Buy lead lists or hire an appointment setting agency?
A lead list gives you names and numbers. An appointment setting agency gives you conversations with decision-makers. Which fits better depends on who does the calling in your business. We set out the differences side by side.
| Buying lead lists | Appointment setting agency | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Buying lead listsA file of companies and contact details, filtered by industry, region and size, for example. | Appointment setting agencyAppointments with decision-makers, checked against your target group in advance. With us, you approve every appointment yourself in your client portal, and then it goes into your calendar. |
| Cost | Buying lead listsLow per contact. You pay per list, per record or through a subscription. | Appointment setting agencyHigher per result, but you pay for a conversation, not an address. With us, €245 per approved meeting, €195 per 4 weeks and €749.50 setup. |
| Who does the work | Buying lead listsYou or your team: calling, emailing, following up and qualifying. | Appointment setting agencyThe agency calls and qualifies. With us, you approve the appointment in your client portal and hold the conversation. |
| How current the data is | Buying lead listsA list goes out of date. People change jobs; companies move or close down. | Appointment setting agencyWith us, fresh leads come from Radar every day, based on public signals. |
| Buying moment | Buying lead listsA list shows who fits your target group, not who has a reason to buy right now. | Appointment setting agencyRadar looks for companies with a current reason to talk, such as a job opening, a new branch or a tender. |
| Qualification | Buying lead listsYou only find out whether a contact really fits when you call. | Appointment setting agencyIndustry, company size and decision-making authority are agreed in writing beforehand. You check that yourself in your client portal, before the appointment goes ahead. |
| Time to first conversation | Buying lead listsYou get the list straight away. The first conversation depends on how much time you free up yourself. | Appointment setting agencyShort. Strategy session, preparation, your approval and then the campaign launch. We expect the first meetings within 1 to 2 weeks of that launch. |
| Languages and countries | Buying lead listsLists are available for many countries. Calling in the prospect's language is up to you. | Appointment setting agencyWith us, in Dutch, English and German, for the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. |
| Best suited to | Buying lead listsTeams with their own calling capacity, or a marketing campaign that needs a mailing list. | Appointment setting agencyCompanies without in-house sales capacity, or that want to test a market first. |
When lead lists are the better choice
If you have your own sales team with time to call, a good list is often the cheapest route to new conversations. Do check how current the data is, though, and factor in your team's hours.
- You have your own callers or account managers with spare calling capacity
- Your target group is broad and easy to define by industry and region
- You need a mailing list for a direct mail or another marketing campaign
When an appointment setting agency is a better fit
An appointment setting agency is a good fit if you don't have the capacity to call yourself, or only want to pay for conversations with decision-makers. You trade a low price per contact for a fixed price per result.
- You want your account managers selling instead of calling
- You are looking for companies that have a reason to buy right now
- You want to call prospects in Belgium or Germany in their own language
A lead list is raw material; an appointment is a result. If you have your team that calls every day, a good, up-to-date list is often the most cost-effective choice. If you lack that capacity, or only want to pay for conversations that match your target group, an appointment setting agency makes more sense. We combine both: Radar delivers up-to-date leads every day, and our team turns them into appointments.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a lead list and Radar?
A lead list is a snapshot of companies that fit your target group. Radar, our own AI, tracks public signals such as job openings, news and trade media, Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) changes, tenders, permits and trade fairs, and finds the decision-makers at companies that have a reason to talk right now. Radar works in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
When does a meeting count?
Once you have approved it in your client portal. You approve based on the target audience we agree together in writing beforehand: the right industry, the right company size and a contact with decision-making authority. You have 1 working day to reject a meeting. If you don’t respond, it counts as approved.
What if a prospect isn't interested after the meeting?
Then the appointment still counts. We make sure you get a quality introduction to the right person; the commercial outcome is up to you. We use the feedback you give in your client portal to improve our service.
Ready for a full calendar?
Book a 30-minute introduction. Together we look at your target audience, your market and which package fits. There's no obligation.