Ever thought about using cold email to change your career, not just your sales numbers? This blog follows Ikea’s Neena Potenza, who turned a payroll job into a 32-year global run by clearly stating her goals, asking to work abroad, and sending thoughtful emails to HR leaders in other countries.
Take a moment to see how the right message to the right person can open doors that never show up on a job board.
Black Friday Emails Turned Into a Tracking Tsunami 📧
Published: December 10, 2025
TechRadar breaks down Proton’s “Spam Watch” report, which found that the top 50 U.S. retailers sent nearly 42 billion marketing emails between November 4 and December 1. Almost 80% carried invisible tracking pixels or links, with 10 billion emails sent over Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Brands like CB2, Macy’s, and J.Crew topped both send volume and tracker density.
Upside: If you run email at scale, treat this as a free audit checklist for tracker use, send timing, and whether you would pass a tight privacy review. Use the data to argue for saner frequencies, tighter segments, and a smaller, documented set of tracking tags.
Impact: Inbox norms are shifting toward high noise and high surveillance. Retailers who treat email as a disposable ad slot risk attrition, spam complaints, and brand damage as privacy-first providers surface tracking. Expect stricter scrutiny and a widening gap between brands that compete on surveillance and brands that compete on trust.
Cold Emails, Career Jumps, and Ikea’s Global People Chief ✉️
Published: December 8, 2025
CNBC profiles Neena Potenza, Ikea’s U.S. chief people officer, who turned a post-college payroll job into a decades-long global career by asking to work abroad and cold emailing HR leaders in other countries. That outreach led to interviews, a move to Denmark, and later roles in Boston and Sweden.
Upside: If you want to work abroad or move up internally, this is a blueprint. Clarify your why, communicate it to your manager, then pair internal advocacy with respectful outbound messages to decision makers. Thoughtful emails plus mentoring can surface roles long before they are posted.
Impact: Potenza’s path proves that careers inside large organizations run on relationships as much as performance. People who articulate ambitions and build cross-border networks get early access to stretch roles. Cold email becomes less a sales tool and more a career design tool.
Cold Email Replies, CX, and Human Outreach That Actually Lands ✉️
Published: July 23, 2025
The CX Without the BS team brought me on to break down why most sales emails are deleted and what it takes to earn real replies. We explored how sloppy copy, unclear pricing, and spray and pray blasts alienate buyers, and why first impressions in email are part of the customer experience.
Upside: If you lead sales, CX, or outbound, this gives you a practical playbook. Manage deliverability, avoid Sudoku pricing, and personalize at scale without sounding robotic. There is a reason teams run multiple domains and inboxes in parallel to stay in the primary tab.
Impact: You cannot automate your way out of caring. AI can amplify good outreach, but it cannot rescue bad intent or targeting. Treating cold email as a trust-building channel lets you drive meetings and revenue consistently, not occasionally.
My Last $.02
In big companies, the people who move countries and land stretch roles are usually the ones who speak up and build relationships beyond their immediate team. Potenza’s story shows how a clear why, honest conversations with your manager, and thoughtful cold outreach can turn one employer into a global career platform.
It is a reminder that cold email is not just for selling. It might be the single most practical tool you have for designing the next chapter of your life.
Until next time, happy emailing!
Adam