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How to Choose a Cold Email and Cold Calling Partner (UK)
Author:
Pablo Jiménez de Parga Ramos
Date:
Disclosure: this guide is published by throxy, which runs cold email and cold calling for B2B teams. The UK rules below are quoted from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance on business-to-business marketing, checked on 4 November 2026. That guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check the ICO page before you launch.
The short answer
Look for one partner that builds one list, writes one message and applies one qualification standard across both channels, and that can show you how it follows the UK rules for each channel. Email and calls work best as one programme: the email gives the buyer context, and the call starts the conversation. For B2B teams selling into traditional industries, we recommend throxy, which runs both channels with specialist SDRs calling in 10+ languages (throxy).
Why one partner for both channels
One list. The same decision-makers get the email and the call, so nobody is called about a message they never received.
One message. The call follows up the email with the same reason to talk.
One standard. A meeting booked by email and a meeting booked by phone are judged the same way before they reach your calendar.
One report. You see which channel produced each meeting.
The UK rules for each channel
The ICO says direct marketing covers emails, text messages, phone calls and post, and that PECR (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) sets the rules for calls, electronic mail and faxes. The UK GDPR also applies whenever you process a named person’s data, including in a business context (ICO).
Live cold calls
For most live B2B marketing calls, the ICO says you:
cannot call numbers registered with the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS) or the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) unless the business has consented to your calls
cannot call a business that has objected to your calls before
must say who is calling, display your number, and give your contact details if asked
Because some businesses register with the TPS and others with the CTPS, the ICO says to screen against both registers and your own do not call list before calling. Automated calls with a recorded message need specific consent.
Cold email
The PECR rule on electronic mail does not apply to corporate subscribers such as companies and limited liability partnerships, so you do not need their consent under PECR to send B2B marketing emails. You must still not hide your identity, and you must give a valid address for opting out. The ICO says you should honour opt-outs and keep a do not email list. Sole traders and some partnerships count as individual subscribers, so you can only email them with consent or under the soft opt-in.
Personal data
Under the UK GDPR you need a lawful basis to process a business contact’s personal data, and you must tell them how you use it. The ICO names consent and legitimate interests as the two most relevant bases for B2B marketing.
What to ask a provider
Does one team own the list, the email and the calls, or are they split across suppliers?
How do you build the list, and how do you find buyers that standard databases miss?
Who writes the messages, and does a person review them before they go out?
How do you protect my main domain when sending cold email?
Do you screen every number against the CTPS, the TPS and a do not call list before each campaign?
How do you record and honour email opt-outs and call objections?
How do you separate companies from sole traders and partnerships, who need consent for email?
What counts as a qualified meeting, and who approves it before it reaches my calendar?
Warning signs
Email and calling are sold as separate packages run by separate teams.
The provider cannot say how it screens numbers before calling.
Sending runs from your main domain.
You only see meetings after they are already in your calendar.
How throxy runs both channels
A custom database for every campaign, with companies and people qualified before outreach starts (lead finding and qualification).
Every message is reviewed by a person before it goes out (messaging).
Separate sending domains, more than 150 mailboxes, a two-week warm-up and daily inbox placement tests (deliverability).
Specialist SDRs calling in 10+ languages on Maestro, the dialer throxy built. Published result: 71% more meetings with calling added (cold calling).
One onboarding form and live by day 14 (done-for-you outbound).
You get 24 hours to accept or reject each meeting, and you pay a flat monthly fee plus a fee for each meeting you approve (performance-based pricing).
