Business development stops when you get busy
A few good placements fill the calendar. Client outreach pauses, and next month's roles dry up.
Industries · Recruiting and staffing
Cold email for recruiting and staffing agencies: win more clients and reach the right candidates.
FirstSales finds the right people, writes each one a personal email and follows up until they reply. Use it to reach hiring managers with open roles and candidates who could fill them, each in its own workspace.
$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime · No contract
- 01
Separate workspaces for client and candidate outreach
- 02
Emails that mention the real role and the real need
- 03
Unlimited mailboxes, warmed up for 21 days
- 04
Start for $1 for 3 days, then from $29/mo
The problem
Recruiting runs on outreach, and outreach eats the day.
Every desk needs a steady flow of new clients and new candidates. Doing both by hand leaves little time for the calls that place people.
Generic emails get ignored
Hiring managers and candidates spot a template at once. A line about their actual role or career gets read.
Follow-ups fall through the cracks
Most replies come after a follow-up. When the desk is busy, the second and third email never go out.
Two markets, one desk
Recruiters sell to two markets: the companies that hire and the people they hire.
Winning a client and finding a candidate need different lists, different words and different follow-ups. FirstSales runs both, kept apart in their own workspaces.
Client development
Outreach to hiring managers and HR leads who need roles filled.
- Write about a role they are hiring for now
- Your fill process and fee terms in the knowledge base
- Short follow-ups that offer profiles, not a pitch
- Interested replies get your meeting link
Candidate outreach
Outreach to people who could fit a role you are working on.
- A separate workspace so lists never mix
- Write about the role, the team and why them
- Respectful follow-ups that stop on any reply
- Every contact checked before each send
How it works
From an open role to a booked call, in three steps.
Set up once, then let FirstSales handle the daily outreach for both sides of your desk.
- 01
Connect your mailboxes
Add mailboxes on a cold-email domain. SPF, DKIM and DMARC are checked and warm-up starts.
- 02
Teach it your desk
Add your process, terms and the roles you work on to the knowledge base. Describe who to reach and FirstSales builds and checks the list.
- 03
Let it write, send and follow up
Each contact gets a personal email about the role or the need. Follow-ups stop on a reply, and interested people get your meeting link.
What you get
More client calls and candidate replies without more hours on email.
Everything a recruiting desk needs to run outreach every day, on every plan.
Two workspaces, no mix-ups
Run client development and candidate outreach in separate workspaces. Workspaces are unlimited.
Emails about the real role
The AI writes from your knowledge base and each contact's company and job, so every email names a real need.
Mailboxes that stay healthy
21-day warm-up, hourly inbox monitoring and a health grade for every mailbox.
Clean lists before every send
Each contact is checked before each send, and Dirty contacts are left out, so bounces stay low.
Your whole desk, no seat fees
Team members are unlimited. Add recruiters and researchers without paying per person.
Replies in one inbox
Client and candidate replies land in Unibox, sorted by workspace, so no answer waits.
Set up your deskin one afternoon.
Four parts of the app do the work recruiters repeat every week.
- Connect
Connect a sending domain for outreach
Add Gmail, Outlook or SMTP mailboxes on a cold-email domain. Mailboxes are unlimited, so share volume across as many as you need.
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks. Per domain, with the exact fix if a record is missing.
- Warm-up per mailbox. 21 days in three phases before full volume.
- Sending rotation. Volume spread across your mailboxes.
- Teach
Teach it your roles and process
Add your website, the roles you are filling, your process and your terms. Describe the hiring managers or candidates you want to reach.
- Knowledge base per workspace. Client facts and candidate facts stay apart.
- Writing profile. Your tone and rules, for every email.
- Lead list from a description. Every contact checked before each send.
- Write
Personal emails about the role
Each email starts from the contact's company and job and names the role or need. Follow-ups build on the last email with a new angle, like a matching profile.
- Approval queue. Approve, edit or reject drafts before they send.
- Manual mode. Send your own templates when you prefer.
- A/B tests. Test two subject lines and keep the winner.
- Reply
Book calls from replies
Replies land in Unibox. Interested contacts get your meeting link, and the sequence stops on any reply or opt-out.
- Unibox. Every reply from every mailbox in one place.
- Stops on reply or opt-out. No awkward follow-up after a no.
- Meeting link. Interested replies get your booking link.
Good timing
The best recruiting emails arrive when a hiring need is real.
A cold email reads as help when it lines up with something the company is already doing. These are moments worth writing about, each with a sample opening.
A role stays open
A job post that has been live for weeks often means the in-house search is stuck.
