Building relationships through value-based emails

📊 Over the years of auditing thousands of email campaigns across various industries, I've noticed a concerning trend: The perpetual "sale spiral." 🌀 Companies are trapped in an endless cycle of discounting, each trying to outshout the other in increasingly crowded inboxes. Recently, I worked with a DTC brand whose open rates had declined over 30% over six months despite increasing their promotional frequency. Their customer lifetime value was dropping, and unsubscribe rates were climbing. The diagnosis? Discount fatigue. 😫 Here's what we implemented: We introduced what I call the "70/30 Value Rule" - 70% pure value content, 30% promotional. ⚖️ For the value portion, we created: ➜ Industry insight newsletters ➜ Behind-the-scenes glimpses into product development ➜ Customer success stories ➜ Actionable tips related to their product category ➜ Community spotlights The results after 90 days were compelling: ⭐ Open rates increased by 32% ⭐ Customer feedback emails jumped 215% ⭐ When promotional emails were sent, conversion rates improved by 28% ⭐ Unsubscribe rates dropped by 41% Key Learning: The most successful brands understand that email isn't just a sales channel—it's a relationship builder. By giving your audience "breathing room" between promotions, you create anticipation and trust that translates into stronger campaign performance when you do make offers. This approach requires patience and a shift in metrics. While immediate sales might dip initially, the long-term engagement metrics and customer lifetime value typically show significant improvement within 3-4 months. For companies looking to break free from the discount cycle, start small: Replace one promotional email per week with pure value content. Track not just opens and clicks, but also replies, shares, and sentiment. The data will speak for itself. Remember: In a world where everyone is shouting "BUY NOW," sometimes the most powerful message is simply "We're here to help."

One key difference between good and bad business development? The prospect receives value after the first engagement, not the business Let me explain... Go into your DMs or email inbox and look at the last ~10 prospecting messages you received. How many of them: 🙄 Were bland, cut + pasted pitches about their product/service? 🙄 Didn't mention how you PERSONALLY would benefit from it? 🙄 Ended with a CTA assuming you'd gladly give up your time to talk to them? (Mine was 10/10 🙃) But every now and then, a glimmer of hope shines through that all is not lost as someone reaches out to you with a message that is: 🤩 Actually written AND personalized to *you* 🤩 Focused on *developing* a relationship with you by injecting personality + asking great questions 🤩 Ends with a CTA saying "let me follow up with you sharing my real thoughts about our product/service" or better yet "let me prove the quality/expertise of our product/service by giving it to you, no strings attached" And that, my friends, is what leads me to the below picture of two BEAUTIFUL cutting boards 🤌🤌 I used to moonlight as a woodworker, so I have a soft spot for all things wood, handcrafted, and quality-made So when Eric Hagstrom's message found my inbox, I was pleasantly surprised 💙 He made it past my Gated inbox by donating to the charity I support + included a personal note along with it that helped connect us on a 1:1 level 💙 He quickly replied back to my response saying he DIDN'T want to share a typical copy + paste message with me about what they do, but wanted to share a detailed response with his raw thoughts about his company (Mänresa) + what would be of interest/value to me 💙 His follow-up was incredible + even explained what his company's name meant as it brought to the forefront the values they hold I was captivated + interested I sent him MY calendar link so we could chat And we had a phenomenal conversation that was just as much "demo/pitch" as it was back + forth developing a relationship Instead of wrapping the conversation with "So, are you ready to order a bunch of these from us for your corporate gifting strategy?" Eric said, "Let me send you a board on us. I believe in the quality of our work and want you to see it for yourself." And his words lived up to it after receiving these Long story long, I have some plans for late this year/early next year for some special things we want to do for key customers + prospects of ours And I bet you can guess who I'm planning on reaching out to to be a part of this effort Moral of the story: Be a human Give value before you ask for it Play the long game P.S. Not pictured is the backside of the cutting board that has our Loxo logo engraved in the bottom right corner. Subtle psychology, but the board will be used more when the logo ISN'T slapped big, front, + center of something like this #marketing #businessdevelopment #bizdev

