7 best lead generation companies to scale your small business sales
Author
Vera Karimova
Vera is a B2B content expert with 17+ years of experience helping brands drive leads.
Reviewed by
Yuriy Boyko
Head of AM at Belkins. Yuriy has been working in the B2B sales sector for more than a decade. His approach is the integration of scientific methods combined with thinking out of the box, allowing to achieve the highest results in any industry.
Updated:2025-12-30
Reading time:13 min
When it comes to hiring a lead generation company for a small business, the sentiment is usually either “actually helpful” or “never again.” And the math is always the divisive factor. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), every dollar and every lead counts. There’s no wiggle room for burning cash if it doesn’t solve a problem.
We decided to explore the specifics of improving lead generation for small businesses from an insider’s perspective and bring you a list of lead generation companies worth partnering with based on their track record.
Each of the seven lead generation companies for small businesses in this post operates using the best modern protocols, and each boasts a specialization in a specific problem SMBs frequently encounter.
Read on to discover the partners that can genuinely scale your sales.
With almost a decade of experience in B2B client acquisition, we at Belkins know how to avoid burning budgets and instead get you 200 appointments in the first year.
How did we pick the best lead generation agencies for SMBs?
We picked companies with proven experience serving small and medium businesses using three criteria: reviews on online SMB boards, SMB-friendly pricing packages, and relevant case studies. Then we categorized lead generation tactics and strategies that work best for SMBs, and picked the winners and runners-up in each category.
1. Best for outbound lead generation and appointment setting: Belkins
G2: 4.8
Company size: 200+
Clutch: 4.9
Headquarters: Dover, DE, USA
Industry focus: Technology, manufacturing, construction, SaaS, consulting, recruitment and staffing, healthcare, financial services, and marketing and creative agencies
Pricing starts at $5,500. Individual cases affect final pricing (e.g., market specifics and number of channels). Belkins provides three basic packages in addition to customizable options to meet your specific objectives.
Note: Each plan is based on a case-by-case basis. The rate above is an estimate.
An award-winning lead generation company, Belkins (that’s us 👋🏻), generates more than 200 qualified appointments per client annually. We consistently surpass goals thanks to our top-notch experts and playbooks, which have been developed via our work with more than 1,000 clients in more than 50 industries.
Best for high-growth B2B SMBs and mid-market companies seeking predictable outbound lead generation and appointment setting, particularly when sales cycles are complex and lead quality is paramount. Our precision and strategic approach let you find the decision-makers even in small local markets and scale when you’re ready for it. For new companies that are still looking for product-market fit and have no time to wait for SEO to work, we test the approaches and find the ones that bring the best results.
Strengths:
Belkins is a leading appointment-setting and lead generation company for small businesses that have ambitions for scalable growth within the B2B sector.
We beat the frustration of unqualified leads by performing competency mapping, defining ICPs, industries, and buyer personas to identify decision-makers.
We ensure only high-fit prospects enter the funnel, as our team builds 99% accurate, human-verified prospect lists, augmented with AI tools.
We get the highest reply rates because we A/B test omnichannel outreach sequences (email, LinkedIn, and calling), which outperform single-channel sequences by over 200%.
We maximize the campaign results by cranking up email deliverability with tools like Folderly, handling negative replies, and managing the entire meeting booking process, including no-show recovery.
This end-to-end system guarantees a demo-to-close rate of 15% or more and accelerates decision-making by 60%, delivering a predictable flow of high-value meetings.
We focus on building pipelines for clients who require the highest quality leads fast, often adding $1.5M+ in new pipeline within the first year for those ready to invest in a sophisticated and predictable lead generation system.
Awards:
OA500 Top 500 Global Outsourcing Firm Index 2024
Inc. Regionals 2024: Mid-Atlantic
Clutch Top Appointment Setting Company 2024
Clutch Top Lead Generation Company 2024 (Note: Belkins was the only company in the lead gen space in the top 100)
Corporate Vision Most Innovative B2B Lead Generation Agency 2024 — East Coast U.S.A.
