Reaching out to companies to offer outsourcing services often ends up with low reply rates and 0 meetings booked. So, how to make your cold email stand out in your prospects' inboxes and push them to hit reply?
Let’s see how Richard, CEO of Provoke outreach agency, would rewrite bad cold email example and replicate his tips to book more meetings!
Here's a cold email targeting up to 200-employee companies to help them outsource software engineering services👇
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Here's what blocks prospects from replying to this cold email:
#1 Overused subject line
Sending overused subject lines will make your cold email seem generic and won’t motivate prospects to open and read the rest of it.
#2 Spelling mistakes
Making spelling mistakes will make you appear lazy and like you didn’t care enough about your prospects to double-check your email.
#3 No personalization
Don’t waste your email introducing yourself and talking about what you do. Instead, make it 80% about prospects and 20% about what you can do for them.
#4 Vague CTA
The CTA is too open without giving the prospects a clear next step they need to make to get the value.
#5 Unsubscribe link
Give prospects space to make informed decisions, and add an unsubscribe link in the second cold email instead of the first one.
Here’s how Richard would rewrite this cold email to sell outsourcing services:
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What brings this email a high reply rate?
#1 Relevant icebreaker
If you’re offering outsourcing services, you can refer to prospects’ job postings to remind them of their need for your services.
#2 It’s straightforward
Point a) & b) will help you confirm there's interest and give prospects an immediate reason to have a chat with you.
#3 Aligned expectations
Point c) catches the attention as it gives a unique value that will intrigue prospects to learn more about your services.
#4 Niche reference
Always use the reference known to your prospects, as it will help you build credibility x2 faster. The more niche you are with social proof, the more replies you’ll get.
#5 Clear CTA
Use CTA that is short and specific to guide your prospects into taking action and provoke a yes or no answer.
Subject line: Quick question {{firstName}}
Hi {{firstName}},
{{icebreaker}} - something about their hiring needs specific to software engineers.
If this sounds like you, let's chat:
a) you deeply believe in software quality
b) you need help with design & development
c) you'd pay $3,000-6,000 per month to have a skilled software engineer
I provide outsourced software engineers to {{type of company we’re targeting - ex: seed series B start-ups}} such as {{reference firm}}.
I only partner with 7 startups per year and thought {{companyName}} would make a good fit.
Feel free to grab a time here (lemcal link)
Best,
{{Signature}}
Here are Richard's most important cold email insights that you can start using today to sell your services:
-> Skip overused subject lines & prioritize relevance
-> Triple-check your email for spelling errors
-> Highlight immediate value and reasons for a chat
-> Use niche references to build credibility
You can watch Richard's full cold email teardown here!
PS: Want more tips? Request outbound experts to review your cold emails here.
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