Sales Cadence
A sales cadence is a structured sequence of outreach touches — calls, emails, SMS, voicemails, social touches — executed across days or weeks to convert prospects from initial contact to qualified opportunity, with timing and content optimized per touch in the sequence.
Why This Matters
Cadence engineering is what separates productive B2B prospecting operations from amateur outbound. Industry research shows 8-14 touches across 14-28 days converts 60-100% more prospects than 1-3 touch attempts. A typical B2B cadence: Day 1 — call, voicemail, email; Day 3 — call, SMS; Day 5 — email; Day 8 — call, voicemail; Day 12 — LinkedIn touch; Day 16 — email; Day 21 — final call, breakup email. Tools like Outreach, Salesloft, and Apollo automate cadence execution. Cadence content needs to vary touch-by-touch — same script repeated breeds disengagement and damages reply rates over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How many touches should a B2B sales cadence include?
8-14 touches across 14-28 days is the productivity sweet spot for outbound B2B. Fewer than 6 leaves conversion on the table. More than 16 creates diminishing returns and risks recipient fatigue or DNC complaints.
What channels should a B2B cadence use?
Phone is primary for high-value B2B (5-7 calls in a quality cadence). Email second (3-4 emails). LinkedIn touches add 1-2 high-engagement signals. SMS for late-cadence urgency. Direct mail for ABM enterprise targets. Mix should reflect target persona engagement preferences and deal size economics.