The problem with most B2B sequences
They are written for the sender, not the reader. Six emails about your platform, escalating in urgency, ending with a passive-aggressive "should I close your file?". They get replies occasionally, but they burn the list and the domain.
Start with the list, not the copy
No sequence rescues a bad list. Define the account profile first: sector, headcount, tech stack, trigger events. A list of 300 genuinely relevant contacts outperforms 5,000 scraped ones on every metric that matters, including deliverability.
A sequence structure that works
- Relevance email. One observation specific to their business, one sentence on why you are writing, one soft question. No pitch, no attachment.
- Proof email. A short, concrete result you produced for a comparable company. Numbers and context, not adjectives.
- Resource email. Give something useful with no strings — a teardown, a benchmark, a checklist.
- Angle change. Same company, different problem. People ignore emails because the topic missed, not because they hate you.
- Close the loop. Polite, short, no guilt. Leave the door open and mean it.
Space these five to seven working days apart. A sequence that finishes in eight days feels like pressure; one that runs over five weeks feels like follow-up.
Write for a phone screen
Most B2B email is read on mobile between meetings. Under 120 words, no images, no signature block with six logos, one clear question at the end. If it needs scrolling, it needs cutting.
Metrics that predict pipeline
Open rate is now unreliable thanks to privacy protection. Track reply rate, positive reply rate, meetings booked per 100 contacts, and — the one most teams skip — meetings that reach a second conversation. A sequence with a 12% reply rate and no second meetings has a targeting problem, not a copy problem.
Compliance in the UK
Under PECR, B2B email to corporate subscribers is permitted, but you still need a clear identity, a valid postal address, and a working opt-out on every message. Keep a record of your lawful basis under UK GDPR, and honour objections immediately.
Where nurture fits
Cold outreach opens the door; nurture keeps it open. Anyone who replies but is not ready should move into a low-frequency nurture track — monthly, genuinely useful, no fake urgency. Most of our clients' best deals come from that track six to nine months later.
Our B2B email marketing service covers list build, sequence design, deliverability and reporting as one programme.