Appointment setting glossary for MSPs
This glossary defines, in plain English, the terms MSP owners meet when they hire an outbound appointment-setting agency. Each entry says what the term means, how it changes what you pay and what the contract should say about it.
Which terms does the glossary cover?
- Pay per meeting held: Pay per meeting held is a pricing model for outbound appointment setting in which the agency is paid only when a scheduled meeting actually takes place with a decision-maker at a business that matches the client’s ideal customer profile (ICP), as agreed in writing before launch.
- Pay per appointment: Pay per appointment is a pricing model for outbound lead generation in which the client pays the agency a set fee for each sales appointment it delivers, instead of a monthly retainer.
- Show rate: Show rate is the share of booked sales meetings that actually take place with the prospect on the call; the rest is the no-show rate.
Why do the definitions matter?
Agencies use the same few words for very different contracts. “Pay per appointment” can mean you pay for every calendar invite, or only for meetings held with the right person at the right business. The difference doesn’t show up in the sales pitch; it shows up on the invoice. Knowing the terms lets you ask the one question that matters before you sign: what exactly triggers the bill?
For the longer guides behind these terms, start with pay-per-appointment agencies for MSPs: what to compare and what counts as a qualified meeting.
Who wrote these definitions?
Jacopo Vannucci, founder of Levante Leads, an outbound agency for US MSPs that bills only for meetings held. The entries describe how each term is used across the market; where Levante Leads does something specific, the entry says so.