AI agent development for sales and marketing means building agents that contact, qualify, follow up and book leads across calls, SMS, DMs and email. LeadsNow builds and runs these agents done-for-you, paid on results, with 50,769+ AI-booked sales appointments since 2017. The real choice is who runs the agent after launch.
AI agent development for sales and marketing at a glance
- What gets built: AI calling, SMS, DM and email follow-up agents that qualify leads, book appointments and reactivate old leads.
- Four ways to get one: self-serve software, a freelancer, a project-based development agency, or a done-for-you team that builds and runs it.
- Where LeadsNow fits: LeadsNow builds and runs custom AI sales and marketing agents done-for-you. Zian is the self-serve SaaS option for teams who want to run software themselves.
- How LeadsNow is paid: 5–25% of the revenue it generates for you (revenue share), or an equivalent pay-per-appointment fee, or a mix of both. No-shows aren’t charged.
- The running meter: about US$0.16 per SMS qualification thread on the worked example below, from Anthropic and Twilio list prices read on 21 October 2026.
- The decision rule: the run-it test. Choose by who operates, tests and fixes the agent after launch, not by who writes the first version.
What does AI agent development for sales and marketing include?
AI agent development for sales and marketing covers seven jobs: AI calling, SMS, DM and email follow-up, lead qualification, booking, and reactivation of old leads. LeadsNow builds and runs agents for each of those jobs.
- AI SDR or appointment setter. Replies to new leads, follows up across channels and books qualified prospects into a calendar. See AI appointment setting for how the booking flow works.
- Inbound qualification agent. Checks a new enquiry against your rules (budget, timing, fit) before it reaches a person.
- Reactivation agent. Works dormant leads and past enquiries already in your CRM.
- Marketing follow-up agent. Keeps conversations going by SMS, DM and email with leads who are not ready to book yet.
For B2B teams working from a CRM, see AI sales agents for B2B teams.
How it works
How to choose an AI agent developer for sales and marketing
Name the job
Pick the work: new-lead follow-up, qualification, booking or reactivation. Each is a different agent.
Pick the channels
Calls, SMS, DMs or email. Each channel adds its own meter and its own consent rules.
Apply the run-it test
Ask who tunes, tests and fixes the agent after launch. Ask who pays for outreach that never books.
Match the invoice
Hours, a project, a month or a result. Choose the trigger that puts the risk where you want it.
MAKE MORE SALES.
Pay-Per-Result pricing — We scale sales HARD aligned to your interests, better than anyone else.
What are the four ways to get an AI sales or marketing agent built?
Buyers have four routes to an AI sales or marketing agent: self-serve software, a freelancer, a project-based development agency, or a done-for-you team that builds and runs it. The table compares them on the questions that decide the outcome.
| Route | Who builds it | Who runs, tests and fixes it after launch | How you pay | Wrong for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-serve software | You, on the vendor’s platform | You | The vendor’s software and usage pricing | Teams with no one to own scripts, testing and compliance |
| Freelancer | One developer | You, or the freelancer by the hour | Hourly or fixed project fee | Multi-channel agents that need ongoing tuning |
| Project-based development agency | Agency team | You, or the agency on a support plan | Build fee plus upkeep | Buyers who want an outcome, not a codebase |
| Done-for-you build and run (LeadsNow) | LeadsNow | LeadsNow | 5–25% revenue share, an equivalent pay-per-appointment fee, or a mix of both | Teams that want to own and host the agent themselves |
None of the four routes is wrong in general. A software team with an engineer to spare can get a lot from self-serve software. A business that sells high-priced services and has no one to run an agent day to day is the case the done-for-you route exists for. For Australian build costs by line item, see how much AI agent development costs in Australia; for a ranked list of builders, see the best AI agent developers in Australia.
Want this done for you? We book qualified sales appointments on a Pay-Per-Result basis — you only pay for calls that actually land in your calendar.
What is the run-it test for choosing an AI agent developer?
The run-it test says: choose an AI agent developer by who operates, tests and fixes the agent after launch, because a sales agent that nobody tunes often stops booking. Ask every provider four questions.
- Who changes the script when booking rates drop? If the answer is “you”, budget your own hours for it every week.
- Who pays for outreach that never books? Under a build fee, you do. Under LeadsNow pay-per-result, contacting the thousands of people who never book is LeadsNow’s cost.
