Why chasing meetings might be hurting your sales campaigns (and what to do instead)

Booking lots of meetings doesn’t mean pipeline will follow.

As someone who’s been in the trenches with sales teams for a while, I’ve seen firsthand how one metric often becomes king: meetings booked. Whether you’re working with an outsourced sales partner or running your own xDR team, meetings can quickly become the number-one measure of success—alongside opportunities created.

But here’s the thing: focusing too heavily on meetings can backfire. It pushes SDRs to prioritize quantity (i.e., just getting their meeting) over quality (i.e., having a great conversation, sharing insight, and agreeing on next steps that align with the buyer’s journey). The result? Less nurturing, more noise—and the prospect is no longer at the center of the process.

The pressure cooker problem

Think about the pressure SDRs face in a short-term campaign—say, six months—to hit aggressive meeting targets. Now picture an SDR on a call with a prospect who says, “Thanks, but we just started working with another vendor.” Instead of listening and adjusting the conversation, the SDR pushes hard to book the meeting anyway. That kind of pressure-driven persistence turns prospects off—and can make future conversations even harder.

I’m in this industry myself, so when I get calls, I always give xDRs a chance when they call to pitch. The only time I lose my cool is when they don’t listen to my answer and instead push for a meeting. I don’t mind a little persistence—rephrasing the ask once is totally fair. But beyond that, I’ll politely hang up. And on more than one occasion, because I knew the company they were calling for, I’ve even emailed the CEO or CRO to flag the issue.

When more meetings = less pipeline

If you look closely at meeting-to-pipeline conversion rates, you’ll often see a pattern: the SDR who books the most meetings has the lowest conversion rate. That’s usually a sign they’re chasing numbers, not conversations.

This doesn’t mean they’re a bad rep—it’s often a sign they need coaching to refocus on quality.

In contrast, the highest-performing xDRs—the ones generating real pipeline—tend to do things differently:

• They have longer conversations, often 6+ minutes per unscheduled call.
• They come into the month with a full pipeline of follow-ups—callbacks, emails, and next steps that were agreed to with the prospect.

Pro Tip 1: Review the quality of follow-up emails. Are they personalized and sent promptly after the call—ideally within an hour?

Pro Tip 2: Partner with marketing to equip your SDRs with more than just meetings. Think content, thought leadership, webinars, events—assets they can use to build value in the conversation.

Build relationships, not just meetings

What if SDRs approached every call as the start of a relationship—not just a box to check? When a prospect says they’re already committed, an SDR can reply:

“Totally understand—when does that campaign wrap up? Mind if I check back then to see how things went?”

That kind of thoughtful, respectful interaction builds trust—and positions your SDR as someone who’s actually trying to help.

Customers: put emphasis on the right things

If you’re outsourcing your sales efforts, look beyond meeting volume. Ask:

• Are SDRs having quality conversations?
• Are they helping prospects move forward in their journey?
• Are they creating a reputation in the market that reflects your brand?

SDRs are your brand’s first impression. You probably don’t want to be known as pushy or transactional. You do want to be known for being insightful, helpful, and genuinely useful.

And here’s something we’re thinking a lot about at memoryBlue: how we incentivize SDRs matters. Meetings and opportunities are important—but are they really driving quality conversations and building the rapport needed to create genuine opportunities?

We’re exploring new ways to recognize the right behaviors:

• Call length as a signal of engagement
• Competitions for the best conversation of the month
• Recognition for standout prospect feedback
• Insights from AEs on how well the handoff was managed

This kind of incentive structure encourages SDRs to show up with purpose—not just hit a number.

Clear communication helps everyone

If you’re a prospect receiving outreach, being upfront about priorities, timelines, and existing vendors helps SDRs tailor their approach. The best reps will listen, adapt, and respond accordingly.

The bottom line

At memoryBlue, we coach our SDRs to listen deeply, build relationships, and stay human. We believe that a “no” today can absolutely turn into a “yes” tomorrow—if the interaction was thoughtful, respectful, and useful.

Success in sales isn’t just about booking meetings. It’s about building trust. The best SDRs know that. And the best companies reward it.