MarketMakers

What MarketMakers does

MarketMakers is a UK-based full-service B2B marketing and lead generation agency specialising in outbound telemarketing, appointment setting, and integrated digital marketing campaigns for enterprise and SME clients. Founded in 2004 by Paul Thomas and Henry Braithwaite in Portsmouth, the company operates from the 1000 Lakeside North Harbour headquarters and serves customers across banking, financial services, technology, automotive, manufacturing, utilities and insurance, and professional services. Named enterprise clients include Barclays, HSBC, RBS, The Economist, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Moneycorp.

The service portfolio centres on B2B Telemarketing and Lead Generation, supported by Appointment Setting, Inbound Call Handling, Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Data Services (cleansing, verification, enrichment), Account-Based Marketing, and Research & Insight. Operational infrastructure includes an MM Cloud Portal for client-side campaign management and reporting, and an internal MarketMakers Business School delivering an 8-tier career progression path, DISC profiling, coaching, and skills training endorsed by the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM). Every telemarketer is required to have at least two years of prior B2B sales experience, and an internal Quality Assurance department reviews lead and appointment call files.

MarketMakers earns revenue on a quote-based, professional services model through direct sales engagement, with pricing tailored per client and not publicly disclosed. The firm has held the UK's No.1 B2B Telemarketing Agency ranking from B2B Marketing and seven consecutive UK Best Workplace awards from Great Place to Work. In September 2020, the MarketMakers brand was acquired by Ant Group (Ant Marketing), a 600-strong CX and inside-sales provider founded by Anthony Hinchliffe; the acquisition covered brand assets rather than the whole organisation.

Name

MarketMakers

Legal name

MarketMakers

Website

https://marketmakers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

MarketMakers is a UK-based full-service B2B marketing agency delivering outsourced telemarketing, lead generation, appointment setting, and integrated digital marketing services to enterprise and SME clients across banking, technology, professional services, and manufacturing sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Telemarketing Services

NAICS

Telemarketing Bureaus and Other Contact Centers (561422), Advertising Agencies (541810), Telephone Call Centers (56142)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Appointment Setting & Sales Development (SDR/BDR) Services (BPAFAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

B2B Demand Generation & Lead Nurture Agencies (BPAFAKAA), B2B Appointment Setting & SDR/BDR Outsourcing (BPAAADAA)

Keywords

• B2B telemarketing services
• Lead generation services
• Appointment setting services
• Data cleansing services
• Account based marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B Telemarketing Services: Outsourced telemarketing services for B2B businesses including lead generation, appointment setting, and sales support. Revenue generated through client service contracts.
2. Lead Generation Services: B2B lead generation campaigns combining telemarketing with email and digital marketing to deliver qualified leads to clients.
3. Digital Marketing Services: Integrated digital marketing strategies including email marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing services.
4. Data Services: Data cleansing, verification, and enrichment services to ensure accurate and up-to-date B2B contact data.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

MarketMakers provides outsourced B2B telemarketing and lead generation services for enterprise and SME clients, running outbound calling campaigns to deliver qualified leads, set qualified sales appointments with decision-makers, and support client sales pipelines. The portfolio is rounded out by appointment setting, inbound call handling, data cleansing and verification, email marketing, digital marketing, account-based marketing, and research and insight services. All services are delivered by an in-house UK-based team with a minimum of two years' B2B sales experience.

