Struggling to get replies to your cold emails?
Try highlighting prospects' pain points to remind them of their challenges and make them realize how much they need your solution!
Here's a cold email targeting small to mid-size real estate investors 👇
Let’s see how Charles, the CEO of devlo sales development agency, would rewrite it so you can replicate his tips for more replies!
Here's what stops prospects from replying to this cold email even though it is short:
#1 No personalization
From the first sentence, this cold email feels generic as there’s no personalization. This makes your prospects think you didn’t take the time to research them and they are just one of the bulk email recipients.
#2 Generic intro line
Because of the lack of research and personalization, the intro line doesn’t catch prospects’ attention. It doesn’t give any value to the reader or a reason to read the rest of this email.
#3 Meeting-based CTA
Asking for a meeting instead of confirming the interest in the first email can come off as pushy. Instead, act as a friend and ask your prospects more questions about them.
#4 No mention of pain points
Your email should be a reminder of the prospects’ challenges and make them realize how much they need a solution you're offering.
#5 Too much “I”
Your email shouldn’t be about you, but about your prospects and the way you can help them solve their problems. Instead of “I,” try using “You” as much as possible.
#6 Small text line spacing
To make your email easier to scan and read, you should add appropriate spacing between your text lines.
Here’s how Charles would rewrite this cold email for higher reply chances:
What brings this email replies?
#1 Liquid syntax
Using logical operators will help you hyper-personalize your intro line and make your emails feel authentic. The more your prospects feel like your email is written just for them, the more likely they’ll reply.
Liquid syntax is a powerful lemlist feature that helps you personalize your emails based on conditions and data points. With liquid syntax, you can create dynamic emails personalized for individual recipients. For example, you can tailor your message based on their company size, on their industry, or even adjust the tone of your email based on the time of day:
#2 Personalized icebreaker
Fully personalized first sentences of your email will intrigue your reader to read the rest of it, even from the email preview.
With lemlist, you can generate icebreakers automatically with AI:
#3 Listed pain points
Highlight prospects’ pain points that you can help them solve. This will position you as someone who understands their struggles and offers a solution that is highly relevant.
#4 Social proof
If you want to build trust and credibility, name-drop clients that your prospects know about. Show them how others achieved their desired outcomes and tease them into finding out more.
#5 Question as CTA
Ask clearly about your prospects’ interest so they can easily respond with a "yes or no" answer. This removes friction and pushes them to take action.
{% assign ampm = "now" | date: "%P" %}{% if ampm contains "am" %}Good morning{% else %}Good afternoon{% endif %} {{firstName}},
Saw your last LinkedIn post about your last real estate project in Lyon, where you invested in these luxurious apartments. They look fantastic.
The reason I contact you is that dozens of real estate investors were struggling to find worthwhile projects before working with us. They didn’t have enough options to choose from, and their previous partners weren’t reliable enough.
These investors, including [CurrentClientName], work with us now to constantly fuel their portfolio with new properties. It’d be great to give you a bit more context.
Does it resonate with you, or am I off-topic?
[Name]
Here are Charles' most important cold email tips that you can start applying today:
You can watch Charles' full cold email teardown here!
PS: Want more tips? Request outbound experts to review your cold emails here.
G2 Rating | Price | Best for | Standout feature | Con | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.9 star star star star star | $30/mo $75/mo $2,999/mo | Large, distributed sales teams | AI evaluation precision, gamified KPIs | Lack of tracking system | |
4.6 star star star star star-half | Not publicly available | Sales operations and finance teams | Powerful configurability | Limited training resources and complex to navigate | |
4.4 star star star star star-half | Not publicly available | Mid-market and enterprise businesses | Comprehensive incentive management | Potentially high cost and steep learning curve | |
4.7 star star star star star-half | $15/user/mo $40/user/mo Enterprise: custom price | Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes | Complex sales structures and businesses of all sizes | Steep learning curve | |
4.6 star star star star star-half | Not publicly available | Collaborative teams | Connected planning | Complexity and steep learning curve | |
4.6 star star star star star-half | Not publicly available | Companies with complex sales structures | Complex incentive compensation management (ICM) with high efficiency and accuracy | Complexity for smaller teams and potentially high costs | |
4.7 star star star star star-half | Not publicly available | Companies who want to automate commission calculations and payouts | Simplicity and ease of use | Lack of features like redirection | |
