How much does the complete outbound sales stack cost per month?

Up to $500 per month. If you skip a CRM, you can squeeze in under $350. However, when building a sales funnel, you'll want to follow up, create reminders, and track potential deals. If you're thinking long-term, don't skip the CRM. Most sales aren't accomplished through the first outreach - you'll be following up with the same contacts multiple times throughout a year until you land them.

How long does it take to set up the full sales stack from scratch?

With experience, it can be set up in under 5-6 hours. For most people who haven't worked with these platforms, a safe bet is under 2 working days. Take it easy, don't rush things, and do it properly so you won't have to redo everything.

Do I need technical skills to set up these tools?

No, all the tools are fairly easy to use. It's pretty much like setting up your laptop or phone for the first time. It's really not rocket science.

Can I start with just a few tools and add more later?

Yes, start with Reply.io + Clay OR Apollo. This gives you a tool to outreach with plus contacts to work with. You'll need to buy a domain for outbound, but you'll be limited by the volume of emails you can send initially.

How many demos per month can I realistically expect to book?

This really depends on market, messaging, and targeting. It can be as low as 5, it can be as high as hundreds a month. From experience in a market where you have some competition and you add 40-50 new contacts monthly, 15 to 20 demos is a healthy target.

How long before I see results from outbound?

You'll see open rates the same day, reply rates within a few days. Realistically, within the first week, if you haven't gotten answers and your open rate is lower than 40%, work on the messaging - you probably have issues there.

What's a good reply rate for cold emails?

3-5% is a good benchmark for cold email reply rates.

Should I hire an SDR or build this myself?

Always recommend starting yourself first. Calculate how much an SDR costs locally. A good rule of thumb is if an SDR costs $2,000/month, they need to bring enough opportunities to generate $6,000 of revenue monthly - essentially a 3:1 ratio.

What's the #1 mistake founders make with outbound sales?

Writing emails that read like a marketing campaign. Your goal is to message like a friend and say 'Hey, I see you're having issues with this, I have a solution, worth a chat?' Less is more.

Do I need a big email list to get started?

It's subjective and depends on what verticals you're targeting. Generally, we're speaking about thousands of contacts you can get from Clay, Apollo, or Lusha, so practically this isn't an area of concern.

Comparison

B2B Data

Sales Intelligence

Apollo vs ZoomInfo vs Cognism: The Real Differences in 2026

What to buy - based on team size, region, and budget

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My verdict upfront

If you want the best chance of quick pipeline with minimal ops overhead, start with Apollo. If you’re enterprise and you’ll actually operationalize enrichment + intent + account insights, ZoomInfo is the platform buy. If you sell in UK/EU and compliance + mobile coverage matter, Cognism is usually the safest bet.

Best value / SMB

Apollo

Best enterprise platform

ZoomInfo

Best for EMEA

Cognism

I’m writing this from an operator’s point of view (6+ years in sales ops, 100k+ calls): what matters after the demo - data coverage, workflow fit, and cost reality.

Quick comparison (2026)

Category	Apollo	ZoomInfo	Cognism
Best for	SMB / mid-market teams that need speed + value	Enterprise / RevOps programs that use intent + enrichment	UK/EU-first teams; compliance + mobile coverage focus
Pricing reality	Self-serve tiers; usually lowest cost	Annual contracts; bundle pricing varies	Typically annual; pricing varies by package/region
Data strengths	Great coverage for common SMB/MM ICPs, fast list building	Deep company intelligence, org context, (often) strong US depth	Strong EMEA positioning; often better for EU prospecting
Outreach built-in	Yes (basic sequences)	No (usually paired with a sequencer)	No (usually paired with a sequencer)
Compliance (GDPR)	You own the process	You own the process (vendor docs help)	Often the easiest internal buy-in for EU/UK

Try Apollo Visit ZoomInfo Visit Cognism

Decision framework (the non-fluffy version)

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Pick Apollo if

- You need reps productive fast
- You want value for SMB/MM outbound
- You can tolerate some data variability

💡 Pro tip: Pair Apollo with Clay for deeper enrichment. See our Clay vs Apollo comparison to learn when you'd use both.

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Pick ZoomInfo if

- You’re building a real RevOps engine
- You’ll use enrichment + intent + workflows
- Budget + procurement is not a blocker

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Pick Cognism if

- You sell UK/EU and want better coverage
- Compliance posture matters internally
- Mobile numbers are important in your motion

Pricing reality (2026)

Pricing changes constantly and ZoomInfo/Cognism are often quote-based. Treat the ranges below as typical market reality and validate during your deal.

Apollo

Self-serve tiers - usually the lowest cost starting point.

ZoomInfo

Annual contracts - pricing varies by bundle (enrichment/intent/etc.).

Cognism

Typically annual - often justified by EMEA performance + compliance posture.

FAQs

What is the best B2B database in 2026?

There isn’t one universal best. Apollo is usually best for SMB value, ZoomInfo is best for enterprise intelligence + workflows, and Cognism is best when EMEA + GDPR posture are top priorities.

Apollo vs ZoomInfo - which is better?

If you mainly need contacts and quick outbound, Apollo usually wins on cost and speed. If you need account intelligence, enrichment at scale, and you’ll use enterprise workflows, ZoomInfo usually wins.

ZoomInfo vs Cognism - which is better for EU/UK?

For many EU/UK teams, Cognism is the easier fit because of its EMEA positioning and compliance posture. Always validate by country + persona before committing.

Disclosure: If you click through to Apollo, ZoomInfo, or Cognism, I may earn a commission. But the recommendations above are based on operator experience - 6+ years in sales ops with real usage on all three tools.

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