Product overview

MarketMakers operates as a full-service B2B telemarketing and lead generation agency offering a integrated suite of services centered around its core B2B Telemarketing and Lead Generation offerings. The product portfolio includes Appointment Setting, Inbound Call Handling, Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Data Services (including data cleansing), Account Based Marketing, and Research & Insight services. The company also operates an internal MarketMakers Business School for staff training and provides clients access to an MM Cloud Portal for campaign management and reporting. All services are delivered from the UK with emphasis on quality leads and qualified sales appointments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• B2B Telemarketing Outbound B2B telemarketing campaigns run on behalf of client businesses to generate leads, book qualified sales appointments with decision-makers, and drive B2B sales across verticals including automotive, banking, financial services, technology, and manufacturing.
• Lead Generation B2B lead generation campaigns combining telemarketing with email and digital marketing to deliver qualified leads with high conversion potential for client sales teams.
• Appointment Setting Setting qualified sales appointments with decision-makers through discovery meetings, initial contact, and calendar scheduling for face-to-face meetings or web demos.
• Inbound Call Handling Management of incoming customer calls providing professional customer service and lead capture for clients.
• Digital Marketing Integrated digital marketing strategies including online campaigns, content marketing, and multi-channel approaches to complement telemarketing activities.
• Email Marketing Email marketing services for B2B outreach, including targeted email campaigns to warm up prospects before telemarketing contact.
• Data Services Data cleansing, verification, and management services ensuring clients have up-to-date and comprehensive B2B contact data for effective outreach.
• Account Based Marketing Tailored stakeholder-focused campaigns designed to help clients grow and defend existing client relationships through targeted account strategies.
• Research and Insight Market research and audience insight services providing deep understanding of decision-making units to maximise ROI on marketing campaigns.
• MM Cloud Portal Online client portal providing clients with access to campaign management, reporting, and performance analytics tools to monitor their telemarketing campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Generated £1.5 billion in new opportunities and over £500 million in confirmed new revenue for clients

Named customers9 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ant Marketing / Ant GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2020Ant Marketing (Ant Group) acquired the MarketMakers brand in September 2020. Ant is a leading multi-disciplined solution provider offering customer experience, service support, business development, inside sales, and social media monitoring. Founded by Anthony Hinchliffe 31 years ago, Ant Group has a 600-strong workforce and serves customers including Heinz, The Economist, and RBS. The acquisition is of brand assets rather than the entire organisation, with plans to open career opportunities nationwide.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Demandbase: Larger ABM platform serving enterprise B2B clients with intent data, advertising, and sales engagement; overlaps with MarketMakers' Account-Based Marketing and Data Services but operates as a scaled software-led incumbent.
• Ant Marketing: UK customer-experience and inside-sales provider with 600+ staff that acquired the MarketMakers brand in September 2020; offers a broader multi-discipline CX, social media monitoring, and business development portfolio compared with MarketMakers' focused B2B telemarketing offering.

Direct peers

• Leadium: B2B lead generation and SDR outsourcing firm that builds outbound prospecting campaigns for technology and SaaS clients, overlapping with MarketMakers' appointment setting and B2B telemarketing services.
• Really B2B: B2B marketing agency that was a sister company to MarketMakers, providing content marketing, lead generation, and ABM services to technology and B2B clients across the UK.
• Cience: Outsourced B2B SDR and lead generation services provider offering appointment setting and pipeline development, comparable to MarketMakers' appointment-setting and inside sales offerings for enterprise clients.
• Sopro: UK-based B2B prospecting and lead generation agency using outbound email and human-led outreach to set qualified appointments for enterprise clients, competing directly in MarketMakers' appointment-setting niche.
• The Telemarketing Company: UK-based B2B telemarketing and lead generation agency offering outsourced appointment setting and inside sales support to enterprise clients, directly overlapping MarketMakers' core service proposition and customer base.
• Pearl Lemon Leads: UK-based lead generation and appointment setting agency serving B2B clients with cold outreach, telemarketing, and LinkedIn-led campaigns, directly comparable to MarketMakers' core offerings.

Emerging players

• Salesloft: B2B sales engagement platform that automates prospecting and outreach workflows, representing a technology-led alternative that competes with MarketMakers' human-led telemarketing and SDR services for similar mid-market and enterprise buyers.
• Cognism: UK-headquartered B2B data and sales intelligence platform with prospecting and lead-generation services, overlapping with MarketMakers' data services and outbound campaign offerings but delivered through a SaaS-plus-services hybrid model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marketmakersuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/marketmakers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/market-makers
• Instagraminstagram.com/marketmakersuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MarketMakers