Case studies:
A U.S.-based design and fabrication company, specializing in branded retail environments, reached a $28-30 million revenue ceiling due to limited meetings and a messy HubSpot database of 55K contacts. Belkins implemented an omnichannel strategy focused on cleaning, enriching, expanding, and segmenting their HubSpot data. This generated $2.7M in pipeline, resulted in about 60 appointments over the year, and reduced CPA from $1,700 to $1,100, establishing outbound as a predictable source of qualified meetings.
Celerway Communication, a telecom provider of mobile network optimization solutions, needed to expand its market reach for its portable router (GO) and 5G products. Belkins created an account-based marketing (ABM) plan, first focusing on broadcast, media, and non-governmental organizations before expanding the TAM to system integrators. Despite a very specific niche and difficult manual research to find relevant leads, this led to 97 appointments scheduled in 10 months and 144% of KPIs met.
GDL Building Maintenance, a small cleaning company, struggled with lead generation, relying on word-of-mouth. Belkins helped them by outlining an ICP and building a base of 5,200 local companies, offices, and landlords within two states. We developed referral-based email templates and a reengagement campaign, which resulted in 50 face-to-face appointments booked in 10 months, five new closed deals, and consistent delivery of five new clients per month.
Who it’s for: Small to large B2B businesses that are risk-averse
What it does: Provides "done-for-you" B2B lead generation services, including list building and campaign management.
What it does best: De-risking the engagement for SMBs through its money-back guarantee and linking cost directly to a value goal.
2. Best for performance-based appointment setting: Revit
G2: N/A
Company size: 10–50 employees
Clutch: 5.0
Headquarters: Sheridan, WY, USA
Industry focus: Targets startups, small biz, and mid-sized companies. Case studies feature B2B clients, including a marketing agency, a SaaS platform, and a copywriting agency. Revit’s entire positioning is "SMB-first."
Pricing: A hybrid model designed to mitigate risk for the client.
Fractional SDR department: A standard retainer fee.
Pay-per-appointment: This consists of a small retainer fee plus a pay-per-appointment guarantee. Case studies show a cost per appointment ranging from $450 to $650.
The pay-per-appointment model is attractive; it is not risk-free (due to the small retainer) but is "risk-aligned."
Strengths:
Financial risk mitigation. The pay-per-appointment model solves the primary SMB problem of limited budgets and the fear of paying a large retainer for no results. It allows an SMB to tie cost directly to performance.
"Peer-to-peer" SMB focus. As a micro-agency that was “founded upon the idea that companies should have a choice,” Revit is structurally aligned with its SMB clients. The client is a major account, not a line item.
Data transparency. The agency’s case studies publish granular outbound metrics alongside ROI figures. This data-first approach builds trust.
Awards: None found. Revit is a new, small agency founded in 2023, so this is to be expected. Their team has over 10 years of experience in the market.
Case studies:
Baros International, a SaaS firm providing software for Amazon vendors, looked to expand its business to North America after a successful launch in Europe. Тhey turned to Revit because of their approach that balances value and quality within their startup budget. According to the client, Revit became an extension of their team, successfully finding valuable leads and preventing cringey spam by maintaining a quality outreach strategy that went beyond just mass emails.
Who it’s for: SMBs seeking the most flexible lead generation service support
What it does: Delivers prequalified leads and acts as a dedicated outbound sales team.
What it does best: Using cold email, LinkedIn outreach, and custom research, they generate leads tailored to your ideal customer profile (ICP).
3. Best in sales training and enablement: Outbound Consulting
G2: N/A
Company size: 30+ employees
Clutch: N/A
Headquarters: U.S.A.
Industry focus: SMBs in software, agencies, consulting, and more
SMB clients: ResumeMakeover, Toonimo, Great Place To Work, MarketMan
Pricing: Custom quotes with packages for 4, 6, or 12 months
Small and medium-sized businesses usually struggle to cut through the noise and generate consistent leads due to limited resources. That’s why Outbound Consulting’s extensive track record makes it the ideal partner.
