12 Questions to Ask a Cold Calling Agency Before You Sign

The most useful questions to ask a cold calling agency cover six things: who the caller is, who writes the script, whether you can hear the calls, the contract terms, who owns the data, and what happens if meetings don't come. A good agency answers each one plainly and puts it in writing. A vague answer to any of them is a reason to slow down.

Below are 12 questions, with what a good and a bad answer sound like. Use them on every agency you talk to, including us.

Table of Contents

• Why the Questions Matter More Than the Pitch
• Questions About the Caller
• Questions About the Script and the Calls
• Questions About Reporting
• Questions About Price and Contract
• Questions About Data and Compliance
• Questions About Results
• A Checklist to Bring to Every Sales Call
• How Switchstack Answers These Questions

Why the Questions Matter More Than the Pitch

Every agency's pitch sounds good. The details tell you more. Who picks up the phone on day one? Can you hear what they said? Can you leave if it isn't working?

Ask every provider the same questions, write the answers down and compare them side by side.

Questions About the Caller

1. Who exactly will be calling our prospects, and are they dedicated to us?

Some agencies give you one caller. Others use a shared pool that also calls for other clients.

• Good answer: "You get one named caller, full time on your account. You can meet them before they start."
• Bad answer: "Our team handles it." Or: "We rotate callers to keep things fresh."

A shared pool can make sense for very small volumes. But a caller who hears your buyers' objections every day will usually sound better than one switching between five clients.

2. How do you test callers before they reach us?

A resume says little about how someone handles a busy owner who wants them off the phone.

• Good answer: "Every caller passes live role-play calls with objections before you meet them. You can hear a recording or run your own role-play."
• Bad answer: "All our callers have sales experience." Or a "training program" with no detail on what it tests.

If you want to run your own test, our guide on how to evaluate Filipino sales reps has three role-play scenarios and a scoring sheet you can use with any agency's callers.

3. What happens if the caller isn't a good fit?

• Good answer: "We replace them at no cost, and here is how fast. It's in the contract."
• Bad answer: "That doesn't happen." Or a replacement that comes with a new setup fee or restarts your contract term.

Questions About the Script and the Calls

4. Who writes the script, and who can change it?

• Good answer: "We write it with you. You approve it before any calls go out. We update it each week based on what we hear on the calls, and we tell you what changed."
• Bad answer: "We use our proven script," which ignores your market. Or: "Send us your script and we'll run it," which means nobody improves it.

A script should be a short guide, not a word-for-word reading. For examples, see our cold calling scripts that actually work.

5. Can I listen to the call recordings?

This is the best way to judge quality. A report can look fine while the calls sound bad.

• Good answer: "Every call is recorded. You can listen to any of them, not just the ones we pick."
• Bad answer: "We share highlights." Or recordings "on request" that take a week to arrive.

Also ask how they handle telling people a call is recorded. Rules on recording consent differ by country and by US state, so the agency should have a clear, consistent answer.

Questions About Reporting

6. What do your reports show, and how often do I get them?

• Good answer: "A weekly report with calls made, conversations, meetings booked, and the main objections we heard. Plus notes on what we're changing next week."
• Bad answer: "A monthly summary." Or a report that only shows dials and meetings, with nothing on why prospects said no.

The reasons people say no tell you if the problem is the list, the offer or the caller.

Questions About Price and Contract

7. How long is the contract, and what is the notice period?

• Good answer: "Month-to-month with a short notice period, clearly written."
• Bad answer: "Twelve months minimum, because outbound takes time." It does take time to tune, but a long lock-in protects the agency more than you.

If an agency wants a longer term, ask what you get in return and how you can exit if agreed targets are missed.

8. Are there setup fees or other one-time costs?

• Good answer: "No setup fee. The monthly price is the whole price." Or a setup fee that is small, clearly explained and tied to real work.
• Bad answer: A large "onboarding" or "list building" fee paid upfront, before a single call is made.

Also ask about extra charges for list data, call minutes or reporting. Our guide to cold calling pricing explains the common pricing models.

Questions About Data and Compliance

9. Who owns the lists, notes and recordings?

• Good answer: "You own everything: your lists, call notes, recordings and any contacts we add while working for you. You can export it anytime, including after you leave."
• Bad answer: "The data stays in our system." Or a vague answer about what happens to it when you cancel.

If they build lists for you, ask whether they reuse them for other clients.

10. How do you handle Do Not Call lists and calling rules?

This one matters even if you only sell to businesses. In the US, the FTC notes that most calls between a telemarketer and a business are exempt from the Telemarketing Sales Rule, but there are exceptions. Calls that sell to people for personal use are not covered by that exemption.

The same FTC guide says that where the rule applies, call lists must be synced with the National Do Not Call Registry every 31 days. It also says that calling someone who has asked not to be called again is a violation. And it says the seller (you) can be responsible for keeping the company's own Do Not Call list, even when a hired telemarketing service makes the calls.

• Good answer: "We keep a do-not-call list for your account. When anyone asks not to be called, they go on it the same day and are never called again. We check numbers against the national registry when the rules apply, and we can show you the process in writing."
• Bad answer: "B2B is exempt, so it doesn't matter." Or no clear answer at all.

Rules differ by country and by US state. This guide is not legal advice, so if you are unsure, check with a lawyer before calling starts.

Questions About Results

11. How do you define a booked meeting?

• Good answer: A written definition you agree on together. For example: a decision-maker at a company that fits your target profile, who agreed to a set time and accepted a calendar invite.
• Bad answer: "Anyone who says they're interested." Loose definitions inflate meeting counts and waste your sales team's time.

This matters most with pay-per-meeting pricing.

12. What happens if the meetings don't come?

No honest agency can promise a number of meetings before it has called your market. Be wary of anyone who does.

• Good answer: "We'll review the calls with you each week, look at whether the problem is the list, the offer or the script, and change course. If it still isn't working, you can leave with short notice."
• Bad answer: "We guarantee 20 meetings a month." With fine print that lets them count anything as a meeting. Or: "Give it six months."

Agree on early signals before you start: conversations per day, how prospects respond to the opening line, and the main objections. These show whether things are on track long before meeting numbers settle.

A Checklist to Bring to Every Sales Call

Copy this table into a doc and fill it in for each agency you talk to.

Good answers to most of these suggest an agency is worth a trial. If it dodges three or more, keep looking.

Not sure outsourcing is right for you yet? Compare the options in in-house vs outsourced SDRs.

How Switchstack Answers These Questions

Switchstack is a new company, so we can't point you to a long client list. What we can do is answer the questions above plainly.

We offer two services. With We Call for You, we supply, train and manage a dedicated Filipino caller who calls your prospects and books meetings on your calendar. It costs $2,499 per caller per month and includes a script written with you, daily management and quality checks, call recordings and a weekly report. With Hire a Caller, you get a vetted, full-time Filipino caller who works US business hours, joins your team, works your list and reports to you. It costs $1,799 per caller per month, and we handle payroll, HR and equipment.

Both come with no setup fee, month-to-month terms with 30 days' notice, a free replacement in the first 30 days, and every call recorded. Callers pass role-play calls before you meet them, and you can usually start in about two weeks.