As someone who spent 18 years marketing for giants like Pepsi and Pizza Hut, I can tell you that email marketing still packs a punch – but only if you do it right. Here’s the reality we’re dealing with in 2025: corporate buying teams average seven people (yes, SEVEN!), and post-COVID, most of their research happens online before they even think about talking to you. With 56% of emails never getting a response and bounce rates higher than my bootcamp instructor’s energy level, we need to get smart about this!

The Secret Sauce to Personalization

Here’s the deal – basic personalization is so 2023. Just knowing someone’s name? That’s like showing up to a party wearing the same outfit as everyone else. True personalization means understanding their industry pain points, company news, and buying signals. For instance, one of my brilliant clients in industrial cleaning used this subject line: “Hospital Wing closed due to missing cleaning staff?” Talk about hitting the pain point.

The Value Proposition Dance

Want to know what makes a corporate buyer’s heart skip a beat? Value, baby, value! Your call-to-action shouldn’t be a desperate “contact us”. Instead, offer something juicy – maybe an online assessment, a trend report, or a white paper that speaks directly to their industry pain points. And whatever you do, don’t start criticizing their current setup. As a former corporate buyer myself, that’s like telling someone their baby is ugly – it never ends well!

The Multi-Channel Marketing Tango

Here’s my spicy take – never, ever rely on cold emails alone. It’s like trying to win a marathon hopping on one foot! The emails I teach my clients to craft are part of a larger symphony – think high-level industry networking, executive roundtables, thought leadership content, and even some fancy account-based marketing tactics (like that time a client bought a billboard outside a CEO’s office – talk about making a statement!). When all these elements work together, that’s when the magic happens. Remember, business is like fitness – you need a full-body workout to see results, not just arm day!

So yes, cold emails still get meetings with elusive corporate buyers but you have to do a lot of heaving lifting to make it work.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, watch my Podcast on YouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.