Cold Email ROI Calculator
Cold email works. But how much should it make you?
We've run the numbers on $15M+ in pipeline for 50+ B2B companies. This calculator uses real benchmarks—not theory.
Input your deal size, volume, and closing rate. Get projected ROI.
Use the Calculator
Open the Cold Email ROI Calculator →
Enter your numbers:
Monthly email volume (how many cold emails you send)
Average deal size (your typical contract value)
Sales cycle length (days from meeting to close)
Close rate (% of meetings that become customers)
The calculator shows:
Expected meetings per month
Projected pipeline value
Estimated closed revenue
ROI vs. your investment
The Math Behind Cold Email ROI
Cold email has a predictable formula:
Here's what we see across 50+ clients:
Metric | Low | Average | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Reply Rate | 1% | 3% | 8% |
Meeting Rate | 30% | 50% | 70% |
Close Rate | 15% | 25% | 40% |
Deal Size | $5K | $15K | $100K+ |
Example calculation:
1,000 emails/month × 3% reply rate = 30 replies
30 replies × 50% meeting rate = 15 meetings
15 meetings × 25% close rate = 3.75 deals
3.75 deals × $15K = $56,250/month
Your numbers will vary. That's why we built the calculator.
Real ROI: BuzzLead Case Studies
Theory is nice. Results are better.
ProductEVO: $90K Profit in 10 Months
The situation: B2B SaaS company. Small sales team. Needed more at-bats.
What we did:
15 domains, 45 inboxes
1,500 emails/day capacity
AI-personalized sequences
3-email framework (not 7)
The results:
142 meetings booked
$90K in closed revenue
10-month engagement
Cost: ~$50K → ROI: 180%
Life360: $120K MRR in 42 Days
The situation: Consumer-to-B2B pivot. Needed enterprise pipeline fast.
What we did:
Trigger-based outreach (funding announcements, job posts)
Executive-level targeting
Speed-to-lead response system
The results:
First meeting in 9 days
$120K MRR by day 42
Multiple enterprise contracts
Cost: $15K → ROI: 800%
DiamondLinks: $100K in 5 Weeks
The situation: Agency. Strong service. Weak pipeline.
What we did:
ICP refinement (cut 60% of their original list)
Direct pain-point messaging
Daily response handling
The results:
$100K in new ARR
5 weeks start-to-revenue
Cost: $8K → ROI: 1,150%
Comma Copywriters: 10X ROI
The situation: Copywriting agency. Referral-dependent. Feast-or-famine revenue.
What we did:
Targeted marketing directors at funded startups
Value-first subject lines
Consistent monthly cadence
The results:
$135K ARR added
10X ROI on agency spend
4 months to full pipeline
ROI Factors Most People Miss
1. Infrastructure Costs Add Up
Domains, inboxes, warmup tools, sending platforms. Budget $500-1,500/month for a proper setup.
Skimping here destroys your ROI. Bad deliverability = wasted emails = no meetings.
Use our volume calculator →
2. Time Cost of DIY
Most founders underestimate this.
Writing sequences: 5+ hours
Managing responses: 10+ hours/week
Fixing deliverability issues: ??? hours
Your time has value. Factor it in.
3. Speed to Revenue Matters
Life360 hit $120K MRR in 42 days. If they'd taken 6 months, the math changes completely.
Time-to-first-meeting is a multiplier. Our clients average 14 days. DIY operations often take 60+.
4. Compounding Pipeline
Month 1 meetings don't close in month 1. But they do close.
By month 3-4, you have:
New meetings coming in
Previous meetings moving through pipeline
Deals closing from month 1
This is where ROI explodes. But you have to survive the ramp.
When Cold Email ROI Fails
Not everyone should run cold email. Negative ROI happens when:
1. Deal size is too small If your average deal is $500, cold email rarely makes sense. The math doesn't work.
Minimum viable deal size: $3K+ for positive ROI.
2. No sales capacity Meetings without follow-through = $0. If you can't run discovery calls, cold email is wasted.
3. Weak offer Cold email amplifies your offer. If your offer is weak, you get weak results—fast.
4. Zero infrastructure investment Sending from your main domain on Gmail? You'll destroy your reputation and see zero ROI.
Calculate Your ROI Now
Stop guessing. Get your numbers.
Open the Cold Email ROI Calculator →
Want help hitting those numbers? BuzzLead handles everything.
What's a good ROI for cold email? We aim for 3-5X minimum for clients. Our best case (DiamondLinks) hit 11.5X. Anything below 2X means something's broken.
How long before I see ROI from cold email? First meetings in 2-3 weeks. First closed deal depends on your sales cycle. For a 30-day cycle, expect ROI clarity by month 2. For 90-day cycles, month 4.
What's the minimum investment for cold email?
DIY: $500-1,000/month (tools + infrastructure)
Agency: $3,000-10,000/month (fully managed)
Below these thresholds, you're underinvesting and won't see results.
How does cold email ROI compare to paid ads? Cold email typically costs $50-150 per meeting booked. Paid ads often run $200-500+ per qualified meeting for B2B. Cold email wins on efficiency for targeted outbound.
Can I calculate ROI before starting? Yes—that's what the calculator is for. Input conservative estimates. If the math works on paper, it usually works in practice (with proper execution).