I receive over 100 sales in-mails and emails every day . I don’t respond to 99% of them. I was wondering why is this . So I opened the inmails and emails to check. Most of the emails / inmails get down to selling at the first step . They are outright salesy. Salesy cold emails often fail, with response rates as low as 1%–2%, according to HubSpot, because they focus on hard selling rather than building connections. And then I reflected on the 1% that I respond to. They are conversational. The mails that I respond to are those who are about me , those who have been following what I share on LinkedIn. They begin with “ME”. They are crisp and they build a conversation over time. They have been commenting on my content on LinkedIn and sharing their thoughts . They understand me , what I do and what are the challenges I face. A conversation is buit at multiple touch points with no rush . These are micro conversations at the level of one. There is no strong push to sell but rather the approach is to build relationship. This cannot happen at the scale of mass marketing or cut paste similar messages. In B2B marketing there are no impulse purchases , decisions take time , where you target only a few companies and you have to talk to only a few people . Conversational emails, supported by marketing’s thought leadership, can achieve response rates of 15%–20%, as per Woodpecker’s research, by being personalized, empathetic, and value-driven. Marketing establishes trust and credibility through content and thought leadership, while sales micro-personalizes communication to address specific pain points, creating a seamless bridge between brand awareness and engagement. Both are needed. LinkedIn reports that personalized InMails see a 40% higher response rate than generic messages. By aligning marketing’s broad impact with sales’ tailored approach, businesses can craft cold emails and LinkedIn InMails that foster genuine connections and drive results . To cut the long story short I have not only responded to but met those 1% and I know them. Their thinking is not salesy but genuinely partnership driven. What are your thoughts on micro conversations in the world of cold calls , cold emails and inmails where the pressure of targets is high. To check out my full video on this subject on YouTube link shared in comments. #EmailMarketing #B2Bmarketing

If you have to “sell” hard… It’s because you didn’t teach well enough first. You’ve heard the advice: “Give value for free.” Most people think they’re giving value. They’re not. They’re holding back. The fix? Make your free content so good...it feels like it got leaked from behind a paywall. Here’s how I'm putting that into practice: --- (1) Outreach I don’t cold pitch. I do free consulting. For example, if I'm reaching out to a prospect: → I'd spend 30 minutes researching their site, funnel, and email opt-in → I'd send a 90-second Loom showing where they’re leaking leads (and how to fix it) → I'd end with a simple "Happy to help." Why does it work? Because I build trust before asking for anything. I'm educating without hard selling. (2) High-value lead magnets “Subscribe to my newsletter” converts at 1–2%. My educational email courses? 15–20%. Because the value trade is crystal clear: • you give me your email • you get a structured, 5-day lesson plan • you know what you’ll learn, when, and how it helps It’s a mini-product that educates and builds belief. Instead of... "Give me your email in exchange for me sending you emails whenever I want." (3) Content I give away what feels like the "secret sauce" for free. People don't pay for information anymore... They pay for: • implementation (done for them) • speed (faster than doing it alone) • customization (specific to their business) Give away the thinking. Charge for the doing. If your free content creates wins, the sale's already halfway closed. They already trust you. They’ve seen the value. Now they want you to help them execute on it. --- This is the game. Most businesses guard their knowledge. I use mine to build trust at scale. P.S. Like this breakdown? Follow me Aldis Ozols for more on social selling and building trust through your personal brand.

Why Most Email Marketing Fails (Even If Your Content Is “Valuable”) Email marketing still drives the highest ROI in digital — But most people are doing it wrong. The biggest mistake? 👉 They treat email like a pitch deck. Instead of a trust-building engine. Here’s what actually works in 2025 — especially if you want high-ticket conversions: 1️⃣ Warm the list before you sell ↳ Think of your email list like a dinner guest. You don’t ask for favors before they even sit down. ↳ Send 2-3 pure value emails before you ever mention your offer. Real advice. Real insight. No fluff. Pro tip: Make one of those emails pure storytelling — show your values through action, not slogans. 2️⃣ Package the “value” better ↳ Most people confuse value with volume. They write essays instead of breakthroughs. ↳ Real value = One sharp insight your reader hasn’t heard before, that changes how they see their problem. Ask: “What’s the belief this email is trying to shift?” If you don’t have a clear answer, rewrite it. 3️⃣ Move the needle before they buy ↳ Give them a small result before they pay you a dollar. ↳ That could be a mindset shift, a quick win, or a practical tip they can use the same day. When people get results from your free stuff, buying becomes a no-brainer. 4️⃣ Turn your offer into a story ↳ “Click here to book a call” isn’t enough. ↳ Show why the offer matters, who it’s for, what pain it solves, and the emotional cost of staying stuck. If you can write an offer email that makes someone feel like you read their mind, you’ll never struggle to convert. 5️⃣ Send with a strategy — not a schedule ↳ Don’t send emails because “it’s Tuesday.” ↳ Send based on the buyer journey. Map out what your audience needs to believe before they’re ready to act. Think like this: • Email 1 → Break belief • Email 2 → Introduce new possibility • Email 3 → Show proof • Email 4 → Make the offer • Email 5 → Handle objections That’s a campaign. Not just “sending emails.” Email isn’t just about showing up. It’s about showing up with intention. And when you do it right — Email becomes your most profitable, highest-leverage sales tool. Not just another thing on your content calendar.