What it takes to book a B2B meeting: 3,140,107 calls of data
Dials per appointment, proposal rates and win rates from Abstrakt's SDRs across 15 commercial service verticals, broken down by the prospect's industry, title and size. Use it to set a realistic activity plan, whether you prospect in-house or with us.
How many dials does it take to book an appointment?
Across 3,140,107 calls in 15 commercial service verticals, Abstrakt's SDRs set 25,151 appointments, about 125 dials per appointment. It ranges from 78 dials in Commercial Fire Protection to 169 in LED Lighting. Who you call matters most: hands-on facility roles book in a fraction of the dials it takes to reach an owner or president, and the prospect's industry moves the number almost as much. Company and building size barely move it.
Key findings
- 125dials per appointment set, on average
3,140,107 calls and 25,151 appointments across 15 commercial service verticals.
- 78 to 169the range by vertical
Commercial Fire Protection books fastest; LED Lighting takes 2.2x as many dials.
- 12 of 13verticals where a hands-on role books fastest
In those verticals the quickest title to book was a facilities, maintenance, engineering or property role. Where presidents, CEOs or owners appear, they took a median 2.4x the dials of the fastest title (5 verticals).
- 2.3x / 2.2xspread by title and by prospect industry
Inside a vertical, dials per appointment spread a median 2.3x between the fastest and slowest title and 2.2x across prospect industries, against 1.5x or less by company or building size. Who you call matters more than how big they are.
- 10.0% to 43.9%of opportunities reached a proposal
Lowest in IT/Cyber Security/MSP, highest in Power Washing. 7.4% to 26.9% of proposals were won (Concrete/Asphalt Services to LED Lighting).
Source for every finding: Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence, cumulative program history through October 2026 (data imported October 1, 2026). Appointments are appointments set, not appointments held. Method and limits.
Dials per appointment, proposal and win rates by vertical
Sorted from the vertical that books fastest. The bars start at zero; the table below has every number and sorts by any column.
| Vertical | Calls | Appointments set | Dials per appt | Reached proposal | Proposals won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Roofing | 924,965 | 6,606 | 140 | 25.9% | 16.1% |
| HVAC | 616,913 | 6,265 | 98 | 16.6% | 24.9% |
| IT/Cyber Security/MSP | 594,121 | 3,657 | 162 | 10.0% | 20.5% |
| Commercial Cleaning | 191,084 | 1,344 | 142 | 23.9% | 21.7% |
| Concrete/Asphalt Services | 153,847 | 1,780 | 86 | 32.2% | 7.4% |
| Painting | 139,935 | 1,217 | 115 | 31.2% | 14.4% |
| Solar | 104,514 | 648 | 161 | 12.8% | 19.4% |
| Physical Security | 104,502 | 638 | 164 | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| LED Lighting | 67,019 | 396 | 169 | 24.4% | 26.9% |
| Landscape Services | 62,957 | 712 | 88 | 18.8% | 12.7% |
| Commercial Fire Protection | 50,060 | 641 | 78 | 21.6% | 13.2% |
| Commercial Flooring | 46,959 | 386 | 122 | 30.8% | 9.8% |
| Commercial Electric | 45,301 | 470 | 96 | 14.6% | 21.1% |
| Power Washing | 23,688 | 250 | 95 | 43.9% | 12.9% |
| Pest Control | 14,242 | 141 | 101 | 24.8% | 7.9% |
Who you call matters more than how big they are
For each vertical we took the slowest and fastest segment in each breakdown and divided one by the other. The table shows the median of that ratio across verticals. A ratio of 2.0x means the slowest segment took twice the dials of the fastest.
| Breakdown | Verticals with enough data | Median spread, slowest to fastest |
|---|---|---|
| Prospect job title | 13 | 2.3x |
| Prospect industry | 13 | 2.2x |
| Building square footage | 10 | 1.2x |
| Employees on site | 5 | 1.3x |
| Company revenue | 3 | 1.5x |
Segments with fewer than 30 opportunities are left out; a breakdown counts for a vertical only when it has at least two segments. Size breakdowns have fewer verticals with enough data, so read them as indicative.
