone who can look at your strategy and tell you what you're doing wrong.

2. Human vs AI vs Hybrid

The AI SDR market is crowded with companies promising "100 meetings/month with AI." Most burn prospect lists with spray-and-pray approaches.

Pure human (IAD Growth, The Deal Lab): Higher cost ($3-10k/month), better quality, sustainable relationships. Good for enterprise deals or high-value prospects.

Hybrid (SocialBloom): AI for research/drafting, humans for QA and sending. Lower cost than pure human, higher quality than pure AI. Good for scaling while maintaining quality.

Pure AI (Cleverly, 11X, AISDR): Higher risk, might be cheap but sometimes eye-poppingly expensive with annual contracts. Might damage your brand with generic mass outreach. Proceed with extreme caution!

Reality check: If your TAM is under 10,000 companies, don't burn it with AI SDRs sending 1,000 generic emails per day. You can't rebuild that list.

3. Balancing Cost vs Quality

From my 2017 article that ranked well for years: quotes for outsourced sales development range from $2,000/month to $13,000/month for the work of a single SDR.

At lower price points ($2-4k/month), you'll often see:

• SDRs who are contractors, not full-time employees
• Offshore SDRs whose first language isn't English
• SDRs working multiple accounts simultaneously
• You provide leads; they won't generate any
• You provide scripts; they follow religiously
• No commissions or performance fees
• They work out of their own inbox and forward "good" replies

At higher price points ($5-15k/month), you'll notice:

• Full-time W-2 SDRs with commission structures and promotion plans
• On-shore SDRs (US/Canada) or native English speakers
• Dedicated SDRs working only your account
• Agency generates complete lead lists
• Intensive strategic guidance from leadership
• Collaborative development of buyer personas and messaging
• Performance fees to incentivize over-performance
• Full appointment setting and rescheduling
• Personalized outreach across multiple channels (email, calls, LinkedIn, sometimes direct mail)

Plenty of companies live in the middle and borrow elements from both.

Best Outsourced Sales Companies (Detailed Reviews)

IAD Growth - Best for B2B SaaS Cold Calling

Founder: John Welch

We use IAD Growth for one of our portfolio company's (ViewExport) SaaS calling needs. They're not trying to be everything to everyone—they focus on B2B cold calling for SaaS and tech companies, and they're really good at it.

Easy onboarding, professional team, smart execution. The $650 intro pilot gets you results fast without committing to a long-term contract. No 6-month lock-in, no extensive discovery phases. Give them your ICP and pitch, and they're making calls within a week.

Metric	Details
Pricing	$650 intro pilot, then custom monthly retainer
Channels	Phone-first, email follow-up
Best For	B2B SaaS, tech companies, enterprise sales
Setup Time	<1 week for pilot
Team	Dedicated callers + account manager
Contract	Pilot to test, then month-to-month

Why IAD Growth Works

✅ Professional and smart: John understands SaaS and enterprise decision-making, and just business in general. Bonus points? He has a great-sounding voice. The kind people actually WANT to hear on a call!

✅ Easy to work with: John Welch and the team are responsive, transparent about results, and adapt quickly. If messaging isn't working, they iterate. If a vertical isn't converting, they tell you.

✅ Affordable pilot: $650 to test is low-risk. You'll know within 2-3 weeks if your ICP and messaging work. Compare that to hiring an SDR ($60k/year + 90-day ramp).

✅ SaaS-specific experience: They understand product-led growth, freemium models, and how to sell to technical buyers. They're not selling SaaS the same way you'd sell insurance.

Drawbacks

⚠️ Phone-focused: If your buyers don't answer phones (bottoms-up SaaS with developer buyers), IAD's approach might not be ideal. They do email follow-up, but phone is primary.

⚠️ Not a full SDR function: IAD focuses on calling and meeting setting. They're not building your entire outbound infrastructure or managing your CRM. That's a feature (focused execution) but a constraint if you need more.

⚠️ Limited to certain industries: Works best for B2B SaaS, tech, and enterprise. If you're selling to SMBs or consumer products, might not fit.

Bottom Line: If you're a B2B SaaS company that needs cold calling done well, IAD Growth is my recommendation. Fast pilot, professional execution, easy to work with. We use them for a reason.

