The verdict in three sentences
A dormant list of 4,200 contacts, cleaned against CASL consent rules and worked through a 4-email sequence tailored by segment, can deliver 27 sales meetings in 10 weeks on a 6,200 CAD budget, about 230 CAD per meeting. The headline figures, 38 % opens and 4.1 % clicks, are realistic for an industrial B2B list that already knows the company, not for a cold list. This case follows a fictional but representative company built from 2026 estimates; it describes no real client.
Starting point and budget
The fictional company, which we will call Fraser Steelworks, makes stainless steel tanks and process equipment for food and beverage plants, with 50 staff in Vancouver's south-east industrial area. Its CRM holds 4,200 contacts gathered over 8 years: past customers, unconverted quote requests and trade show badge scans. Nobody has emailed them in 2 years, and reps book about 6 meetings a quarter by phone.
| Budget line | Scope | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| List cleaning and CASL consent audit | Deduplication, address checks, consent status per contact, 4 segments | 900 CAD |
| Email platform for 3 months | Mid-tier plan with automated sequences | 450 CAD |
| Sequence copywriting | 4 emails per segment, 16 versions, subject line tests | 2,600 CAD |
| Setup and CRM integration | Sequences, unsubscribes, click sync | 1,250 CAD |
| Meeting booking page | Online calendar, 5-field form | 700 CAD |
| Weekly monitoring and report | 10 weeks | 300 CAD |
| Total | 6,200 CAD |
Under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, implied consent from an existing business relationship lasts 2 years after the last purchase and 6 months after an inquiry. Contacts outside those windows, with no express consent on file, were removed before the first send. Every email carries the sender's identity, mailing address and a working unsubscribe link honoured within 10 business days.
The 10-week timeline
| Week | Action | Cumulative result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | Cleaning: 500 invalid or non-consented contacts removed, 3,700 remain | List ready, 4 segments |
| 3 | Email 1: new product line and a case study per segment | 30 % opens, 7 meetings |
| 4 and 5 | Email 2: technical guide on food safety sanitary design | 38 % cumulative opens, 13 meetings |
| 6 and 7 | Email 3: invitation to a plant tour or on-site assessment | 4.1 % cumulative clicks, 21 meetings |
| 8 | Email 4: short plain-text note from the rep | 25 meetings |
| 9 and 10 | Phone follow-up of clickers without a meeting | 27 meetings |
Email 4, written as a personal note from the rep with no design, generated 4 meetings on its own: in industrial B2B, plain often earns more trust than a polished newsletter.
Before and after: the numbers
| Metric | Before (phone prospecting, 10 weeks) | After (email sequence, 10 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts reached | About 300 calls | 3,700 emails delivered |
| Unique open rate | Not applicable | 38 %, 1,406 contacts |
| Unique click rate | Not applicable | 4.1 %, 152 contacts |
| Meetings booked | 6 | 27 |
| Direct cost | About 7,000 CAD of rep time | 6,200 CAD plus 12 internal hours |
| Cost per meeting | About 1,170 CAD | About 230 CAD |
| Unsubscribes | Not applicable | 1.2 %, 44 contacts |
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Megan, sales director of the fictional company, runs the six-month payback. Of the 27 meetings, 11 lead to a quote and 4 to an order averaging 28,000 CAD, so 112,000 CAD of revenue. At a 35 % gross margin, that is 39,200 CAD of margin on 6,200 CAD invested, a 6.3 times return. She decides to rerun the sequence twice a year and to feed the list with inbound requests from the website, each captured with express consent.
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FAQ
Is a 38 % open rate realistic?
Yes on a list that knows the company, once cleaned: 30 to 45 % is common in industrial B2B. On a cold list, expect 15 to 25 %.
What does a campaign like this cost?
Roughly 4,000 to 9,000 CAD for 3,000 to 10,000 contacts, depending on segments and versions. Copywriting is often 40 % of the budget.
Can I email old prospects under CASL?
Only within implied consent windows: 2 years after a purchase, 6 months after an inquiry, or with express consent on file. Penalties can reach 10 million CAD per violation for businesses, so audit consent before sending.
How many emails in a sequence?
3 to 5 emails spaced 7 to 14 days apart. Beyond 5, unsubscribes often exceed 2 % with no extra meetings.
How do I grow the list for the next campaign?
The most profitable source is visitors who find your site on Google and fill in a form with a consent box. A well-ranked industrial SME can collect 20 to 60 new qualified contacts a month, as a 2026 estimate.
Get found by the clients who are searching for you. An email list that grows every month starts with prospects who find you on Google: a visibility audit at 100,000 FCFA (about 152 EUR, credited against setup if you start within 30 days), then the Traffic Engine plan that fits, with a weekly report on your quote requests. Traffic Engine. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