Commercial Roofing: 140 dials per appointment
924,965 calls and 6,606 appointments set. 25.9% of opportunities reached a proposal and 16.1% of proposals were won. How we prospect roofing.
Fastest prospect industries
- Hospitality (342 opps)83 dials
- Healthcare Services (534 opps)84 dials
- Government (43 opps)85 dials
- Arts & Recreation (150 opps)105 dials
- Real Estate (342 opps)108 dials
- Education (459 opps)109 dials
Fastest titles
- Building Engineer (38 opps)59 dials
- Maintenance Director (406 opps)64 dials
- Chief Engineer (146 opps)66 dials
- Engineering Director (32 opps)68 dials
- Maintenance Manager (766 opps)88 dials
- Project Manager (34 opps)90 dials
By size
Employees on site
- 100-249 (943)126
- 50-99 (1,049)140
- 1-19 (1,262)145
- 20-49 (1,267)146
Building square footage
- 50,000-99,999 (731)120
- >=100,000 (606)125
- 10,000-49,999 (2,868)132
- <10,000 (791)162
HVAC: 98 dials per appointment
616,913 calls and 6,265 appointments set. 16.6% of opportunities reached a proposal and 24.9% of proposals were won. How we prospect HVAC.
Fastest prospect industries
- Healthcare Services (429 opps)56 dials
- Hospitality (257 opps)59 dials
- Government (43 opps)71 dials
- Real Estate (186 opps)75 dials
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (446 opps)79 dials
- Education (435 opps)79 dials
Fastest titles
- Maintenance Director (319 opps)41 dials
- Chief Engineer (165 opps)44 dials
- Engineering Director (41 opps)45 dials
- Building Engineer (30 opps)56 dials
- Facilities Director (366 opps)64 dials
- Building Manager (36 opps)66 dials
By size
Employees on site
- 100-249 (847)88
- 20-49 (924)97
- 50-99 (916)99
- 500-999 (109)104
Building square footage
- >=100,000 (506)84
- 50,000-99,999 (586)90
- 10,000-49,999 (2,604)94
- <10,000 (275)105
IT/Cyber Security/MSP: 162 dials per appointment
594,121 calls and 3,657 appointments set. 10.0% of opportunities reached a proposal and 20.5% of proposals were won. How we prospect MSP.
Fastest prospect industries
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (236 opps)112 dials
- Education (161 opps)115 dials
- Hospitality (35 opps)133 dials
- Transportation (58 opps)134 dials
- Wholesale (219 opps)144 dials
- Arts & Recreation (38 opps)148 dials
Fastest titles
- Office Manager (247 opps)102 dials
- Vice President (39 opps)111 dials
- IT Director (281 opps)113 dials
- IT Manager (590 opps)133 dials
- Executive Director (47 opps)137 dials
- Controller (93 opps)151 dials
By size
Employees on site
- 1-19 (748)152
- 20-49 (1,239)152
- 50-99 (608)166
- 100-249 (349)197
Commercial Cleaning: 142 dials per appointment
191,084 calls and 1,344 appointments set. 23.9% of opportunities reached a proposal and 21.7% of proposals were won. How we prospect cleaning.
Fastest prospect industries
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (142 opps)92 dials
- Arts & Recreation (41 opps)100 dials
- Education (109 opps)107 dials
- Healthcare Services (104 opps)113 dials
- Real Estate (70 opps)128 dials
- Retail (41 opps)136 dials
Fastest titles
- Property Manager (89 opps)78 dials
- Maintenance Director (54 opps)89 dials
- Facilities Director (93 opps)103 dials
- Facilities Manager (210 opps)111 dials
- Office Manager (40 opps)116 dials
- Maintenance Manager (97 opps)121 dials
By size
Employees on site
- 20-49 (287)132
- 50-99 (278)139
- 1-19 (215)146
- >=1,000 (34)166
Building square footage
- 50,000-99,999 (186)129
- 10,000-49,999 (700)135
- <10,000 (87)158
- >=100,000 (135)160
Concrete/Asphalt Services: 86 dials per appointment
153,847 calls and 1,780 appointments set. 32.2% of opportunities reached a proposal and 7.4% of proposals were won. How we prospect paving.