Get Started with IAD Growth

SocialBloom - Best for Hybrid Model (Service + AI SaaS)

Founder: Caleb Sinn (Wildfront Community Member)

SocialBloom is a Wildfront community member and we like them for their flexibility. They offer two models: (1) done-for-you service where they run outbound on your behalf, or (2) coaching + AI SaaS where they teach you to run outbound at scale using their platform.

Caleb Sinn is smart and understands modern outbound orchestration. Not many companies offer both done-for-you AND self-service. If you're not sure whether to outsource or build in-house, SocialBloom lets you test both.

Metric	Details
Pricing	Custom (DFY service) or SaaS subscription (self-service + coaching)
Channels	Multi-channel (email, LinkedIn, phone)
Best For	Companies wanting flexibility between service and self-service
Setup Time	1-2 weeks for service; immediate for SaaS
Team	Hybrid (humans + AI)
Contract	Month-to-month or annual (SaaS)

Why SocialBloom Works

✅ Flexibility: The optionality (service vs. SaaS) is powerful. Test the service model, then move to self-service with coaching as you build internal capability.

✅ AI that makes sense: SocialBloom uses AI for research, prospect enrichment, and message drafting—but humans QA and send. This is the right balance: AI for efficiency, humans for quality control.

✅ Founder is sharp: Caleb understands the outbound landscape deeply. He's not selling snake oil AI automation—he's building tools that help you generate meetings without burning your TAM.

✅ Coaching model: If you choose SaaS, you're not alone. SocialBloom coaches you on targeting, messaging, and execution. Valuable if you want to build internal capability.

Drawbacks

⚠️ Two models can be confusing: The optionality requires a sales call to figure out which model fits.

⚠️ AI dependency: Even with human QA, you're relying on AI for research and drafting. If your ICP is highly specialized or technical, pure human research might be better.

Bottom Line: If you want flexibility between done-for-you and self-service AI SaaS, SocialBloom offers both. Smart founder, modern approach, good for scaling without hiring full-time SDRs.

Talk to SocialBloom

The Deal Lab - Best for Message-Market Fit & Outbound Orchestration

Founder: Kellen Casebeer

Kellen Casebeer is extremely intelligent and at the forefront of modern GTM and outbound orchestration. The Deal Lab doesn't just execute outbound—they help you find message-market fit first.

Whether you're Series A or a profitable growing company, TDL ensures you're saying the right things to the right people before you scale volume. This prevents burning your TAM with bad messaging—critical if you have a finite list of prospects.

Metric	Details
Pricing	Custom (typically $5-15k/month depending on scope)
Channels	Multi-channel orchestration (email, LinkedIn, phone, direct mail)
Best For	Series A+ companies, growing B2B SaaS, scaling outbound
Setup Time	4-8 weeks for messaging work, then ongoing execution
Team	Strategists + execution team
Contract	Typically 3-6 month engagements

Why The Deal Lab Works

✅ Message-market fit first: Most outsourced sales services jump straight to execution. The Deal Lab starts with deep research into your ICP, pain points, and language that resonates. This prevents burning prospects with bad messaging.

✅ Outbound orchestration: TDL doesn't just send emails or make calls. They orchestrate multi-channel sequences—email for education, LinkedIn for social proof, phone for conversation, sometimes direct mail for high-value accounts.

✅ Strategic depth: Kellen and the team think deeply about GTM strategy. They're not order-takers—they'll challenge your ICP assumptions and push you to test new angles.

✅ Avoid burning your TAM: If you have a TAM of 5,000 companies and burn them with generic AI SDR spam, you're done. TDL ensures you test messaging on small cohorts before scaling.

✅ Works for Series A+: If you've raised capital and need to scale outbound intelligently, TDL has the sophistication to do it right. They understand unit economics, CAC payback, and pipeline metrics.

Drawbacks

⚠️ Higher cost: TDL is not cheap. Expect $5-15k/month depending on scope. This is a strategic engagement, not a low-cost calling service.

⚠️ Longer setup time: Message-market fit work takes 4-8 weeks. If you need meetings next week, TDL isn't the answer (use IAD Growth). But if you need sustainable outbound, the upfront work pays off.