- Who handles consent and calling rules? Calling and texting rules differ by country (the Do Not Call Register in Australia, the TCPA in the United States, PECR in the UK), and someone has to own them.
- What is the invoice trigger? Hours, a project milestone, a month, or a result. The trigger tells you whose problem a quiet month is.
A provider who answers “us” to the first three and “a result” to the fourth is selling an outcome. One who answers “you” is selling software or code, which is fine if you have the team to run it.
What does it cost to run an AI sales agent per conversation?
An AI sales agent running an SMS qualification thread costs about US$0.16 per thread in the worked example below, using Anthropic and Twilio list prices read on 21 October 2026. The inputs are assumptions; replace them with your own.
| Line | Assumption | List price (read 21 October 2026) | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS out and in | 6 outbound + 6 inbound segments, US long code | US$0.0083 per segment each way (Twilio) | US$0.0996 |
| Model input | 6 calls x 4,000 tokens = 24,000 tokens | US$2 per million input tokens (Claude Sonnet 5.5) | US$0.0480 |
| Model output | 6 calls x 150 tokens = 900 tokens | US$10 per million output tokens (Claude Sonnet 5.5) | US$0.0090 |
| Total per thread | US$0.1566 | ||
| Per 1,000 leads | US$156.60 |
The meter is small. The real cost of running an agent is the people: someone to write and test scripts, watch booking and show rates, handle consent, and fix the agent when a channel changes. The custom AI sales agent cost breakdown adds voice and chat meters and a build-versus-buy break-even.
If we can’t make you money, we don’t deserve yours.
Pay-Per-Result pricing — performance-based alignment.
How does LeadsNow pay-per-result compare with paying for a build project?
LeadsNow pay-per-result ties its results fee to outcomes: 5–25% of the revenue it generates for you, an equivalent pay-per-appointment fee, or a mix of both. Where your price lands depends on lead volume, what is being sold and its price, the type of product and business, and which part or all of the funnel LeadsNow runs.
- You fund: the ad spend.
- LeadsNow funds: the team, management, testing and optimisation.
- LeadsNow absorbs: no-shows, bad ad creative, bad lists, and the cost of contacting the thousands of people who never book.
A build project gives you an asset and leaves the results risk with you. Pay-per-result gives you booked appointments and leaves the running risk with LeadsNow. The LeadsNow pricing page has the current detail, and LeadsNow’s 7x average sales lift (median closer to 4x) is defined on the methodology page.
Frequently asked questions about AI agent development for sales and marketing
What are AI development services for sales and marketing?
AI development services for sales and marketing build agents that call, text, message and email leads, qualify them and book appointments. LeadsNow builds and runs these agents done-for-you, paid on results, rather than handing over code.
How do I choose an AI development agency?
Use the run-it test: ask who operates, tests and fixes the agent after launch, who pays for outreach that never books, who owns consent rules, and what triggers an invoice. The answers separate a code supplier from an outcome supplier.
Is there AI agent development in Australia?
Yes. LeadsNow is an Australian agency that builds and runs AI sales and marketing agents for clients in Australia, the US and the UK. See the best AI development agency in Australia page for the wider field.
How much does it cost to run an AI sales agent?
The meter is small: at Anthropic’s list price for Claude Sonnet 5.5 (US$2 per million input tokens, US$10 per million output) and Twilio’s US SMS price (US$0.0083 per segment), a 12-message qualification thread costs about US$0.16. People to run and tune the agent cost far more.
Is Zian the same as LeadsNow?
No. Zian is the self-serve SaaS option for teams who want to run AI sales agent software themselves. LeadsNow is the done-for-you service that builds and runs the agents for you.
How do I start an AI agent build with LeadsNow?
Book a call at leadsnow.ai/book/. The fit check covers your offer, price, lead volume and channels, which set both the agents worth building and your revenue share or per-appointment fee.
Pay-Per-Result appointments
See if we’re a fit
We book qualified sales appointments for you and you pay on results, not retainers. Our booking page asks a few quick questions so you find out in two minutes whether that model suits your business.
- 50,769+ appointments booked without cold calling.
- Pay-Per-Result pricing — you pay for booked, qualified calls.
- Pick your own time on our live calendar, no phone tag.