What is the difference between appointment setting and lead generation?
Lead generation ends with a name and contact details. Appointment setting ends with a meeting that has a date, a time and a person attached. They sit at different points in the sales process, and a business can need one, the other or both.
In practice the two connect in a line. Lead generation fills the list, appointment setting works through the list, and your salesperson takes the meeting and does the selling. If you already have a list, you may only need the middle step.
What does lead generation involve?
Lead generation is the work that produces sales leads. TechTarget describes a sales lead as a potential sales contact, either an individual or an organisation, that expresses an interest in your goods or services. The information captured can be as little as a name and email address, or can include the person's role and purchasing timeline.
The same source lists common methods: referrals from existing customers, purchased lead lists, trade shows, webinars, and content such as blog posts and white papers.
What does appointment setting involve?
In this article, appointment setting means contacting people, usually by phone, with the single aim of agreeing a time to meet. The caller's job ends when the meeting is in the calendar, and your own salesperson does the selling in the meeting.
The list it works from can come from anywhere: your own customer records, past enquiries, a list built from lead generation, or a list of companies you have chosen. The work is repetitive and depends on calling at different times and on different days, which is why many owners find it slips down the priority list when the team is busy with existing clients.
Which one does your business need?
Start with the list. If you have a few hundred or a few thousand names of businesses you would like to meet, you need conversations, so appointment setting is the gap. If you have very few names, or no way to know who to approach, you need lead generation first.
If you have the list, you have three ways to get the calls made. You can call yourselves, which costs your own time and is often the first thing dropped. You can hire someone, which means salary, training and management. Or you can pay a service. Ask any provider how it charges and what happens when a call does not lead to a meeting, because the pricing model changes who carries the risk.
How do you check a list against the Do Not Call Registry?
Checks are made through the PDPC's Do Not Call Registry service at dnc.gov.sg. PDPC's guidance refers to a 21-day validity for a check result, so check the list close to the time it is used and keep a record of when you checked.
Whether the rules apply to a particular call is set out in the Personal Data Protection Act and explained in the PDPC Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions. This is general information, so check with a lawyer for your own case.
Where does Greetsby fit?
Greetsby does appointment setting only. It does not build lists. It calls the people on your own list and books meetings into your calendar. It makes up to 4 call attempts per person on a new list, on different days, between 9.30am and 6.00pm. Every call is recorded, including the ones that did not book, and you can play any call on your list. You approve the opening and the reason for the call before calls start, and a named Greetsby caller is responsible for your campaign.
Pricing is one flat price for each batch of numbers called: S$1,800 for 1,000 numbers, S$3,600 for 2,000 and S$5,400 for 3,000. That is S$1.80 a number, covering up to 4 attempts each. You pay before calls start, with no contract and no monthly fee. Greetsby does not promise a number of meetings, and the first batch shows what your own list produces.
You check your list against the Registry before sending it and confirm that you have done so when you upload it. Greetsby does not run the check for you. Financial advisory businesses should note that the firm must make the arrangement. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02 as revised on 22 May 2026, only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so an individual representative cannot sign up. To start, pick a batch on the Get started page, or write to hello@greetsby.com.
Questions
Is a lead the same as an appointment?
No. A lead is a person or company that may be interested, and may only be a name and an email address. An appointment is a meeting that both sides have agreed to attend.
Do I need lead generation before I use appointment setting?
Only if you have no list of businesses to approach. If you already hold customer records, past enquiries or a list you have built yourself, you can go straight to calling it.
Who does the selling in appointment setting?
Your own salesperson, in the meeting. The caller's job ends when the meeting is in the calendar.
Do I check the Do Not Call Registry myself with Greetsby?
Yes. You check your list at dnc.gov.sg before sending it and confirm that you have done so when you upload it. Anyone who asks not to be called again is not called again.
Sources
- TechTarget: sales lead
- PDPC: Check numbers against the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry
- PDPC: Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.