The short answer: throxy uses performance-based pricing because it suits most B2B buyers better than a flat retainer, with part of the fee tied to results. throxy charges a flat monthly fee plus a fee for each qualified meeting you approve, and the meeting has to take place to be chargeable.
Most B2B outbound agencies charge a flat retainer. Every month. Regardless of results.
That means their incentive is to keep you on the contract. The model works well for them. It rarely works as well for you.
This post is for revenue leaders and founders evaluating outbound agencies. If you're trying to understand what performance-based outbound pricing actually means, and whether it's better, here's an honest breakdown.
What Performance-Based Outbound Pricing Actually Means
Performance-based outbound pricing ties part of what you pay to the results you get. Usually, that means a base fee that covers operations: the team, the infrastructure, the process. Plus a variable component that scales with outcomes.
The outcome is a qualified meeting your team approves. throxy books it, qualifies it against your ICP, and sends you a request. You have 24 hours to accept or reject. If you approve it, throxy sends the calendar invite to the prospect. If you don't, you don't pay for it.
The prospect never receives an invite until you've said yes. No meeting lands in your calendar unless it's a fit.
Why Most Outbound Agencies Don't Offer It
Pure retainer pricing is low-risk for the agency. They get paid the same whether they book ten meetings or zero.
Performance-based pricing requires confidence. You can only offer it if you're willing to bet your revenue on your own results. Most agencies aren't.
The ones that do offer performance components often bury the risk back on the client: small base fees with huge per-meeting costs, narrow definitions of what counts as "qualified," or exclusions that make the variable almost impossible to trigger.
Genuine outcome-based pricing is simple. You pay a base. You pay more when it works.
What B2B outbound agencies cost in the UK
Other providers’ published UK figures, checked in November 2026. throxy does not publish its own fee amounts on throxy.com:
Retainer per dedicated SDR: priced by each agency, see the published starting prices below
Blended retainer across telemarketing, email and LinkedIn: £2,000 to £6,000 or more a month (The Lead Generation Company)
Pay per meeting: £100 to £500 per qualified appointment (The Lead Generation Company, May 2026)
Outsourced calling by the hour: £13 to £20 for basic services, £20 to £30 for experienced agencies and £30 to £50 for sector specialists (Compare Telemarketing, 2026 guide)
Published UK starting prices from individual agencies range from £1,200 a month for LinkedIn-only SDR work (Scale Oxford) to £6k a month for one SDR (Punch!). Higher-touch programmes run to £30,000 a month at Flowd. The sections below show which model each price belongs to.
The four pricing models
Model | How you pay | Published example |
|---|---|---|
Monthly retainer | A fixed fee for the programme, whatever the output | ORRJO, fixed fee from £3,000 a month covering SDR time, tech stack, data and reporting (ORRJO) |
Per seat | A fee for each SDR you take, often with a team or platform fee | Punch!, from £6k a month for one SDR (Punch!); SalesRoads, $11,950 per 4 weeks for one SDR (SalesRoads) |
Pay per meeting | A fee for each meeting that meets an agreed standard | £100 to £500 per qualified appointment in the UK (The Lead Generation Company, May 2026) |
Hybrid | A base fee plus a variable fee tied to meetings or results | throxy, flat monthly fee plus a fee per approved qualified meeting (throxy); CIENCE, fee per SDR plus a held-meeting bonus (CIENCE) |
Some providers blend these. Curral charges its full fee on result with a contractual minimum number of meetings, and Martal adds sales commission to a flat fee on its higher tiers. Each was checked on the provider's own site in November 2026.
The Alignment Argument
The bigger reason to choose performance-based pricing is what it does to your relationship with the agency.
When an agency only earns more if you approve the meetings they deliver, they have a direct reason to care about your pipeline. Their team cares about your ICP. They push harder on targeting. They iterate faster on what isn't working.
A pure retainer creates a different pressure: the pressure to retain the contract.
What to Look for in an Outbound Pricing Model
Not all performance-based models are equal. Before signing with any outbound agency, ask:
What counts as a "result"? Booked, attended, or approved by you?
Who defines qualified? You or them?
What does the base fee cover: headcount, infrastructure, or both?
Do you get to review meetings before they hit your calendar?
Is there a minimum commitment period, and what's the exit clause?
Can you see historical meeting-to-pipeline conversion rates from other clients?
