Avoiding irrelevant business mail

Every single email we send, has to pass this test. If the email still makes sense when sent to someone in a completely unrelated industry, it gets scrapped. Because if it "could" work for everyone, it will work for no one... Most people think writing generic templates saves time. It doesn’t. It just saves effort at the expense of reply rates. The real efficiency is writing emails so specific they only make sense to your ideal customer profile. That’s when replies go up and pipeline fills itself. Here’s what that looks like in practice: 👉 If you’re targeting B2B SaaS, talk CAC, churn, activation rates. Not just “growth.” 👉 If you’re targeting logistics, bring up shipping delays, warehouse systems, and fulfillment costs. 👉 If you’re targeting compliance-heavy industries, speak their acronyms. HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI. Use their language. Specificity isn’t limiting. It’s a multiplier. It gets responses, builds credibility, and makes your offer feel tailored, because it is. But the hardest part? Actually having leads worth getting specific for. That’s where A-Leads changes everything. We’re not only pulling job titles and generic firmographics. We’re layering real signals; like new tech installs, intent data, hiring trends and matching those to verified emails. That means when you do write that hyper-relevant email… …it lands in the inbox of someone who actually cares. Generic emails get deleted. Specific ones start conversations. A-Leads makes sure they happen with the right people.

“Email less to avoid unsubscribes.” How many times have you heard that advice? Here’s the reality: It’s not about sending fewer emails. It’s about sending the right emails. I worked with a client who cut their email volume by 40% after a deliverability scare. Their engagement improved briefly, but revenue plummeted. What they missed was this: volume wasn’t the issue. Their list quality was. We implemented a simple shift: - We aggressively cleaned their list, removing unengaged and invalid contacts. - We doubled down on their high-intent segments, sending more personalized emails to the people who actually cared. Result? Revenue jumped 25%, and their unsubscribe rate stayed flat. Don’t email less, clean more. Then, email the right people as much as they can handle.

Imagine this: Someone buys a tub of protein powder. And your next 3 emails pitch… meal replacement bars they’ve never asked for? Not only is it irrelevant, it lowers engagement across the board. Here’s the fix: Post purchase category matrix. Tag each product with a clear “need state” (muscle gain, recovery, weight loss, energy, etc.) Map customers by last purchase → next logical step Build email flows that respect their actual journey Example: • Bought protein powder → Wait 7 days → Recommend shaker bottle or recipe guide • Bought creatine → Wait 10 days → Suggest hydration support or stacking options You’re not just selling supplements. You’re supporting a routine. Make every follow up feel like a smart next step. If you don’t segment by product category, you’re throwing away money.

Main reason why your cold e-mails getting ignored → they look exactly like cold emails. People do not care about another e-mail starting with: “Hope you are doing well” "Hi {Name}, My name is ..." "I've been following your company for a while" They care when you show them you actually know their business. What triggers their mental SPAM filter: Basic personalization Asking for a call too soon Too many links or attachments Lack of social proof or credibility Pitch that could apply to anyone Overly formal or robotic language Long paragraphs with no clear structure No clear value or relevance to the recipient Low effort = no results Instead: 1. Show you've done your homework: Mention your observation - something specific about their business. 2. Get straight to the point: Cut the fluff. Make it clear why you're reaching out and how it benefits them. 3. Sound like a human (because you are): Write like you would in a real conversation. 4. Give before you ask: Offer a lead magnet, a quick win, or something valuable before pushing for a meeting. 5. Make it easy to say yes     Instead of "let's hop on a call," try a softer CTA like "Would this be relevant for you?" P.S. What would you add?

