Key takeaways
- A cadence fixes the order, timing and channel of each touch.
- It protects prospects from both silence and over-contact.
- A shared cadence lets a team compare results and improve them.
- Plan the cadence before you write the messages.
What decisions go into a sales cadence
Six decisions go into a sales cadence, made before the first message goes out. Writing them down is what turns good intentions into a plan.
- The number of touches.
- The channels: email, phone, LinkedIn, events or direct mail.
- The gap between touches.
- The angle or purpose of each touch.
- The exit rules: what ends or pauses the cadence.
- Who owns each touch.
How does a cadence help you plan outreach
A cadence helps you plan because it tells you how much work each new prospect creates. If every prospect gets eight touches over three weeks, you can work out how many new people a rep can start each week without dropping the ones already in progress.
It also gives you clean data. When everyone in a segment follows the same cadence, you can see which step earns replies and which one does not, and improve the plan rather than guessing.
Finally, it is kinder to buyers. A planned cadence avoids both the rep who writes once and gives up and the rep who writes every day.
Should you build the cadence before the sequence
Yes, because a cadence is the plan and rhythm of outreach and a sequence is that plan set up as steps in a tool. Many teams use the two words interchangeably, and that is fine as long as everyone means the same thing.
The useful distinction is that a cadence can exist on paper. Agree the rhythm first, then build it in whichever tool you use.
How do you plan a cadence for the first time
Start with one segment and one goal, such as booking a first meeting with operations leaders at mid-sized manufacturers. Choose two or three channels that segment uses, draft the spacing, then write the angle for each touch.
Run it with a small group of prospects for a month, note where replies arrive and where people opt out, and adjust before you roll it out to the whole team.
What are common cadence mistakes
The most common mistake is one cadence for every prospect. Others follow from not planning at all.
- Too many touches in the first few days.
- The same message repeated with a new subject line.
- No exit rule, so people who replied keep receiving touches.
- Ignoring the buyer's time zone and public holidays.
- Changing several things at once, so nobody knows what helped.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityOutreach contentBuild email or LinkedIn campaigns as a single touch or up to seven touches, with a personality for each piece. You set the timing and send each touch yourself, because Pebbles Ai does not run automated sequences.
- FoundationCompany IntelCompany Intel gives the assistants your offerings, audience and brand voice, so each touch in the cadence is written from the same facts.
Common questions
Should inbound leads get a cadence too?
Yes. Inbound leads, trial users and past customers can each have a cadence. The touches are usually fewer and faster for people who asked to hear from you.
Who should design the sales cadence?
Sales leadership and the reps who use it, with RevOps or sales ops setting it up and reporting on it. The reps' input keeps it realistic.
How often should a cadence change?
Review it monthly and change one thing at a time. A full redesign makes sense when your market, offer or ideal customer changes.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