Strengths:
Specialty in SMB growth: Outbound Consulting solves common challenges for SMBs — limited bandwidth and over-reliance on referrals. In 10+ years, the agency has mastered processes to build predictable pipelines.
Track record: This vendor has partnered with over 2,000 SMBs across 25 industries, consistently securing 1–3 new deals per month.
High-touch coaching: Outbound Consulting acts as both a partner and coach for long-term success. No matter what package you choose, you’ll see practices and techniques for turning positive responses into closed deals.
Awards: None, but the vendor has received testimonials from over 2,000+ SMBs in the past decade or so.
Case studies:
In its 3.5 years of working with TribalVision, Outbound Consulting doubled its monthly appointments with a 30% close rate. This was achieved after the agency refined its unique selling proposition (USP), messaging, and target buyers.
Who it’s for: Hands-on SMB owners who want to build a long-term internal asset but need expert help with the setup.
What it does: Provides a "done-with-you" B2B lead generation training where experts work alongside the client to set up tools, define the ICP, conduct lead research, and launch the first campaigns.
What it does best: Solving two major SMB problems, which are lack of expertise and lack of budget, by providing access to its tech stack at special rates.
Pricing: $15,000 to $30,000 for a Campaign Pod covering one region or language
Callbox is an enterprise-scale business process outsourcer. For an SMB, this means buying into a massive, proven, and safe system; you will be a small client in a large pond.
Strengths:
Massive scale and proven system. For an SMB that is ready to scale rapidly and wants a safe industry-leading choice, Callbox’s 1000+ employee size and 20-year history are key strengths. They offer a machine that can handle high-volume, multi-channel (call, email, social, and chat) outreach.
Enterprise-grade service. Callbox positions itself as an external marketing team. They provide end-to-end services beyond just appointment setting, including ABM and event marketing.
Verifiable social proof. With over 200 combined reviews on G2 and Clutch, they are one of the most trusted names in the space, significantly de-risking the purchasing decision.
An IT firm selling complex products needed a lead generation partner with technical savvy to engage high-level customers. Callbox deployed its team, using its industry expertise to manage the campaign. It paid off, as the campaign resulted in $150,000 in sales for the client.
A cybersecurity business struggled to grow its U.S. pipeline and establish a market position against tough competition. Callbox’s multi-channel ABM strategy helped secure 77 sales appointments, 142 MQLs, and 284 social media connections, strengthening the client’s market presence.
A cloud-based communication provider struggled to scale in the U.S. and Canada due to talent deficits and market adaptation issues. Callbox’s ABM program delivered 124 sales appointments, 237 MQLs, and 85 webinar registrants, elevating their telecom outreach and boosting growth in chosen sectors.
Who it’s for: Bootstrapped or pragmatist tech SMBs looking for a realistic, long-term ABM partner that is also an SMB
What it does: Provides B2B digital marketing with a focus on account-based marketing (ABM) and paid ads for tech companies
What it does best: Setting realistic expectations and delivering sustainable results
5. Best in inbound and content marketing: Gripped.io
G2: N/A
Company size: 11–50 employees
Clutch: 4.9
Headquarters: London, UK
Industry focus: Hyper-specialized, exclusively for B2B SaaS and AI companies, with their target client being a post-startup and mid-market B2B SaaS.
SMB clients: Flusso, Video Arts Limited, Keaze, H2X Engineering, Uniqodo.
Pricing: Not explicitly stated, but the inbound and content marketing model is generally a monthly retainer and a long-term, strategic investment. An SMB must be prepared to commit for 6–12 months or more to see the returns on content and SEO.
Strengths:
Niche specialization: Gripped is built for B2B SaaS SMBs. They understand the challenges, messaging, and “frictionless buying journeys” of the vertical. The client does not waste time and money educating its agency.