⚠️ Not for early-stage bootstrapped: If you're pre-revenue or bootstrapped with limited capital, TDL's pricing might not fit. They're built for companies with $500k+ revenue or venture-backed growth.

Bottom Line: If you're scaling outbound and want to avoid burning your TAM with bad messaging, The Deal Lab is the best choice. Strategic, thoughtful, and effective. Worth the premium if you have the budget.

Talk to The Deal Lab

OutboundView - Best for HR/People/Culture/L&D Specialists

Founder: Blake Johnston

OutboundView is a deep specialist in going after HR, compliance, and similar industries. If you sell to Chief People Officers, HR Directors, or L&D teams, OutboundView has spent almost a decade building expertise, relationships, and messaging frameworks for this vertical.

They combine services and technology specifically for HR tech companies. We've worked alongside OutboundView and find them disciplined and professional. We will definitely work with them again.

Metric	Details
Pricing	Custom (typically $4-10k/month)
Channels	Multi-channel (email, LinkedIn, phone)
Best For	HR tech, people analytics, L&D, compliance software
Setup Time	2-4 weeks
Team	Vertical specialists + proprietary tech
Contract	Typically 3-6 month engagements

Why OutboundView Works for HR Tech

✅ Nearly a decade of HR vertical focus: OutboundView has been targeting HR buyers since ~2015. They know who answers emails, what messaging resonates, what pain points matter. This expertise is invaluable.

✅ Both services and tech: OutboundView isn't just outsourced SDRs—they have proprietary technology for targeting and tracking HR decision-makers. This combination justifies the pricing.

✅ Disciplined and professional: We've worked alongside OutboundView on projects. They don't spam prospects. They build relationships methodically.

✅ Industry contacts: When you've focused on HR for a decade, you build relationships. OutboundView can often warm intro you to prospects or leverage existing relationships.

✅ Will work with them again: This is the endorsement—we've partnered with OutboundView and would do it again. That's not true for every outsourced sales service.

Drawbacks

⚠️ HR vertical only: If you're not selling to HR/People/Culture/L&D, OutboundView isn't the right fit. They're specialists, not generalists.

⚠️ Higher cost for specialists: Vertical expertise costs more. Expect $4-10k/month vs. $650 pilots at IAD Growth. You're paying for a decade of focused experience.

⚠️ Not for testing new markets: If you're exploring whether HR is a good ICP, OutboundView is expensive for experimentation. Use them once you've validated the market.

Bottom Line: If you sell HR tech and want specialists who understand your buyers, OutboundView is the best choice. Almost a decade of vertical focus, both services and tech, disciplined execution. We've worked with them and recommend them.

Talk to OutboundView

Which Service for Your Situation?

What to Avoid: High-Automation AI SDR Services

I can't make strong legal claims, but here's my take from running an agency and hiring these services: be extremely wary of high-automation AI SDR companies that promise 100+ meetings/month for $500.

Red flags:

• "Our AI sends 1,000 personalized emails per day"
• "No setup required—AI handles everything"
• "Unlimited outreach for flat monthly fee"
• Heavy venture backing with aggressive growth targets

Why it's risky:

• Burning your TAM: If your TAM is 5,000 companies and AI blasts all of them with generic emails in 30 days, you're done. No second chances.
• Brand damage: Recipients notice AI-generated content. Your brand gets associated with spam.
• Low quality meetings: AI can book meetings, but they're rarely qualified. Show rates under 30% are common.
• Over-promising: VC-backed AI SDR companies need growth. They'll promise results that aren't sustainable.

When AI SDR might work:

• Massive TAM (50,000+ prospects) where burning a few thousand doesn't matter
• Low ACV ($500-2,000) where volume beats quality
• Testing new markets you don't care about long-term

My experience: I've tried AI SDR services. The meetings were low-quality, show rates were terrible, and we damaged relationships with prospects we actually wanted to close later. Not worth it for most B2B SaaS.

Better approach: Use hybrid models (SocialBloom) where AI assists but humans QA. Or pure human (IAD Growth, The Deal Lab) for high-value prospects.

Companies like Cleverly, 11X, and AISDR come to mind when I think about this risk—but do your own research.

