The honest table first, including the rows where the alternatives win. The short version: lists sell names, agencies sell activity, an SDR sells hours, an engine sells aim. Which one you need depends on which bottleneck you actually have.
| Lead lists | SDR agency | In-house SDR | Sales engine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | $0.10 to $2 per name | $5,000 to $12,000 /mo | $75,000 to $110,000 /yr loaded | Briefing-scoped, owned asset |
| What you buy | Names | Activity | Hours | Aim + timing |
| Knows who is in motion | No | Rarely | Sometimes, by feel | Yes, by design |
| Reads buyer psychology | No | No | The good ones, slowly | Yes, modeled |
| Best when | Feeding another system | Proven offer, volume constraint | Engine exists, needs a human | Aim is the bottleneck |
| Worst when | Used as the strategy | Messaging unproven | Hired as the first fix | You need meetings this week with zero setup |
| You own it after | The CSV | Nothing | The experience walks | The system stays |
Honest rows kept: an agency beats an engine when a proven offer just needs volume; an engine takes days to stand up, not hours.
If reply rates are fine and volume is low: agency or SDR. If volume is fine and replies are dead: the aim is broken, and more volume multiplies the waste, which is the engine's case. If you cannot say which: that is precisely what a briefing measures, on your real numbers, in 30 minutes. If it cannot show you money you are not seeing, the meeting ends there.
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