If the agency can't answer those clearly, the model isn't as aligned as it looks.
What throxy's Model Looks Like in Practice
throxy runs a flat monthly fee plus a variable per meeting approved. The base covers everything needed to run the campaign properly: human SDRs, AI-powered infrastructure, lead lists, copy, and management.
When throxy books a qualified meeting, you receive a request. You have 24 hours to accept or reject it. If you approve it, throxy sends the calendar invite to the prospect directly. The meeting only reaches your calendar if you've said it's a fit.
The variable fee kicks in at that point. You approved it, it's qualified, and it's in your diary. That's when you pay.
That structure means throxy scales its investment in your campaign as results come in. When it's working, both sides grow. When it isn't, you're not overpaying for activity that doesn't convert.
What counts as a qualified meeting
A qualified meeting should pass five tests, written into the contract:
Company fit: industry, size, revenue band and geography match your ICP
Authority: the contact holds the budget or real influence over the decision
Problem: the prospect has acknowledged a problem your offer solves
Timeline: there is an active or near-term reason to evaluate
Attendance: the meeting takes place
How throxy defines a qualified meeting
throxy agrees the qualification standard with each client before the campaign launches. Each meeting throxy books is sent to the client as a request, and the client has 24 hours to accept or reject it. The prospect only receives the invite once the client approves, and the meeting has to take place to be chargeable (throxy, performance-based pricing).
What a managed outbound service should include
Before you compare prices, check that each quote covers the same work:
A target list built for your market, with accounts qualified before contacts
Messaging written for your buyers and reviewed before it goes out
Sending infrastructure on separate domains, warmed before volume
Cold calling alongside email, with access to call recordings
Reply handling and qualification against a written standard
A named campaign manager and weekly reporting on meetings and pipeline
Clear terms on setup fees, tools, data, contract length and exit
In-house vs managed: the calculation
One SDR in London earns average total pay of £42,592, with a typical range of £32,835 to £57,470 (Glassdoor, October 2026). Add employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 (GOV.UK, 2026 to 2027 rates) and the 3% minimum employer pension on earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 (GOV.UK):
25th percentile | Average | 75th percentile | |
|---|---|---|---|
Per year | £37,808 | £49,321 | £66,661 |
Per month | £3,151 | £4,110 | £5,555 |
Recruitment, tools, data and management time come on top. The Bridge Group puts the average SDR ramp at 3.0 months (The Bridge Group, 2025, mostly North American sample), which is about £12,330 at the London average before a new hire is fully productive. Blended managed retainers of £2,000 to £6,000 or more a month (The Lead Generation Company, May 2026) sit around the same monthly cost and usually include the data, tools and management. Our in-house SDR vs managed outbound guide shows the full workings.
The Bottom Line
Performance-based outbound pricing commits the agency to results.
If an agency won't share the downside with you, they're not as confident in their model as they claim. Find one that is.
If you want to see how throxy's pricing model works for your pipeline, book a call with us.
FAQ
What is performance-based outbound pricing?
Performance-based outbound pricing is a model where part of what you pay an outbound agency is tied to results. Rather than a flat monthly retainer regardless of output, you pay a base fee plus a variable amount that scales with qualified meetings you approve.
Is performance-based pricing better than a flat retainer?
For buyers, yes. It aligns the agency's incentives with yours. An agency on a pure retainer gets paid the same whether it delivers or not. A performance model means they only earn more when you approve the results they deliver.
How does the meeting approval process work?
throxy books and qualifies the meeting, then sends you a request. You have 24 hours to accept or reject it. If you approve it, throxy sends the calendar invite to the prospect. If you don't, the meeting is rejected and you don't pay for it. Nothing reaches your calendar without your sign-off.
How does throxy's pricing model work?
throxy charges a flat monthly fee plus a variable per meeting approved. The base covers the full campaign operation. The variable only applies to meetings you've reviewed and accepted, meaning you're always in control of what you pay for.
What should I ask an outbound agency about their pricing?
Ask how they define a "result," who controls the qualification criteria, whether you get to review meetings before they reach your calendar, and whether they can show pipeline conversion data from existing clients. If they can't answer clearly, the model isn't as aligned as it appears.
What does outbound cost in the UK?
The Lead Generation Company puts blended UK retainers at £2,000 to £6,000 or more a month and per-appointment fees at £100 to £500 (May 2026, checked 11 November 2026).
