Monday morning, inbox. Among the emails from clients and suppliers, there’s one that opens with an assumption: “I imagine you generate business opportunities mainly through word of mouth, right?” This is followed by a six-figure result achieved for a company “very similar to yours,” a request for a twenty-minute meeting this week or next, and a signature with just a name. No phone number, no company name, and a domain I’ve never seen before.
I get about fifty of these in my inbox every month, all following the same pattern. The words change, but the method stays the same: thousands of messages sent out to get a few dozen replies. In terms of sheer volume, it works. However, the real question is this: who foots the bill for this model?
This article is aimed at two types of entrepreneurs: those who receive these emails and want to recognize them in a matter of seconds, and those who are tempted to use them to grow their business and deserve to know the cost that isn’t included in the estimates.
What is a cold email, and why does it come from unknown domains?
A cold email is a commercial message sent to someone who has never had any dealings with the sender and has not asked to be contacted. It is part of outbound marketing—activities in which the company seeks out customers. In its mass-sending form, it is sent from domains created specifically for this purpose, separate from the main domain.
The Law of Large Numbers
The model is based on three key components: a list of addresses extracted from commercial databases and professional profiles; software that sends automated sequences, with two or three follow-ups spaced a few days apart; and superficial personalization—the name, company, and industry inserted into a text that is identical for everyone.
The cost of sending one more message is practically zero. That’s why even a few responses out of thousands of messages are enough to make the sender’s numbers add up. It’s the same math as a flyer slipped into every mailbox on the street: it’s the quantity that counts; the person receiving it takes a back seat.
The secondary domain: a delivery technique or a way to stay hidden
Using dedicated domains for email campaigns is a common and legitimate technical practice. It protects the main domain’s reputation with spam filters, and even companies that send newsletters to genuine subscribers use this approach.
It’s the way it’s used that makes the difference. A legitimate sender domain can be traced back to the company in two clicks: it leads to a website, a company name, or an address. When a domain has a long name, no website, and no trace, its purpose is different: to make the sender untraceable and to handle volumes that no real relationship would justify.
How can you tell if an email is unsolicited commercial email?
It can be recognized by three recurring signs: an opening line that assumes knowledge of your company (“I imagine that…,” “if you, too…”), a striking result with no source or client name, and a signature that includes only a name, with no phone number, company name, or website. It often comes from a domain different from that of the company mentioned.
The Assumption of Openness
“I’m sure that’s how you do it,” “if you have this problem too,” “I imagine your sales rep.” Assumptions are a psychological shortcut: the reader mentally corrects them, and while doing so, keeps reading. It’s a contrived sense of familiarity, the same for a thousand recipients.
The result without a source and the twenty-minute request
The second red flag is a prominent number attributed to an anonymous client, “a company very similar to yours.” No name, no verifiable case. Then comes the request, presented as a small one: twenty minutes, a quick call. The amount of time requested is typical of an entrepreneur who has never heard of the sender.
Signing Without a Phone or a Company
A complete signature is a way of making yourself available: it tells people who you are, where you work, and how to reach you. A signature that includes only your name leaves just one way to reply—the same email address from which the message was sent. This is the most revealing detail, because a professional looking to build a relationship will prominently display their phone number.
What do cold emails and telemarketing have in common?
They share the same principle: reaching out to people who haven’t asked for it, in the hope that some of those contacted will be interested. In both cases, the cost of attention falls on the recipient. Cold emails change the scale and the cost: ten thousand messages cost less than ten phone calls, and the sender can remain virtually anonymous.
What Remains the Same
Anyone with a landline remembers those calls at dinnertime: an operator reading from a script, an unsolicited offer, and the struggle to end the call politely. Mass telemarketing has taught many Italians not to answer calls from unknown numbers. This frustration led to the creation of the Public Do Not Call Registry, which today protects landline numbers, cell phone numbers, and mailing addresses listed in directories. The mechanism behind mass cold emailing is the same: the sender decides, and the recipient pays with their time.
What Really Changes
On the phone, there was at least a voice, a person, and a set time. Email reduces the cost of sending messages to nearly zero and multiplies the volume. The sender can hide behind a disposable domain, and filtering is left to the inbox’s filters. The Do Not Call Registry applies to phone calls and snail mail; for email, protection depends on consent, as we’ll see shortly.
What does this mean for your decision?
The simplest criterion for an entrepreneur is this question: Would this method hold up if I signed it in full—with my name, company, and phone number? If the answer is yes, it’s a business lead. If the method works only because the recipient can’t figure out who’s writing, the cost shifts to the reputation of the brand using it.
How much does a cold email cost the recipient?
The sender pays almost nothing; the recipient pays with their time.
Every message demands to be opened, read, and deciphered: who it’s from, what they want, and whether it’s a scam. Then it calls for a decision: reply, delete, or report. A few minutes each, multiplied by fifty per month, add up to hours taken away from clients, colleagues, and family.
For a company that uses technology to give people back their time, this is a tangible benefit. Every hour an entrepreneur spends sorting through unsolicited messages is an hour that the “big data” model has shifted from the sender to the recipient.
The Experienced Recipient: When the Method Undermines the User’s Image
Many cold emails go unnoticed, with no one realizing the mechanism behind them. However, the most valuable customer is often the very one who does recognize it: an entrepreneur with a marketing manager, a consultant, or someone with extensive experience. For them, the anonymous domain and the assumption of openness are a recognizable signature. The first judgment is made about the method, and from there, it extends to the person who chose it.
What do Italian laws say about cold emails?
In Italy, sending promotional emails requires the recipient’s prior consent, in accordance with Article 130 of the Privacy Code. The Data Protection Authority clarified in its 2013 guidelines that consent must be obtained before the first message is sent and that email addresses found on the web or in public records may only be used with that consent.
