How to Compare UK Outbound Agencies That Book Qualified Meetings: A Scorecard

Author:

Pablo Jiménez de Parga Ramos

Date:

Nov 5, 2026

Compare UK outbound agencies on seven weighted criteria, score each pitch from 1 to 5 on every line, then run a one-month paid pilot with the top scorer before you sign anything longer. The two criteria that matter most are a written qualification standard and fit with how your buyers like to be reached. throxy is built to score well on both for B2B teams selling into traditional industries: the qualification standard is agreed before launch, you approve every meeting within 24 hours, and specialist SDRs call buyers who are rarely on LinkedIn (throxy).

This scorecard is published by throxy. The weights are our recommendation for complex B2B sales, so change them to fit yours. Outside facts link to their source and were checked on 5 November 2026.

The scorecard

Criterion	Weight	What a 5 out of 5 looks like
Qualification standard	20%	Written before launch, covering company fit, authority, problem, timeline and attendance, with you approving each meeting
Channel fit	20%	Channels match your buyers: calling for buyers who work away from a desk, email to warm the name, LinkedIn as a light touch
Data and targeting	15%	Accounts qualified before contacts, from a list built for your market
Visibility	15%	Call recordings, replies and meeting data you can check at any time
Pricing and risk	15%	Clear about what you pay for, a meeting has to take place to count, total cost known at a low and a high meeting count
Terms and exit	10%	A short first commitment or break clause, and clear ownership of lists, domains and recordings when you leave
Deliverability	5%	Separate sending domains, warmed mailboxes and regular inbox placement checks

Score each agency from 1 to 5 on every line, multiply by the weight and add up the totals. The highest total goes to the pilot.

Questions to ask in every pitch

What counts as a qualified meeting, and can we have the definition in writing before launch?
Who approves a meeting before it lands in our calendar, and how long do we have to decide?
Is the SDR dedicated to our account or shared, and can we listen to the calls? SalesSourcers names these two, plus the written qualification standard, as the questions that tell providers apart (SalesSourcers).
What is your show rate? Flowd notes that most B2B benchmarks put no-shows at around 15 to 20%, so a show rate below 80% is a warning sign (Flowd).
What does the monthly fee include, and what is charged on top: setup, data, tool licences (Flowd)?
Which channels will you use for our buyers, and why?
Who owns the lists, sending domains and call recordings if we leave?

Contract terms to compare

Term	What to look for	Published examples
Minimum term	A short first commitment	Sopro: no minimum contract (Sopro). SalesHype: 3-month minimum on managed outbound (SalesHype). Flowd: 30-day break clause (Flowd). throxy: a one-month sprint before anything longer (throxy).
What you pay for	Fees tied to meetings that meet the standard	throxy: flat fee plus a fee per approved meeting that takes place (throxy). durhamlane: part fixed, part tied to success outcomes (durhamlane).
Setup fees	Stated before you sign	Some agencies charge £500 to £3,000 to onboard (Flowd). SalesHype: no setup fee (SalesHype).
Time to launch	A dated plan	throxy: live by day 14 (throxy). Sopro: live in 3 weeks. SalesSourcers: calling from week three (SalesSourcers). durhamlane: onboarding typically 30 days.

Run a one-month pilot

Agree the qualification standard, the target accounts and the meeting definition before day one.
Set the measures: qualified meetings held, show rate, meetings that become opportunities, and your team’s hours spent.
Listen to ten calls and read a sample of emails in the first two weeks.
Score the agency again on day 30 with the same scorecard, then decide on a longer term.

Stay inside the UK rules

Before live B2B calls, screen numbers against both the Corporate Telephone Preference Service and the Telephone Preference Service, plus your own do-not-call list. Sole traders and some partnerships count as individuals under PECR, so the stricter rules for individuals apply to them. B2B emails to companies must say who you are and give a valid address to opt out (ICO). The ICO says this guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check it before each campaign.

Ask each agency how it screens numbers against both registers before it calls.

How throxy answers each line

Criterion	throxy
Qualification standard	Agreed with you before launch. Each meeting arrives as a request and you have 24 hours to accept or reject it (throxy).
Channel fit	Specialist SDRs cold call in 10+ languages alongside cold email, for buyers in traditional industries who are rarely on LinkedIn (throxy).
Data and targeting	A custom database: companies qualified and scored first, then the people inside each account mapped and ranked (throxy).
Visibility	Call recordings, connection rates and performance data if you want them (throxy).
Pricing and risk	A flat monthly fee plus a fee per approved meeting, and the meeting has to take place (throxy).
Terms and exit	A one-month sprint before a longer commitment (throxy).
Deliverability	Separate domains, more than 150 mailboxes, a two-week warmup and inbox placement tests every day (throxy).

For the meeting definition in depth, read how to evaluate qualified meeting generation services. For prices, read what fully managed outbound costs in the UK, and for a list of providers, read outsourced outbound sales companies for UK B2B teams.

FAQ

What matters most when comparing outbound agencies?

A written qualification standard agreed before launch, with you approving each meeting. Once every agency works to the same meeting definition, price and volume become comparable.

How long should an outbound agency pilot run?

Long enough to see held meetings and a show rate. throxy offers a one-month sprint (throxy), while durhamlane asks for 6 months to prove the concept (durhamlane).