Outsourced sales team cost — how the pricing actually works
Outsourced sales is priced in three ways: a fixed retainer, a fee per qualified appointment, or commission on closed revenue. What you pay depends on your deal value, sales cycle length and how much of the funnel the provider owns.
The three pricing models
Every provider uses one of these, or a blend. Knowing which you're being sold is the fastest way to compare quotes that look nothing alike.
- Retainer — a fixed monthly fee for agreed activity. Predictable, but you carry the risk of a flat month.
- Per appointment — you pay for each qualified meeting booked. Risk shifts to the provider; the definition of 'qualified' becomes critical.
- Commission — a share of closed revenue. Lowest downside, highest alignment, and the largest absolute cost when things go well.
What moves the number
Two companies get very different quotes for the same headcount, and it's rarely arbitrary. Cost tracks how hard the sale is and how much the provider must invest before any revenue exists.
- Average deal value — bigger deals justify more effort per prospect
- Sales cycle length — long cycles delay any commission payment
- How reachable your buyer is — niche or senior buyers cost more to reach
- Which stages you outsource — setting only, closing only, or the full chain
- Whether the offer is proven — an unsold offer is a research project
Comparing it to an in-house hire
Compare against the fully loaded cost of a hire, not the headline salary: recruitment, employer taxes, tooling, data subscriptions, management time and the ramp period before any output.
Then apply the probability of a mis-hire. Sales roles have high turnover, so a fair comparison prices in the chance you repeat the whole exercise within a year.
Why we quote after a call
We don't publish a rate card, because a genuine number depends on your deal value, sales cycle and the stages you need covered — and a made-up figure here would be worse than none.
A 30-minute call is enough to get the inputs and give you a real number, including telling you if the model doesn't suit your economics.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Want closers working your pipeline?
Book a 30-minute strategy call. We'll map where your pipeline leaks and what a commission-led team would change.