Sample opening Saw your senior backend role is still on the careers page. Is it slowing a release?
A new office or site
Opening a location means hiring several people at once, often in a new city.
Sample opening Congrats on the new Leeds office. Are you hiring the first team locally?
A new team lead
A new leader often rebuilds their team in the first months.
Sample opening Saw you joined as Head of Data. Are you planning to grow the team this year?
Many roles at once
A careers page with a long list of new roles points to a hiring push the HR team must carry.
Sample opening Counted eight new roles on your site this month. Would extra hands help your team?
A hard-to-fill skill
Niche roles take longer to fill and are where a specialist recruiter helps most.
Sample opening Your security engineer role asks for a rare mix. We work in that niche every week.
Seasonal or project demand
Busy seasons and new projects bring short-term needs that contract staff can cover.
Sample opening Many warehouses add contract staff before peak season. Is that on your plan?
Plain-English guide
How to run cold email for a recruiting desk.
What works for client development and candidate outreach, in plain words.
- 01
Lead with a role, not with your agency
Hiring managers reply to emails about their own open role. Name it, say why it is hard to fill and offer one useful next step, like a few matching profiles. Save your agency story for the call.
- 02
Keep client and candidate outreach apart
Run them in separate workspaces with separate lists and knowledge bases. Clients hear about your process and terms. Candidates hear about the role and the team. Neither sees the other's emails.
- 03
Write to candidates like a person, not a job board
Say why you picked them, what the role is and what is in it for them. Keep it short and honest. One clear question gets more replies than a long list of benefits.
- 04
Follow up with something new
Each follow-up should add value: a matching profile, a detail about the team or a short market note. FirstSales writes follow-ups that build on the last email and stops them on any reply.
- 05
Protect your main domain
Send cold email from a separate domain with its own mailboxes. FirstSales checks SPF, DKIM and DMARC and warms each mailbox up for 21 days before full volume.
- 06
Keep outreach running when the desk is busy
The biggest risk for a desk is a quiet pipeline after a busy month. Let FirstSales keep client development going every day, and review drafts in the approval queue when you have a minute.
Who you write to
The people who sign recruiting fees each want something different.
On the client side, these are the people who decide to bring in a recruiter, and the angle that gets each one to reply.
- 01
Hiring manager
- What they care about
- Getting the right person in the seat before the team falls behind.
- The angle that gets a reply
- Name the open role and offer a few matching profiles. Ask if it is slowing their work.
- 02
Head of HR
- What they care about
- Filling many roles well without growing the HR team.
- The angle that gets a reply
- Offer to take one hard role off their list, with a clear process and terms.
- 03
Talent acquisition lead
- What they care about
- Hitting hiring targets and keeping hiring managers happy.
- The angle that gets a reply
- Position yourself as extra reach for niche roles, not a replacement for their team.
- 04
Founder of a growing company
- What they care about
- Hiring fast without spending every evening on interviews.
- The angle that gets a reply
- Keep it short. One role, one line on how you would fill it, and a simple next step.
- 05
Operations manager
- What they care about
- Enough staff on every shift, especially in busy seasons.
- The angle that gets a reply
- Talk about contract staff ready for peak periods and how quickly you can start.
- 06
Procurement or vendor manager
- What they care about
- Clear terms, a small list of approved suppliers and no surprises.
- The angle that gets a reply
- Lead with your terms, your process and how you report on each role.
Real pushback
What hiring teams tell recruiters and what to say back.
Hiring teams hear from recruiters often. These are the doubts that come up most and a calm answer for each.
What they say
What you reply
“We hire in-house.”
Good. Ask which role has been open longest. Offer to help on that one only, alongside their team.
“We already have approved agencies.”
Ask how a new supplier gets added and what they look for. Offer to work one niche role as a trial.
“Your fees are too high.”
Explain what the fee covers and when it is paid. Ask what an unfilled role costs them each month.
“Send me some CVs.”
Send a short summary of matching profiles, with consent from the candidates, and ask for a call to learn the role.
“Recruiters send us poor fits.”
Ask what a good fit looks like. Explain how you screen before you send anyone.
“Not hiring right now.”
Thank them and ask if you can check back next quarter. Your follow-ups stop on their reply.
Before you send
A recruiting outreach checklist
Run through it before each new campaign. FirstSales does most of it for you.
- Separate workspaces for client and candidate outreach
- A cold-email domain that is not your main domain
- SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up on that domain
- Warm-up running for 21 days
- Your process, terms and open roles in the knowledge base
- Every contact checked and Dirty contacts left out
- Candidate consent before sharing any profile
- A clear way to opt out in every email
- Your meeting link ready for interested replies
- First drafts read and approved in the approval queue
“One of the best email outreach tools I have ever seen in my 9 years of business experience. It has solved the problem of email outreach for my cold emails.”