A few months ago, I spent hours crafting what I thought was the perfect cold email campaign. Clean copy. Concise subject lines. A/B tested CTAs. And then… silence. Barely any replies. I went back to the drawing board and asked myself: "If I were on the receiving end of this, would I care?" Turns out, I had made the classic mistake. The emails didn’t really address a problem my audience was facing. They were technically sound, but not relevant. After analyzing over 11 million emails, the conclusion is clear (read the report below): 71% of people ignore cold emails because they don’t address a relevant problem. That stat hit home. Now, every campaign I write starts with a single question: "What specific problem am I solving for this person?" And it’s made all the difference. If your emails are being ignored, don’t start by tweaking your subject lines or switching tools. Start with relevance. #coldemail

Do this BEFORE you write your next cold email Hint: It’s not about what you say. Most people write emails like this: → “Hey, I can help you with XYZ.” → “Let’s hop on a quick call?” → Delete. Spam. Ignore. Why? Because you’re talking to the wrong person. It’s not about what you say— It’s about who you say it to. BEFORE you write a single word: Do these 5 things: 1. Define your ICP – Who’s actually a good fit? 2. Study their problems – What’s keeping them up at night? 3. Validate their need – Do they even need what you offer? 4. Check their intent signals – Are they hiring? Posting pain points? 5. Personalize your list – Curate, don’t copy-paste Then—and only then—write your email. Because relevance wins. Every. Single. Time. Writing cold emails? Send fewer. Send smarter. Save this before you send another one. Or tag a founder who needs to see this.

Sending two newsletters a week to your entire mailing list is not a retention strategy 👇 Relevance is the most important aspect of email marketing. And personalization is almost the only way to achieve relevance. And personalization is not adding the name to the subject line... Consider the following example. You are a new customer of a brand, you are happy with your order and you receive the first newsletter... Nothing for you, unfortunately. The question is, how many chances will you give the brand before you stop opening the newsletter? The answer is: it depends on the relevance. As a customer, can I expect that there will be something for me soon? To ensure this relevance, you need to segment and work with flows instead of just campaigns. RetentionX can help you build these segments and then track what happens to them. We show you who to target, with what offer, at what time and through what channel. Customer by customer. Because a customer who has ordered 10 times before needs a different communication than a customer who is hearing about your brand for the first time. If you analyze your current mailing list, you will find that you probably have more than 60% dead subscribers. These are subscribers who have not interacted with any of your emails for 3+ months. The reason for this is that you have fallen into the irrelevant set and are probably just in their spam queue. But you are still paying the monthly tool fees for them....

SDRs and AEs: if your follow-up email has more than three attachments, you're doing it wrong. Last week I got a follow-up email from an AE with four links and 13 attachments. 13! 🤦 Sending everything under the sun early in the sales process overwhelms prospects. Most of it isn't relevant (at least not yet), so they'll likely not read any of it. Do this instead: 1. Create a personalized microsite or landing page -Host all your decks, PDFs, videos, or infographics on a single, tailored webpage. -Tools like PathFactory, Foleon or HubSpot let you showcase multiple assets in one place, making it easy for prospects to explore and share. -You can track which assets they actually view. 2. Use a 'digital sales room' -Platforms like Showpad, Seismic or Dropbox DocSend let you set up a private 'room' or link for all your relevant collateral. -It keeps everything branded and organized, plus you get analytics on what's viewed and for how long. 3. Share a cloud storage link -If you don't have access to one of these sales enablement tools, use Google Drive, Box or Dropbox. -Just be sure to include only the most relevant files and double check sharing permissions. Above all: KEEP IT RELEVANT The more work you give prospects, the less likely they will engage - and the less likely you'll close the deal. Your job is to guide buyers smoothly, not bury them in content. Make it easy for them to learn, stay interested, and can't wait to speak with you. #sales #salesprocess #salesenablement

Before you ask, add. How many times has this happened to you: “Hey did you see my last email?” …cue the tortured silence.  Whoever you’re emailing probably has 10-15 of that exact same email in their inbox. So stop asking. Offer a solution, helpful resource, or free tip BEFORE you ask for something. “[Name], I thought a lot about your business over the weekend, and here’s something I can’t stop thinking about.” Share an insight that relates to their problem. Even better? Send them something unrelated to the sale: An article, A resource, Or case study that speaks to their specific industry. Instead of “wondering if your last email got buried”, you could say: “I saw this really awesome resource about X and I thought of you. Give it a read - especially page 12 because Y. Let me know what you think.” As a person who’s gotten a lot of “Hey did you see my last email” emails, I'm here to tell you: Most of the time, we see the email, and we’re actively ignoring it. Because we’re sick of being sold to. So stop selling. And start adding.