Asset-building focus. The inbound marketing, content, and SEO combo is for the SMB that wants to build a long-term growth engine and own its lead flow, rather than renting leads via outbound.
Anti-award positioning. The agency publicly states that they don’t enter award contests. Instead, they focus on the success of their customers, emphasizing the substance-over-fluff culture.
Awards: The agency explicitly rejects them.
Case studies:
Nozzle.ai, an analytics platform, was at a “standing start” in 2019 with almost no website traffic or lead flow. Gripped implemented its inbound demand and lead generation tactics, focusing on creating high-quality content and building SEO authority, producing a 960% increase in lead flow and a 477% increase in monthly website traffic.
Nexstor, an IT services provider, struggled with returns from traditional outbound and previous PPC efforts. Gripped transitioned Nexstor to a content-led marketing strategy, overhauling their website and producing SEO-focused content. Through optimization of PPC campaigns and microsites, Gripped delivered a £2 million return from a £20,000 paid budget, driving 100+ website leads per month.
Pricing is not listed on the site, but the model is a month-to-month contract with a 30-day free trial. Based on third-party research, typical project sizes for Leadium are in the $10,000–$49,000 range.
Leadium’s key value proposition is its “highly trained, U.S.-based SDRs”. The month-to-month contract acts as a full stop against the risks for a client: if they experience poor lead quality, they are not locked in.
Strengths:
Contract flexibility. The combination of a 30-day free trial and month-to-month contracts minimizes long-term risk, allowing you to “try before you buy” and cancel quickly if things go south.
Premium team. Leadium’s promise of U.S.-based SDRs is a draw for an SMB selling a complex product in the U.S. market. Some companies value the cultural nuance that comes with an onshore team.
On-demand model: The agency’s core service is B2B contact data sourcing, with an emphasis on real-time sourcing and validation, not pulling contacts from a database.
Awards: Leadium is rated as one of the world’s top-performing sales development agencies by Clutch, GoodFirms, and Inc. 5000.
Case studies:
Bidspeed, a tool for government contractors, needed to increase monthly sales and free up its internal team from time-consuming prospecting. Leadium deployed an SDR program that contacted 11,600 prospects via 70,000+ outbound emails, resulting in 114 appointments set, contributing to a 22% increase in month-to-month sales.
The Best Bees Company, a provider of beekeeping for corporate properties, struggled with penetrating its niche audience. Leadium designed an outbound multi-channel strategy that told corporations about the benefits of hitting the ESG metrics. It led to a 75% increase in meetings set, 60% YoY growth in new client logos, 200 new leads in 90 days, and 75 qualified meetings in six months.
Phunware, a multiscreen platform provider, struggled to expand into competitive verticals like healthcare and smart cities. The Leadium team refined the lead lists for hospitals with 200+ beds and city/campus innovation leaders. This strategy brought a 300% increase in qualified leads, 2X higher lead-to-meeting conversions compared to internal efforts, and enabled Phunware to close high-value deals.
Who it’s for: Bootstrapped SMBs or those new to outsourcing who want to test a service with minimal risk.
What it does: Provides SDR-as-a-service with a specialization in US-based cold calling, supplemented by email and lead nurturing.
What it does best: Offering the lowest barrier to entry. Its low-cost pilot options and $1,000+ minimum project size make it a virtually risk-free way for an SMB to try a prospecting agency.
Pricing: Typical project costs range from $5,000 to $35,000, with fixed-price packages for startups available for $4,500 for early-stage, $5,000 for Series A, and $6,195 for Series B-C.
Strengths:
AI efficiency with human skills. Martal’s primary USP is the hybrid model of its proprietary Martal AI SDR (trained on over 40 million touchpoints) combined with seasoned professionals.
Startup-friendly pricing: The fixed-price startup packages are predictable, budget-friendly options.
Acts as a team extension: Reviews on Clutch praise Martal for its ability to act as a partner rather than a simple vendor.
