A pre-send checklist for B2B sales email
What should we check before sending B2B sales email?
Before sending B2B sales email, check recipient conditions, refusal notices, sender information and opt-out methods. When handling names or contact details linked to individuals, also check the purpose of use and management of personal information. A publicly listed address is not unconditional permission to send.
Who this is forPeople responsible for sending, approving and managing information for corporate sales email
This is not legal advice for an individual matter. Confirm sending conditions against current laws, guidelines and professional advice.
Check the basis for sending and refusal notices
Japan's Act on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail generally requires prior consent for advertising email. The law provides exceptions, including certain organizations and individuals conducting business that publish their addresses on a website.
However, where an address is accompanied by a notice refusing advertising email, the exception based on a published address does not apply. Check refusal notices and contact instructions as well.
Confirm applicable conditions in the Consumer Affairs Agency's guidance and related materials. This article provides general operational checks, not legal advice for individual matters.
Check recipients and sources before sending
Confirm that the recipient is a business and that the proposal is relevant to its work. Review the page publishing the address and cross-check refusal notices and previous opt-out requests.
Check the publication date and current status of information used as a proposal reason. Do not infer a current problem from an old announcement.
When using a contact form, read that page's instructions. Exclude forms that prohibit sales use.
State the sender and opt-out method in the message
Identify the company or operator and contact details so the recipient can understand who is contacting them and why. Check legally required disclosures and explain how to decline further messages.
Add opt-outs to an exclusion list to prevent repeat sending. Cross-check the list during the next prospect-selection run.
Check the purpose and management of individually linked information
Names and contact details linked to individuals may be personal information even when public. Check the source, purpose of use, security management and handling of deletion or correction requests.
Public personal information is discussed in the PPC's Q&A, Q1-5. See the PPC's general guidelines for definitions and handling. Information shared for MAILGORI is covered by CosmoSketch's information security policy.
Retain sending and approval records
MAILGORI operations record sending time, recipient, sender, public information consulted, approver, message and opt-out requests. These records help establish the basis for decisions when inquiries or duplicate sends occur.
Even when AI generates prospects or wording, a person checks the final sending conditions. Exclusion criteria and approval steps are not omitted to increase volume.
When laws or published materials change, review the operating conditions. Check the latest sources alongside this article's update date.
Evidence and sources
Checks based on published Consumer Affairs Agency and Personal Information Protection Commission materials and MAILGORI's operating policy.
- PPC: Q&A on publicly available personal informationChecked
- Consumer Affairs Agency: Act on Regulation of Transmission of Specified Electronic Mail and related materialsChecked
- PPC: General guidelines on the Act on the Protection of Personal InformationChecked
- CosmoSketch information security policyChecked