Consent as a Starting Point
The principle is called “opt-in”: permission first, then the message. The Data Protection Authority’s guidelines rule out the most common shortcuts, such as requesting consent within the first promotional email or simply offering an unsubscribe option. Recipients always have the right to object, using the same channel through which the message was sent. For specific cases, a legal opinion remains the standard of reference.
B2B and personalized addresses
Many senders feel they are in the clear because they write to companies. The Data Protection Authority’s guidelines consider company email addresses that include a person’s name—such as those in the format firstname.lastname@company. Since 2011, legal entities have been turning to civil courts to seek injunctions and damages instead of filing complaints with the Data Protection Authority. The B2B context changes the path to redress but leaves the underlying principle intact.
Third-Party Lists: When Consent Is Given
Campaigns targeting lists of publishers and partners operate on a different basis. Subscribers have given specific and separate consent to the disclosure of their data to third parties, based on a privacy notice that identifies those third parties or their product categories.
The message comes from a sender known to the recipient, with the advertiser’s name clearly stated. There is also an exception for existing customers: a company may contact those who provided their address during a purchase to offer similar products, as long as the customer agrees to receive such communications.
What alternatives are respectful of the email recipient?
The alternatives all start with the same goal—new customers—and respect the recipient’s consent, brand recognition, and time. Inbound marketing encourages people to reach out. Direct email marketing (DEM) to opt-in lists reaches those who have agreed to receive communications from third parties. Targeted outbound marketing selects a few companies, with a legitimate reason and a complete signature.
Inbound: The person initiates contact
Content that answers customers’ real questions, a well-managed presence on search engines and AI platforms, and a website that turns visits into inquiries. Inbound marketing requires more patience at the beginning but builds an asset that grows over time: every lead comes because the person chose it.
DEM on lists with consent and an identifiable sender
When you need to reach a large audience, DEM campaigns using opt-in lists allow you to reach many people while complying with the rules. The difference from mass cold emailing lies in the permission and the name: the recipient knows who is writing to them and has agreed to receive those communications.
Targeted outbound outreach: a select few companies, a genuine reason, and a full signature
Actively seeking out customers remains legitimate, on one condition: choose carefully before reaching out. In the FARO by Factory method, this is the first phase—Focus: a few dozen companies selected by industry, size, and actual need, rather than thousands of addresses. To build this selection methodically, you need prospecting tools and a long-term strategy for finding new B2B customers.
Contact is made through channels that allow the recipient to remain independent and well-informed: an introduction by a mutual acquaintance, a meeting at an industry event, or a signed phone call.
A targeted email fits into this process: it is addressed to a single person, includes a specific reason for contacting them, the company name, a phone number, and a website that makes the company easy to find.
One caveat remains: even a single promotional email sent to a personalized email address is subject to the consent rule described above.
It works, therefore, when there is already a basis, such as an accepted presentation, a business card left at a trade show with a request to be contacted, or a public call for suppliers. In cases of doubt, a legal opinion clarifies the boundaries.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Emails
1. Is cold emailing legal in Italy?
Sending promotional emails requires the recipient’s prior consent, in accordance with Article 130 of the Privacy Code. An exception is made for communications to customers regarding products similar to those they have already purchased. The Data Protection Authority’s 2013 guidelines also consider company email addresses assigned to specific individuals to be personal data. To evaluate a specific case, it is advisable to seek legal counsel.
2. What’s the difference between a cold email and spam?
Spam refers to the mass sending of unsolicited messages. A cold email sent to thousands of addresses without consent falls under that definition, even when the text is personalized. From the recipient’s perspective, the clearest sign is the absence of a prior relationship and an identifiable sender.
3. What is the difference between inbound and outbound marketing?
In outbound marketing, the company reaches out to the customer: through phone calls, emails, advertising, and trade shows. In inbound marketing, the customer reaches out to the company, drawn in by useful content and a well-maintained online presence. The two approaches work well together when outbound marketing remains targeted and inbound marketing builds trust over time. Learn more about the definition of outbound marketing in the glossary.
4. Why do cold emails come from domains other than the company’s?
Domains dedicated to email sending protect the main domain’s reputation with spam filters: this is a common technical practice. It becomes a red flag when the domain does not lead to any website, business name, or contact information—in that case, it serves to make the sender difficult to trace.
5. How do you report unsolicited commercial email?
The first step is to use the spam reporting feature in your email service, which trains the filters. An individual may file a complaint with the Data Protection Authority. A company, as a legal entity, may file a civil lawsuit to stop the unsolicited emails and seek compensation.
6. How can you safely remove yourself from a list you never signed up for?
The Data Protection Authority’s guidelines state that you can exercise your right to object through the same channel used to send the message: simply reply requesting that your information be deleted. If the sender is unknown, it is prudent to avoid clicking on any links in the message and instead reply directly or report it as spam.
7. Do cold emails really work?
It generates some response when used on a large scale, which is why it continues to be used. The results must be considered alongside the costs that don’t appear in the reports: the time taken away from the recipients and the brand’s reputation among the most savvy recipients—who are often the most valuable customers.
8. How do you choose a lead generation partner that respects privacy?
Four checks are needed: where the lists come from and how consent is documented; who the sender of the messages is; what volumes they offer and why; and how they measure results. A reputable partner responds in writing, provides verifiable examples, and signs off on their work with their name, company, and phone number.
New customers through a method that allows for signing up
Growing your business and respecting the recipients of your messages are two compatible goals. Factory Communication helps small and medium-sized businesses build a customer acquisition strategy based on consent, brand recognition, and targeted choices—using a method that stands up to scrutiny even from the most discerning recipients.