Fastest prospect industries
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (154 opps)51 dials
- Healthcare Services (137 opps)52 dials
- Education (105 opps)78 dials
- Wholesale (125 opps)88 dials
- Real Estate (123 opps)89 dials
- Hospitals & Physicians Clinics (66 opps)90 dials
Fastest titles
- Maintenance Director (90 opps)43 dials
- Maintenance Supervisor (31 opps)55 dials
- Chief Engineer (35 opps)55 dials
- Facilities Director (114 opps)57 dials
- Property Manager (97 opps)57 dials
- Maintenance Manager (145 opps)66 dials
By size
Company revenue
- 1-9.99M (545)82
- 10-49.99M (341)90
- <1M (157)90
- >=500M (32)111
Painting: 115 dials per appointment
139,935 calls and 1,217 appointments set. 31.2% of opportunities reached a proposal and 14.4% of proposals were won. How we prospect painting.
Fastest prospect industries
- Arts & Recreation (40 opps)74 dials
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (117 opps)83 dials
- Healthcare Services (79 opps)83 dials
- Hospitality (52 opps)84 dials
- Education (118 opps)86 dials
- Hospitals & Physicians Clinics (53 opps)108 dials
Fastest titles
- Maintenance Director (52 opps)57 dials
- Facilities Director (79 opps)85 dials
- Facilities Manager (174 opps)93 dials
- Property Manager (85 opps)103 dials
- Maintenance Manager (83 opps)106 dials
- General Manager (51 opps)112 dials
By size
Building square footage
- >=100,000 (126)98
- 10,000-49,999 (533)109
- <10,000 (137)133
- 50,000-99,999 (113)137
Solar: 161 dials per appointment
104,514 calls and 648 appointments set. 12.8% of opportunities reached a proposal and 19.4% of proposals were won. How we prospect Solar.
Fastest prospect industries
- Education (73 opps)91 dials
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (56 opps)105 dials
- Healthcare Services (37 opps)129 dials
- Wholesale (50 opps)185 dials
- Manufacturing (168 opps)208 dials
Fastest titles
- Facilities Director (57 opps)101 dials
- Facilities Manager (94 opps)112 dials
- Maintenance Manager (46 opps)135 dials
- Owner (36 opps)193 dials
By size
Building square footage
- >=100,000 (74)139
- 50,000-99,999 (83)151
- 10,000-49,999 (338)153
Physical Security: 164 dials per appointment
104,502 calls and 638 appointments set. 12.8% of opportunities reached a proposal and 11.4% of proposals were won. How we prospect Physical Security.
Fastest prospect industries
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (48 opps)106 dials
- Real Estate (82 opps)106 dials
- Healthcare Services (49 opps)110 dials
- Hospitality (32 opps)115 dials
- Education (72 opps)128 dials
- Construction (85 opps)184 dials
Fastest titles
- Property Manager (82 opps)75 dials
- Facilities Director (55 opps)107 dials
- Facilities Manager (68 opps)160 dials
- General Manager (36 opps)170 dials
- Operations Manager (31 opps)174 dials
- Project Manager (39 opps)197 dials
By size
Employees on site
- 1-19 (123)144
- 100-249 (127)153
- 20-49 (167)167
- 50-99 (122)191
Company revenue
- <1M (53)130
- 1-9.99M (231)160
- 10-49.99M (238)166
- 100-499M (38)198
LED Lighting: 169 dials per appointment
67,019 calls and 396 appointments set. 24.4% of opportunities reached a proposal and 26.9% of proposals were won. How we prospect LED Lighting.
Fastest prospect industries
- Manufacturing (96 opps)217 dials
Fastest titles
- Maintenance Manager (33 opps)121 dials
- Facilities Manager (34 opps)135 dials
By size
Building square footage
- >=100,000 (49)150
- 50,000-99,999 (60)158
- 10,000-49,999 (121)177
Landscape Services: 88 dials per appointment
62,957 calls and 712 appointments set. 18.8% of opportunities reached a proposal and 12.7% of proposals were won. How we prospect landscaping.