How to Pay for Outsourced Sales: Fixed vs Variable

Similar to hiring a salesperson, you'll pay more overall when the rate is more variable and commission-based. An outsourced SDR provider that charges 100% or majority variable fees needs to command a higher overall price point since they deal with variability in their pricing model. The benefit to you of only paying for outcomes becomes a business challenge for them.

They manage this by charging a much higher premium and only working with companies they believe in. "Belief" needs to be data-driven—they may want to use a fixed fee at first, then once performance is ramped up, they'll be more open to variable compensation.

On the other hand, if you pay only fixed service fees, you'll probably pay less overall since the provider enjoys more consistency in their revenue stream and will sacrifice some income potential in exchange.

Some agencies have a balance: they charge a fixed service fee but also ask for a performance fee to align incentives, or have fixed-to-variable transition plans. Some will partner more deeply with revenue-sharing agreements plus a lower fee per appointment. I've even seen agencies invest part of their fee back into your company through stock purchases, intimately tying your success to theirs.

Important: Know how the agency's SDRs are incentivized. If you're only paying a fixed fee but the agency's SDRs earn commissions, the agency has a perverse incentive for SDRs to do well enough to keep your business without doing too well. If the SDR overperforms by too much, the agency may lose money on commissions.

There's no right or wrong model, just like there's no right or wrong way to pay internal salespeople. Before you commit to a budget, model out how the spend affects your CAC and payback period—our free SaaS financial model template makes that straightforward.

FAQ

Q: How much do outsourced sales services cost?

A: $2,000-13,000/month for a single SDR's work. Entry point: IAD Growth's $650 pilot. High-end strategic partners: $5-15k/month.

Q: How many meetings should I expect?

A: Realistic: 8-15 qualified meetings/month from a dedicated team. Great: 15-25 if ICP and messaging are dialed. Red flag: Promises of 50+ meetings/month (likely low quality).

Q: What's the difference between cold calling and outsourced SDR?

A: Cold calling focuses on phone outreach. Outsourced SDR includes multi-channel (email, LinkedIn, phone, sometimes direct mail). Cold calling is a subset of SDR work.

Q: How long to see results?

A: Pilot programs: 1-3 weeks to first meetings. Monthly retainers: 2-4 weeks for first meetings, 60-90 days to optimize. First month is testing. Real ROI comes in months 2-4.

Q: Should I use AI SDR services?

A: Cautiously. Pure AI SDR often burns prospect lists with low-quality outreach. Hybrid models (SocialBloom) where AI assists but humans QA are safer. For high-value prospects or small TAMs, use pure human services (IAD Growth, The Deal Lab).

Q: In-house SDR or outsourced?

A: Outsource if: you need meetings fast, haven't proven ICP/messaging, can't afford $60-80k/year, don't have SDR management experience, or TAM is small. In-house if: you've proven the process, have $100k+ budget, have management experience, ready to build a sales team.

Conclusion

The best outsourced sales service depends on your industry, budget, and stage:

IAD Growth is my pick for B2B SaaS cold calling. Fast $650 pilot, professional execution, easy to work with. We use them for our portfolio company ViewExport's outbound for a reason.

SocialBloom offers flexibility: done-for-you service or self-service AI SaaS with coaching. Good for companies that want optionality between outsourcing and building internally.

The Deal Lab is the strategic choice for scaling outbound intelligently. Message-market fit first, multi-channel orchestration, worth the premium if you have budget and want to avoid burning your TAM.

OutboundView is the vertical specialist for HR tech. Nearly a decade of focus on People/Culture/L&D buyers. We've worked with them and will again.

Avoid: High-automation AI SDR services that promise 100+ meetings/month. They burn TAMs, damage brands, and deliver low-quality meetings.

At the end of the day, you want to drive your cost of sales as low as possible while thinking about the long-term impact on your brand and the opportunity cost of working with the wrong partner. Your organization needs to be always learning how to conduct revenue development better.

Working with an agency whose leadership stays involved with your company consistently to keep everyone accountable while continually innovating will pay deep dividends in the long run.

Next step: If you're a B2B SaaS company, start with IAD Growth's $650 pilot. You'll have meetings within 2 weeks and know if your ICP and messaging work. If you need strategic help first, talk to The Deal Lab. If you sell HR tech, go with OutboundView.

I've been on both sides—running the agency and hiring outsourced SDRs. These four companies are who I'd hire today.