4.7 star star star star star-half | $30/user/mo $35/user/mo Custom: upon request | Businesses that need a comprehensive and user-friendly sales compensation management software | Ease of use and adoption | Lack of ability to configure the product based on user needs | |
4.8 star star star star star-half | Not publicly available | Companies with modern sales culture and businesses who want real-time insights | A built-in dispute management and real-time visibility | Users say it works slowly, customer support is slow | |
4.9 star star star star star | $30/user/mo $50/user/mo | Smaller sales teams | Powerful automation | Lesser user base and average user interface | |
4.7 star star star star star-half | Not publicly available | Companies with scalable needs | Automated Commission Calculations | Lack of filtering by date, no mobile app |
PRM Tool | Rating | Feature | Pro | Con | Mobile App | Integrations | Free Plan | Pricing |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.65 star star star star star-half | Org-wide alignment | User-friendly layout and database | Suboptimal as a personal CRM | square-check | Lack of tracking system | square-check | Team: $20/month Business: $45/month | |
4.7 star star star star star-half | Social Media Integration | Easy contact data collection | No marketing/sales features | square-check | Lack of tracking system | square-xmark 7-day trial | $12/month | |
4.75 star star star star star-half | Block Functions | High customization capability | Not a dedicated CRM | square-check | Limited | square-check | Plus: €7.50/month Business: €14/month | |
N/A | Open-source | Open-source flexibility | Requires extensive manual input | square-xmark | Limited | square-check Self-hosted | $9/month or $90/year | |
3.1 star star star | Simple iOS app | Ideal for non-tech-savvy users | iPhone only | square-check iOS only | Limited | square-xmark 1-month trial | $1.49/month or $14.99/month | |
3.6 star star star star-half | Smart Contact Management | Feature-rich and flexible | Reported bugs | square-check | Rich | square-xmark 7-day trial | Premium: $13.99/month Teams: $17.99/month | |
4.4 star star star star star-half | Customizable Interface | Customizable for teamwork | Pricey for personal use | square-check | Rich | square-xmark | Standard: $24/member Premium: $39/member | |
4.7 star star star star star-half | Integrated Calling | Integrated Calling | Too sales-oriented & pricey | square-check | Rich | square-xmark 14-day trial | Startup: $59/user/month Professional: $329/user/month | |
4.8 star star star star star | Business Card Scanning | Business Card Scanning | Mobile only | square-check | Limited | square-check | $9.99/month | |
4.45 star star star star star-half | 160+ app integrations | Comprehensive integrations | No free app version | square-check | Rich | square-xmark 14-day trial | $29.90/month or $24.90/month (billed annually) |
Capterra Rating | Free Trial | Free Plan | Starting Price (excluding the free plan) | Maximum Price (for the most expensive plan) | Best for | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4.5 star star star star star-half | square-check 14-day | square-check | €15/month/seat billed annually | €792/month/3 seats billed annually + €45/month for each extra seat | Versatility and free plan | |
4.2 star star star star | square-check 30-day | square-xmark But it offers reduced price to authorised nonprofit organisations | €25/user/month | €500/user/month billed annually (includes Einstein AI) | Best overall operational CRM | |
4.3 star star star star star-half | square-xmark | square-check Limited to 3 users | Comprehensive incentive management | €52/user/month billed annually | Small-medium businesses and automation | |
4.5 star star star star star-half | square-check 14-day | square-xmark | €14/seat/month billed annually | €99/seat/month billed annually | Sales teams and ease of use | |
4.1 star star star star | square-xmark | square-check Limited 10 users | $9.99/user/month billed annually | $64.99/user/month billed annually | Free plan for very small teams up to 10 |
CRM goal | Increase the sales conversion rate for qualified leads from marketing automation campaigns by 10% in the next 6 months. | ||||
SMART Breakdown | 1. Specific: It targets a specific area (conversion rate) for a defined segment (qualified leads from marketing automation). | 2. Measurable: The desired increase (10%) is a clear metric, and the timeframe (6 months) allows for progress tracking. | 3. Achievable: A 10% increase is possible based on historical data and potential improvements. | 4. Relevant: Boosting sales from marketing efforts aligns with overall business objectives. | 5. Time-bound: The 6-month timeframe creates urgency and a clear target date. |
Actions | Step 1: Refine lead qualification criteria to ensure high-quality leads are nurtured through marketing automation. | Step 2: Personalize marketing automation campaigns based on lead demographics, interests, and behavior. | Step 3: Develop targeted landing pages with clear calls to action for qualified leads. | Step 4: Implement lead scoring to prioritize high-potential leads for sales follow-up. | Step 5: Track and analyze campaign performance to identify areas for optimization. |
Outcomes | Increased sales and revenue | Improved marketing automation ROI | Marketing and sales alignment | Data-driven marketing optimization |