Fastest prospect industries
- Organizations (Non-Profit) (66 opps)50 dials
- Healthcare Services (68 opps)58 dials
- Hospitality (38 opps)58 dials
- Real Estate (97 opps)74 dials
- Education (67 opps)90 dials
- Manufacturing (105 opps)114 dials
Fastest titles
- Maintenance Director (48 opps)39 dials
- Property Manager (109 opps)56 dials
- Facilities Director (40 opps)77 dials
- General Manager (30 opps)78 dials
- Maintenance Manager (45 opps)79 dials
- Facilities Manager (75 opps)85 dials
By size
Company revenue
- <1M (112)68
- 100-499M (43)83
- 1-9.99M (229)90
- 10-49.99M (120)102
Commercial Fire Protection: 78 dials per appointment
50,060 calls and 641 appointments set. 21.6% of opportunities reached a proposal and 13.2% of proposals were won. How we prospect fire protection.
Fastest prospect industries
- Healthcare Services (37 opps)62 dials
- Hospitality (32 opps)67 dials
- Education (70 opps)82 dials
- Wholesale (51 opps)87 dials
- Manufacturing (147 opps)92 dials
Fastest titles
- Maintenance Director (43 opps)39 dials
- Safety Manager (33 opps)42 dials
- Facilities Director (46 opps)71 dials
- Facilities Manager (75 opps)94 dials
- Maintenance Manager (42 opps)105 dials
By size
Building square footage
- 10,000-49,999 (277)75
- >=100,000 (73)78
- 50,000-99,999 (68)89
Commercial Flooring: 122 dials per appointment
46,959 calls and 386 appointments set. 30.8% of opportunities reached a proposal and 9.8% of proposals were won. How we prospect flooring.
Fastest prospect industries
- Wholesale (34 opps)118 dials
- Manufacturing (165 opps)149 dials
Fastest titles
- Maintenance Manager (64 opps)101 dials
- Facilities Manager (52 opps)106 dials
By size
Building square footage
- 50,000-99,999 (66)113
- 10,000-49,999 (156)119
- >=100,000 (57)131
Commercial Electric: 96 dials per appointment
45,301 calls and 470 appointments set. 14.6% of opportunities reached a proposal and 21.1% of proposals were won. How we prospect electrical.
Fastest prospect industries
- Wholesale (50 opps)82 dials
- Manufacturing (167 opps)123 dials
Fastest titles
- Facilities Director (30 opps)70 dials
- Facilities Manager (72 opps)74 dials
- Maintenance Manager (44 opps)86 dials
By size
Building square footage
- >=100,000 (64)82
- 10,000-49,999 (217)95
- 50,000-99,999 (68)100
Power Washing: 95 dials per appointment
23,688 calls and 250 appointments set. 43.9% of opportunities reached a proposal and 12.9% of proposals were won.
Fastest prospect industries
- Hospitality (36 opps)56 dials
- Real Estate (33 opps)74 dials
Fastest titles
- Facilities Manager (37 opps)60 dials
By size
Building square footage
- 10,000-49,999 (88)83
- <10,000 (30)90
Pest Control: 101 dials per appointment
14,242 calls and 141 appointments set. 24.8% of opportunities reached a proposal and 7.9% of proposals were won.
Fastest prospect industries
- Manufacturing (31 opps)94 dials
Fastest titles
- Facilities Manager (31 opps)76 dials
What the activity costs to run in-house
At 125 dials per appointment, ten appointments a month takes about 1,250 dials, every month. Here is what one in-house SDR costs in year one to make them, and what a program costs.
One in-house SDR, year one
| Line | Year one |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $55,000 |
| Commission and bonus | $15,000 |
| Payroll taxes and benefits (25% of pay) | $17,500 |
| Tools and data ($550 a month) | $6,600 |
| Recruiting and training | $7,000 |
| Turnover (35% a year, rehiring) | $2,450 |
| Manager and QA time (5 hours a week) and admin (4 hours a month) | $21,150 |
| Total | $124,700 |
Before ramp time and the meetings a new rep misses while learning.