Awards:
Clutch Champion 2024
Clutch Market Leader
Clutch 1000 Top-Rated
G2 Grid Leader 2025
Case studies:
Berger-Levrault, an international software publisher, needed to reach Sales, Financial, and HR Directors in the United States and Canada. Martal Group used their intent data list to find ideal contacts and deploy mixed outbound sequences, resulting in over 12 appointments per month, over 85 MQLs a month, and 12 sales-ready leads, with just two major opportunities justifying the investment.
MAX USA Corp, a manufacturer of high-end industrial tools, came to Martal Group to increase sales in the U.S. market, targeting engineering leaders. Martal used a multi-channel outbound strategy that generated 5,000 prospects a month and 15 qualified leads per month.
Clickworker, a microtasking marketplace for AI, needed to build a U.S. sales pipeline. Martal Group developed a GTM strategy for each segment, created prospect lists, and executed omnichannel outbound campaigns, resulting in the closure of 60 deals with new companies and the management of $1.2M in annual sales.
Who it’s for: Small to mid-sized B2B businesses, especially those selling upmarket to enterprise clients. Sopro is a tech-first lead generation partner to replace cold calling with optimized campaigns.
What it does: B2B email marketing, lead generation, and appointment setting services, leveraging an AI-driven tech platform and expert team.
What it does best: Replacing outdated cold calling with data-driven, optimized email and omnichannel outreach.
Who it’s for: Tech-savvy, high-growth B2B SaaS SMBs and venture-backed scale-ups.
What it does: Builds an AI-powered outbound lead generation system in-house (via coaching) or deploys an automated lead generation framework.
What it does best: Delivering tailored outbound messaging frameworks for rapid pipeline building.
What are the steps when hiring lead generation vendors for SMB
Outsourcing has changed. Now it’s not about offloading cheap routine tasks. It’s about getting specialized help done for you.
How do you determine which tasks to outsource vs. keep in-house?
A principle for successful outsourcing is to keep your core business functions in-house and outsource your support functions.
Support functions are specialized tasks that are often better handled by external partners. For many SMBs, lead generation activities fit into this category.
The typical setup looks like this:
Keep in-house: core sales team (account executives, closers, unique product and service knowledge, client-specific insights)
Outsource: pre-qualifying leads, deploying omnichannel campaigns, and filling the top of the funnel for the internal sales team
Make sure this strategic reinforcement aligns with your long-term vision for growth, adds Michael Maximoff, CEO of Belkins:
“Even when you handle urgent challenges like ’My marketing director just left,’ or ’I have this momentum!’ you have to choose what’s best for the business according to your 3–5 year strategic plan. And when the best is to complement your team, my recommendation is: always try to build an in-house knowledge center for whatever you’re trying to outsource. Then use the external specialists to boost and reinforce your in-house team.”
How should I compare lead generation agencies to pick one for my needs?
Focus on specialization and alignment with your business. Get realistic ROI expectations tied to qualified opportunities. Ask for metrics focused on cost per opportunity (CPO) and customer acquisition cost (CAC), not just cost per lead (CPL). Appointment show-up rates and conversion to sales meetings are also good indicators of the agency’s efficiency.
The lead generation market for small businesses has been hot for several consecutive years. And amidst competition, today you can choose experienced players in many different fields, catering specifically to businesses like yours.
What company did you choose? Did you figure out what matters most to you? Are you ready to jump on an intro call and kick off the process? Perfect. Our job here is done.
And if there are any questions that we didn’t cover, we’ll be happy to answer them — book a call today.
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Vera is a B2B content expert helping brands drive leads. She is a sought-after author with 17+ years of global experience and bylines in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and FastCo.
Expert
Yuriy Boyko
Head of Account Management at Belkins
Yuriy has been working in the B2B sales sector for more than a decade. His approach is the integration of scientific methods combined with thinking out of the box, allowing to achieve the highest results in any industry.
