Pillar Guide · Lead Generation Consulting
What Is a Sales Cadence?
A sales cadence is the planned sequence and timing of outreach touches — email, calls, social — used to reach a prospect. A good cadence is about relevance and timing, not just volume of touches.
Why cadences matter
A consistent cadence means no lead falls through the cracks and every prospect gets a coherent, multi-touch experience.
It turns ad-hoc follow-up into a repeatable, measurable system.
What makes a cadence work
Spacing touches sensibly, varying channels, and making each touch add value beats hammering the same message repeatedly.
Cadence vs sequence
The terms are often used interchangeably; both describe a structured series of timed outreach steps.
In practice
A typical outbound cadence might spread 8-10 touches — a mix of email, LinkedIn, and phone — across three weeks, front-loaded early and spacing out later, because response rates drop sharply after the first few touches and a cadence that gives up after two emails leaves most of the addressable response on the table.
A common mistake
Running the same cadence for every account regardless of seniority or deal size is a common mistake — a cadence built for a high-volume SMB motion is usually wrong for a handful of strategic enterprise accounts that warrant a slower, more personalized sequence.
Where it fits
A cadence governs the earliest stage of a deal, before a live two-way conversation has started — once a prospect replies, the rigid cadence structure should give way to a normal, responsive conversation instead of continuing on autopilot.
Key takeaways
- A cadence is the timing and order of outreach touches
- Relevance and value beat raw touch count
- Vary channels and space touches sensibly
- It makes follow-up repeatable and measurable
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FAQ
Common questions.
How many touches should a cadence have?
Enough to be present without being a nuisance — driven by fit and response, not a fixed magic number.
What channels belong in a cadence?
Usually a mix of email, social, and sometimes calls, coordinated so the prospect sees a coherent message.