Cold Emailing

How to sell web and app development services [Cold Email Teardown]

Lilibeth Acuna
LAST UPDATED
October 20, 2023
READING TIME
7 min.

As a web or app developer, you may find yourself fighting for your target's attention in an email inbox full of similar pitches. Not to mention convincing companies that outsourcing is the quickest and most effective way to go.

Vague pain points and long paragraphs aren't the solution.

So, how do you structure a cold email that stands out and leads to more conversions?

Check out how Mathieu Larocque, the Head of Email Marketing at Cactus Marketing, tears down a cold email and improves it for more replies.

Cold email mistakes to avoid if you want to book more meetings

Here's a cold email that aims to help digital agencies outsource their web and app development needs👇

Here's what stops prospects from replying to this cold email:

Mistake #1: Generic pain points

If you want to stick out from other generic cold emails, ensure to point out pain points specific to your lead. This shows you did a proper research and your solution is relevant.

Mistake #2: No strong enough CTA

If you want your leads to take a desired action, you have to give them a strong reason with a clear next step. Otherwise, they might get lost in too long explanation and end up doing nothing.

Mistake #3: No relevance

Without letting your prospects know why this email is for them, you aren’t giving them a reason to take action and book a call with you. Instead, mention why your message is relevant specifically for them.

Mistake #4: Too long email length

Instead of long paragraphs, ensure to use 3-7 sentence structure. Because a majority of people scan cold emails, this helps them to see the value right off the bat.


How to write a cold email for a high conversion rate

Here’s how Mathieu would rewrite this cold email for higher reply chances:

What tips can you replicate from this email for more replies?

Tip #1: Validate relevance with a question

Use your first cold email to confirm the interest and validate your prospects' relevance by asking a simple question.

Tip #2: Tackles a challenge

When you know your leads’ pain point, make sure to emphasize it to make them aware of their need for your solution.

Tip #3: Add metrics as social proof

Add relevant metrics that are aligned with your leads’ desired outcomes. This helps you boost credibility and trust, and makes them more likely to engage.

Tip #4: Use clear CTA

Use a clear timeline for booking a call with your prospect to remove the friction and make it super easy for them to take the next step.

Cold email template to replicate for more replies


Hi {{firstName}},

{{companyName}}’s work on the latest {{icebreaker}} project is excellent, I was intrigued to read about it as an outsider with an interest in this topic!

Like many other startups in the {{industry}} space, keeping web & app infrastructure optimized and relevant is an issue that causes opportunity losses. Do you require efficient development support to maximize the profitability of {{companyName}}?

My team at (company) are expert developers in these tech fields - delivering high-quality strategy, design, and execution at a fraction of the cost of a conventional in-house team. In fact, we’ve managed to save our clients an average of $xx every year.

If this resonates, let’s book a non-committal 15-minute call next Wednesday; I’d love to discuss a potential partnership.

All the best

{{signature}}

The key takeaways

Here are Mathieu's tips you can implement today and grow your business with cold outreach:

-> Address specific pain points unique to your lead
-> Ensure your CTA is clear and compelling
-> Add relevant metrics to build credibility and trust
-> Keep the email concise, typically 3-7 sentences

You can watch Mathieu's full cold email teardown here!

PS: Want more tips? Request outbound experts to review your cold emails here.

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Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes
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Companies with complex sales structures
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Companies who want to automate commission calculations and payouts
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Companies with modern sales culture and businesses who want real-time insights
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Powerful automation
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Companies with scalable needs
Automated Commission Calculations
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Backbone of a business's internal operations.
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Price
$150 per user per year on average.
$10 to $30 per user per month on average.
PRM Tool
Rating
Feature
Pro
Con
Mobile App
Integrations
Free Plan
Pricing
4.65
star
star
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star-half
Org-wide alignment
User-friendly layout and database
Suboptimal as a personal CRM
square-check
Lack of tracking system
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Team: $20/month
Business: $45/month
4.7
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Social Media Integration
Easy contact data collection
No marketing/sales features
square-check
Lack of tracking system
square-xmark
7-day trial
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4.75
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Block Functions
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Plus: €7.50/month
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N/A
Open-source
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square-xmark
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3.1
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iOS only
Limited
square-xmark
1-month trial
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star
star
star-half
Smart Contact Management
Feature-rich and flexible
Reported bugs
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Rich
square-xmark
7-day trial
Premium: $13.99/month
Teams: $17.99/month
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star
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Customizable Interface
Customizable for teamwork
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square-check
Rich
square-xmark
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Premium: $39/member
4.7
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Integrated Calling
Integrated Calling
Too sales-oriented & pricey
square-check
Rich
square-xmark
14-day trial
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30-day
square-xmark
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Best overall operational CRM
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square-xmark
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Increase the sales conversion rate for qualified leads from marketing automation campaigns by 10% in the next 6 months.
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Increased sales and revenue
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Table
CDP Software
CRM Software
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Data-centric
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Focus
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Insider, Bloomreach, Salesforce Marketing Cloud CDP
HubSpot, Salesforce Sales Cloud Lightning Professional, and Zoho CRM

What you should look at next

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