Fazley Rabbi"Our work is good, but almost all of it comes from marketplaces and a few referrals. We want direct clients abroad, and we don't know where to start." Many software firm owners in Bangladesh describe the problem in exactly these words. The answer is usually not more cold messages. It is a narrower offer, believable proof, and a steady outbound routine that one or two people can run every week.
Why "we build anything" does not sell abroad
A buyer in another country gets messages every week from firms everywhere, all saying they build web apps, mobile apps and custom software at a fair rate. Price alone puts you in a race against everyone. What earns a reply is relevance: "we build booking and scheduling systems for physiotherapy clinics" lands far better than "full-stack development".
Pick a focus where you already have real experience: an industry (logistics, clinics, e-commerce, education), a technology your team knows deeply, or a type of job, such as rescuing stalled projects or adding AI features to existing products. You can still take other work. The focus is simply what you lead with in outbound.
Prepare before you send a single message
- Define the buyer. Country or region, company size, the job title that feels the pain (founder, CTO, head of product, an agency owner who outsources), and the trigger that makes them need you now: new funding, hiring developers, a product launch, an old app full of bad reviews.
- Write proof for that buyer. Two or three short project write-ups: the problem, what you built, how you worked together, and what the client could do afterwards. Ask permission before naming anyone. For work under an NDA, describe it without names.
- Fix what a buyer checks. A website that explains your focus in plain English, a LinkedIn company page and founder profiles that match it, an easy way to book a call, and a clear note on time zone overlap and communication.
- Offer a small, low-risk first step. A paid discovery sprint, a code audit, or a prototype with a fixed scope. Saying yes to a small start is easier than signing a large contract with a team they have never met.
Running the outbound
- Build a list of a few hundred companies that fit, not thousands. Research each one enough to say why you are writing to them.
- Combine channels: a LinkedIn connection and short note to the decision maker, then email from a properly set-up domain, then a follow-up that adds something useful, such as an observation about their product or a relevant write-up.
- Keep the first message short: who you are, why them, one relevant proof point, and a simple question. Do not attach a company profile PDF to a first email.
- Follow up a few times, spaced out, then stop politely.
- Track everything in one place: who was contacted, when, the reply and the next step.
Set up email carefully before you start. Sending a lot from a new domain is the fastest way into spam folders; see cold email deliverability.
Common mistakes
- Leading with "cheap" or "offshore". Lead with the problem you solve; price comes later.
- Copy-paste messages that could be sent to anyone.
- Selling only when project work is slow, then stopping when it picks up. Outbound works as a weekly habit, and replies build slowly.
- Walking into the first call unprepared. Buyers comparing firms across countries notice a clear agenda, a written proposal and quick responses.
What to keep in-house, and where help is useful
Your team knows the work best, so the proof, the offer and the sales calls should stay with you. Research, list building, email setup, message writing and tracking are where outside help can save months of trial and error. I set up this kind of system for IT firms as part of lead generation and B2B outreach, then hand it over so the team can run it.
The smallest useful first step
This week, finish one sentence: "We help [type of company] in [market] to [result]." Then list twenty companies that fit it and find the right person at each. If the sentence is hard to write, that is the real work to do first. If you want a second pair of eyes on it, get in touch.