An Abstrakt Outbound BDR program
From $5,000 a month
$60,000 a year, with a primary BDR and a BDR team, a Partner Sales Manager, quality control, data and the technology included. The activity or qualified-appointment number is agreed in writing before launch.
We do not publish a cost per appointment: it depends on the vertical, the territory and the program. Price yours in the calculator, with every assumption visible.
In-house: base salary $55,000, commission $15,000, payroll taxes and benefits 25% of pay, tools $550 a month, recruiting and training $7,000, turnover 35% a year, manager and QA time 5 hours a week at $75 and admin time: the assumptions in our SDR cost calculator, the same method as Team and Technology. Program: Abstrakt's published starting price; your quote depends on the program.
What an appointment costs: in-house, outsourced or pay-per-lead
Cost per appointment is what you spend in a month divided by the appointments you get that month. In-house, the spend is about $124,700 a year for one SDR at a $55,000 base salary before ramp time, and the appointments depend on the dials that rep makes: 125 per appointment on average here, from 78 in Commercial Fire Protection to 169 in LED Lighting. Outsourced, the spend is the program fee and the appointments are the number committed in writing.
| Option | The spend | The appointments | Sourced figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house SDR | $124,700 in year one at a $55,000 base salary | Dials made / dials per appointment for your vertical (table above) | The SDR cost calculator's starting values; Abstrakt sales center dials per appointment |
| Outsourced appointment setting | Abstrakt Outbound BDR from $5,000 a month | The activity or qualified-appointment number agreed in writing | Abstrakt published starting price, October 2026. Other providers' published prices are in the report |
| Pay-per-lead | A price per lead | Leads / your own lead-to-appointment rate | None. We have no sourced price for commercial trades, so we do not print one |
How many dials an in-house SDR makes a day has no sourced figure either, so the full report prices it at four dial levels, labeled as scenarios, with a worksheet for your own number.
Get the full cost per appointment report
Twelve pages of sourced comparison: year-one SDR cost in every metro we cover, dials per appointment and the fastest titles to book in each vertical, in-house cost per appointment at four dial levels, published outsourced prices, and a worksheet to price your own.
- The cost per appointment formula for in-house, outsourced and pay-per-lead options
- Year-one cost of one in-house SDR, line by line, and the range across 98 metros
- Dials per appointment, proposal and win rates for 15 commercial service verticals
- The fastest job titles and prospect industries to book in each vertical
- An in-house cost per appointment worksheet with scenarios at four dial levels
- Published outsourced prices and five questions to ask any provider
How these benchmarks differ from our 2025 annual report
We publish two sets of sales-floor numbers. They answer different questions, so they do not match, and should not be combined.
| Measure | These benchmarks | 2025 annual report |
|---|---|---|
| Period | Cumulative program history through October 2026 (no start date in the export) | Calendar 2025, compared with 2024 |
| Scope | 15 commercial service verticals with at least 100 appointments set | All Abstrakt outbound client programs |
| Dials | 3,140,107 | 6,220,737 |
| Appointments | 25,151 appointments set | 43,758 qualified appointments |
| Dials per appointment | 125 | 142 |
| Best for | Comparing verticals, titles, industries and sizes | Year-over-year trends, connect and pitch-to-meeting rates |
Annual report figures as published in The State of Outbound Lead Generation (2025 data).
How these numbers are measured
- Calls are outbound dials logged by Abstrakt's U.S.-based SDRs on client programs.
- Appointments set are meetings booked with a prospect. They are counted when set, not when held; show rate is not published.
- Dials per appointment is calls divided by appointments set, for the vertical or the breakdown row.
- The funnel runs appointments set, then opportunities (appointments that became a sales opportunity), then proposals, then wins. Reached proposal is the share of opportunities that received a proposal; proposals won is the share of those proposals that closed.
- Breakdowns by industry, title and size leave out rows with fewer than 30 opportunities, so small samples do not mislead. Sample sizes are shown next to each row.