Santhosh K.Founder and CEO, small business · G2Before and after
Recruiting outreach, before and after FirstSales
What changes when outreach for both sides of the desk runs every day.
By hand
Spreadsheets, templates and memory.
- Client outreach stops when busyNext month's roles dry up.
- One template for everyoneHiring managers and candidates ignore it.
- Lists in one placeCandidates and clients get mixed up.
- Follow-ups forgottenReplies that would have come never do.
- Bounces from old listsDomain health slips.
- Replies spread across inboxesInterested contacts wait.
With FirstSales
Two workspaces, one login.
- Outreach every dayClient development keeps running.
- Emails about the real roleWritten from each contact's company and job.
- Separate workspacesUnlimited, one per side or per niche.
- Follow-ups on timeStopped on any reply or opt-out.
- Contacts checked before each sendDirty contacts left out.
- UniboxEvery reply in one place.
Why recruiters switch
Recruiting outreach: FirstSales vs a typical tool
Many tools send the same template to everyone. FirstSales writes each email and runs both sides of your desk.
| What you get | Typical tool | FirstSales |
|---|---|---|
| Separate workspaces | Varies | Unlimited on every plan |
| Personal email for each contact | Varies | Written by AI from your knowledge base |
| Mailboxes | Varies | Unlimited on every plan |
| Team members | Varies | Unlimited on every plan |
| 21-day warm-up | Varies | Included |
| Contact checks before each send | Varies | Every send, no add-on |
| Follow-ups stop on reply | Varies | Included |
| Entry price | Varies | $29/mo |
| Start your $1 trial | ||
Good practice
Recruiting outreach handles personal data, so care matters.
Candidates and clients both trust you with their details. These general truths help you keep that trust.
- Keep client and candidate lists apartSeparate workspaces keep candidate contacts away from client campaigns, so no one gets the wrong email.
- Share profiles only with consentAsk candidates before you send their details to a client. Never attach a CV to a cold email without that yes.
- Write about the role honestlyPut real role details, pay ranges you are allowed to share and real fee terms in the knowledge base. The AI writes from those facts.
- Make opting out easyGive a simple way to opt out in every campaign. FirstSales stops follow-ups when someone replies or opts out.
- Send from a separate domainUse a cold-email domain, not your main one, so job ads and candidate emails from your main domain stay clean.
- Know the rules where you hireRules on contacting people and holding their data differ by country. Check the ones that apply to you and your contacts.
This is general information, not legal advice. FirstSales gives you tools to send with care; you decide who to contact and are responsible for following the rules where you and your contacts are.
What people say
From people who use it
Real words from real users. No paid reviews.
“User Interface, Ease of Use, Able to hit the inbox in the first attempt.”
Sadashiv B.
Founder, small business
“I've been using FirstSales.io for several months now, and I can confidently say it has revolutionized how I approach lead generation and customer acquisition.”
Paweł Stelmach
Small business owner
“His honest and insightful feedback helped us transform @synchrowork when we started on LTD to what we are building now.”
Sushant Kumar
@sushantkr49
Questions,answered plainly.
Can’t find yours? Write to us.
01Can I use FirstSales for client development and candidate outreach?
Yes. Run each in its own workspace with its own lists, knowledge base and mailboxes. Workspaces are unlimited on every plan.
02Will the emails mention the actual role?
Yes. The AI writes from your knowledge base and each contact's company and job, so emails name the role or the need, not a generic pitch.
03How do I keep my main domain safe?
Send from a separate cold-email domain. FirstSales checks SPF, DKIM and DMARC, warms each mailbox up for 21 days and checks inbox placement every hour.
04Does it check my contacts before sending?
Yes. Each contact is checked before each send, and Dirty contacts are left out, so old candidate lists do not cause bounces.
05Can I approve emails before they go to candidates?
Yes. Read and approve every draft in the approval queue, or switch to manual mode and send your own templates.
06Do I pay per recruiter?
No. Team members, workspaces and mailboxes are unlimited on every plan. Plans start at $29/mo.
07How do I try it?
Start for $1 for 3 days. Connect a mailbox, describe a role and read the first drafts. No contract: cancel any time from your dashboard.
Outreach that keeps going after you log off.Leads, emails, follow-ups and replies, handled.
Connect unlimited mailboxes and let AI agents find leads, write each email and follow up. Or send your own templates in manual mode. From $29/mo.
$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime · No contract