“Cold email is spam.”
True… for consumers.
But in B2B, it’s often a respectful, high-leverage door-opener.
Here’s the contrarian truth most founders miss
Unsolicited email to consumers is almost always spam (and often illegal). Direct email to businesses is treated differently, when you’re compliant, relevant, and clear.
In Your Business Growth Playbook , I share a story about a client who scaled the old-fashioned way: dialing for dollars every morning.
His only goal from any cold touch, phone or email, was simple: get someone to raise their hand (reply or book a call).
At first, he made a few hundred outbound calls a week and spent the rest of his time in sales meetings and client work. Then he hired an SDR (Sales Development Rep).
Output jumped to ~1,500 outbound touches a week, and his calendar filled with qualified appointments. That’s the point: system > heroics, scale the motions that set meetings.
If you’re going to use cold B2B email, keep it boring and effective:
Get the list right
Build a targeted list of businesses with the decision-maker’s email. (Garbage lists = garbage outcomes.)
Define the micro-yes
Your first win is attention; your second is consent (reply or book). Design for that.
Stay inside the lines
Regulations differ; consumer blasts are off-limits. Be compliant, always.
Make it repeatable
Cadence, follow-ups, and handoffs (SDR → AE) make it scalable.
Bottom line from the book: Many growing B2B companies owe a lot to disciplined outbound, email included, so long as it’s relevant, respectful, and measured.
🧠 Key Takeaways
Cold email to consumers? Spam.
Thoughtful, compliant, B2B outreach? A practical way to start real conversations at scale.
What’s the most useful first line you’ve sent (or received) in a cold B2B email that earned a reply?