- These are historical averages across many programs, not a forecast for any single program.
About this data
- Type
- Abstrakt internal data. Nothing on this page is third-party data or an industry estimate, except the BLS pay data in the economics section.
- Source
- Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence: activity and outcomes logged on client programs, exported to src/data/benchmarks/sdr-performance.csv.
- Sample
- 3,140,107 calls and 25,151 appointments set across 15 commercial service verticals.
- Period
- Cumulative program history through October 2026. The export has no start date.
- Excluded
- Verticals with fewer than 100 appointments set: EV Charging Stations (38 appointments), Material Handling (15 appointments).
- Coverage
- National figures for commercial service verticals, including IT and managed services. No market-level rates, and no Enterprise SDR/BDR programs in this set.
- Limitations
- Client mix, offers and target lists differ by program. Industries and titles are recorded by our SDRs at the time of the call. Close rates depend on each client's own sales process. Appointments set is not the same as appointments held.
- Last updated
- Data imported October 1, 2026. The page rebuilds from the data whenever it is refreshed.
- Download
- sales-benchmarks.csv: every row shown on this page.
- Cite as
- Abstrakt, "B2B Prospecting Benchmarks," Performance Intelligence data through October 2026, abstraktmg.com/sales-benchmarks/.
More research from Abstrakt
- Annual report · calendar 2025The state of outbound lead generation: 2025
Dials, qualified appointments, connect and pitch-to-meeting rates across our outbound programs, year over year.
- Industry playbooksThe state of business development, by industry
One playbook per industry we serve, with our sales-floor numbers where we have them.
- Market comparisonOutsourced SDR companies compared
Compared from each company's own website: published prices, contract terms, SDR location and channels, with sources.
- Market intelligenceThe markets we cover
Business counts, contractor competition and seasonal weather by metro, from BLS, Census and NOAA data.
- LibrarySearch every resource
Guides, playbooks, tools and articles, filtered by industry, challenge and format.
Questions about the benchmarks
How many dials does it take to book a B2B appointment?
Across 3,140,107 calls in 15 commercial service verticals, Abstrakt's SDRs set 25,151 appointments, about 125 dials per appointment. It ranges from 78 dials in Commercial Fire Protection to 169 in LED Lighting.
Which job titles book appointments fastest?
Hands-on roles. In 12 of the 13 verticals with title data, the fastest title to book was a facilities, maintenance, engineering or property role. Where presidents, CEOs or owners appear in the data, they took a median 2.4x as many dials as the fastest title in the same vertical.
Does company size change how hard a meeting is to book?
Less than title or industry. Inside a vertical, dials per appointment spread a median 2.3x across job titles and 2.2x across prospect industries, but 1.5x or less across company size, building size or revenue bands.
What share of B2B sales opportunities reach a proposal?
It depends on the vertical: from 10.0% of opportunities in IT/Cyber Security/MSP to 43.9% in Power Washing.
What share of B2B proposals close?
Between 7.4% (Concrete/Asphalt Services) and 26.9% (LED Lighting) of proposals were won across 15 verticals. Close rates depend on the client's own sales process and pricing, so treat them as a range, not a target.
Where does this data come from?
Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence: calls, appointments, proposals and wins logged by Abstrakt's U.S.-based SDRs on client programs, cumulative through October 2026. Breakdown rows with fewer than 30 opportunities and verticals with fewer than 100 appointments set are left out.
Are these results guaranteed?
No. They are historical averages across many programs. Each Abstrakt program carries an appointment guarantee based on the client’s industry, with the exact number in the agreement; if Abstrakt misses it by the end of the year, it works for free until the number is hit.
This is a lot of work. Who is going to do it?
At about 125 dials per appointment, ten meetings a month means roughly 1,250 dials, every month, through every season. Most owners and sales teams do not have those hours, and the calling is the first thing that slips when the work gets busy.
We do it, and we love it. Your outsourced sales development team makes the dials, starts with the industries and titles that book fastest in your trade, and keeps the activity going every month, with every call visible in the Results Portal. You focus on selling.
