Cold emails, warm intentions: How to show up before selling.

MD, Chris Spraggon, cold calling clients.

Culture Club Part 7:

At The Impulse Group, we care deeply about the quality of the solutions we deliver – but we care just as much about how we work with people. In our world, long-term relationships are every bit as valuable as technically excellent outcomes. Trust, respect and honesty don’t begin once a project is underway; they start from the very first interaction. 

In a landscape that’s louder, busier and more crowded than ever, being heard is a challenge. Cold emails are one of the many ways businesses try to cut through that noise, but it’s how you show up matters.  

In this blog – the latest in our Culture Club series – we explain how cold outreach isn’t just be about pushing a message into an inbox for us; it’s about starting from zero trust and choosing to approach that moment with the same care, integrity and intent we bring to every piece of work that we do. 

Being heard without shouting 

Cold emails are hard. Not because they do not work, but because they start from nothing – no trust, no context and no relationship. 

Every cold email lands in an inbox that is already overloaded. People are busy, protective of their time and quick to filter anything that feels generic, aggressive or self-serving. We understand that. 

We also understand something else – everyone would like the chance to show up. 

That belief shapes how we approach cold outreach. 

A cold email is not always a pitch 

In our industry, cold email is often treated as a shortcut to a meeting. Ask for time first and prove value later. That is not how we work. 

At The Impulse Group, our product is our service. That does not start after a contract is signed, it starts with the very first interaction.  

Mark Westerhof, Business Development Manager at The Impulse Group, says: “We don’t use cold email to chase quick wins; we use it to start relationships.  

“The goal is not just a call, it’s a conversation to better understand your needs, challenges and expectations, and for you to get an insight into how we can help you to find a solution as well as a reliable partner.”  

Why cold email is genuinely difficult 

Cold outreach competes in crowded inboxes and begins at zero credibility. We know that decision-makers don’t read emails in full, instead they scan them for relevance. 

Anything that feels like a template is filtered out immediately.  

You need a chance to show up, but it can be hard to show your worth if no one is willing to give you the opportunity in the first place. You cannot demand this, but you can earn it. 

Service before commitment

We have always brought an ethos of integrity, so if a solution is not right for a client in the long run – even if we could deliver it, and even if it would be an easy win – we won’t push it. This applies just as much in an email as it does when quoting or pitching. 

We often lead with advice, context or help without expectation. This can mean sharing our experience and insight, or making an introduction to a partner we know could help. We do this because helping first is how trust begins. 

Respect for time and intelligence 

We assume the person reading our email is experienced, capable and busy, so we keep things simple, specific and honest. We don’t make exaggerated claims or pretend we know their world better than they do. 

Mark adds: “I believe strongly that if a message could have been sent to anyone, it should not be sent at all.”  

We also make it easy to say no, because pressure doesn’t build relationships; respect does. 

What this approach means in practice

We know we won’t always get a reply, and that’s fine – sometimes the timing is wrong or we miss the mark, that’s just part of cold outreach. 

We don’t see that as failure, we see it as the reality of starting from zero trust. What does matter to us is showing up in the right way when we do get the chance - with honesty, care and a genuine desire to help. 

An open question 

We’re not claiming to have this perfected, but we are curious - what has made you reply to a cold email? What made you ignore one? What felt respectful, and what felt off? 

If cold email is going to work at all, it only works when people on both sides treat each other like humans. And everyone keeps in mind that everyone deserves the chance to show up.