So... Tell me about email deliverability.

I'm a full time "off line" guy. That's what you call it on here. I figured out a way - about 8 months ago - to make a full time living with a computer. I make and sell web sites to local offline businesses, along with the usual SEO/Video/Social marketing stuff on a monthly basis.

I personally despise cold calling, and have found that email works for me. To each his own. No, I don't have a special letter that I send which nets me a 75% close ratio. I have a decent letter that I send, which is customized (i.e., takes time) to each particular potential client.

I use the initial cold email to set up an appointment, and then take it from there. Recently, I have started to realize that I'm not doing it right. Specifically, my mail is getting bounced into a lot of spam folders, and a good bit is bouncing back before it even makes it that far. I'm sending unsolicited emails, but they're certainly not spam in the traditional sense of the word. I'm a fairly savvy guy, and I would read them.

So - what's the solution? I'm assuming some sort of an "autoresponder" type service. Aweber requires double opt in, which doesn't fit the bill. If you guys are looking to send blind emails to potential local clients, how do you do it? I'm just copying and pasting, with adjustments, from my actual email. Is there a better way? How do you assure decent deliverability?