Most small business owners I talk to in Brisbane think cold emailing is a waste of time. They’ve tried it once, sent out a hundred messages, got zero replies, and ended up with their email address blacklisted.
I get it. It’s frustrating. You’re trying to grow your business, but it feels like you're shouting into a void. But here is the truth: most people fail at cold email because they treat it like a digital flyer drop. They blast out a generic, 'corporate' sounding message to thousands of people who don't know them, and then they wonder why nobody calls back.
I want to tell you about a commercial landscaper we worked with over in Eagle Farm. Let’s call him Dave. Dave wanted more contracts with property managers and local schools. He’d tried the 'big blast' approach and failed. We changed his strategy to what I call the 'Human Approach,' and within three weeks, he had four face-to-face meetings booked with high-value clients.
Here is how you do cold email that doesn't get flagged and actually puts money in your pocket.
The Mistake That Kills Your Results
Dave’s first mistake was sending emails that looked like a brochure. They were full of high-res photos, logos, and 'we are the best' language. If you want people to actually read what you send, you need to stop wasting time on fancy emails that look like ads.
When a busy business owner opens their inbox, they have a 'spam radar.' If an email looks like it was sent to 5,000 people, it goes straight to the bin. If it looks like a personal note from one person to another, they’ll at least read the first line.
Step 1: Don't Use Your Main Business Email
This is the most important piece of advice I can give you. If you start sending cold emails from your primary business address (the one you use for invoices and talking to current customers), you are playing with fire. If too many people hit 'Report Spam,' Google or Microsoft will shut down your entire email account. You won't even be able to email your mum, let alone your clients.
Go out and buy a secondary domain. If your website is daveslandscaping.com.au, buy daveslandscaping.net or workwithdave.com. Set up a basic email there. This protects your main business while you hunt for new leads.
Step 2: The 'One-to-One' Secret
Dave’s successful campaign didn’t involve 1,000 emails. It involved 20 highly targeted emails per day.
He didn't just say 'Hi, we do landscaping.' He did five minutes of research on each person. For a school in Ascot, he mentioned their specific front entrance hedges. For a property manager in South Brisbane, he mentioned a specific building they managed.
This isn't 'marketing'—it's just being a decent bloke. People respond to people who have clearly done their homework.
Step 3: Keep it Short and Ask a Simple Question
Most business owners write way too much. They include their history, their equipment list, and five testimonials. Nobody has time for that. Dave’s winning email was four sentences long:
"Hi [Name], I was driving past your site on [Street Name] yesterday and noticed the garden beds near the entrance are looking a bit dry. I’m a local landscaper based in Eagle Farm and we specialize in keeping commercial sites green year-round without the massive price tag. Do you have ten minutes for a quick chat next Tuesday morning?"
That’s it. No attachments, no links to a portfolio, no fluff. Just a problem, a solution, and a clear request for a chat.
The Legal Bit (Don't Skip This)
In Australia, we have the Spam Act. You can’t just scrape every email address off the internet and blast them. However, you can send targeted business-to-business emails if the work you do is relevant to their job.
To stay safe, you must always include your business name, your contact details, and a clear way for them to say 'No thanks, don't email me again.' If you do this right, you avoid massive fines and keep your reputation intact. If someone says 'unsubscribe,' do it immediately. Don't be that guy who keeps pestering people.
What This Costs and How Long it Takes
Let’s talk brass tacks.
Cost: Buying a second domain and a basic email inbox will cost you about $20-$30 a month. If you use a tool to help automate the sending (so you don't have to manually hit 'send' 20 times), you might spend another $50-$100 a month. Compare that to the thousands people waste on radio ads or billboards that nobody looks at. Time: You’ll see results almost instantly—usually within the first week. If you send 100 well-researched emails, you should expect 2-5 solid enquiries.
- Effort: This is the hard part. It takes time to find the right people and write those personal notes. But would you rather spend two hours a week doing this and getting $10,000 in new work, or spend $2,000 on Facebook ads that get you nothing but 'likes' from people in another country?
Why Most People Quit Too Early
Dave almost quit after four days because he hadn't heard back from anyone. Then, on Friday afternoon, three people replied at once. One was the manager of a large strata complex who had been looking for a new gardener for months but was too busy to go searching for one. Dave landed in his inbox at the perfect time.
Consistency is what makes this work. If you send 10 emails once and stop, you’ve wasted your time. If you send 10 emails every single morning while you’re having your first coffee, you’ll have a full calendar within a month.
What Should You Do First?
1. Stop sending mass emails from your personal account. It's the fastest way to get blocked. 2. Pick 20 'Dream Clients' in Brisbane. People you actually want to work with. 3. Find a specific problem they have that you can fix. 4. Send them a short, plain-text email. No logos, no fancy formatting. Just a person talking to another person.
If you're worried about the technical side of things, like setting up a secondary domain or making sure your email platform costs aren't eating your margins, that's where we can help.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about 'brand awareness' or 'click-through rates.' We care about your phone ringing. We've helped tradies, accountants, and retail shops across Queensland turn their email from a chore into a profit machine.
Ready to get more customers without the stress? Let's have a yarn.