On average, it takes 8 touches to generate a viable sales lead. Most sales professionals struggle with determining the right sequence, timing, and channels for these touches. But what makes an effective outreach strategy that consistently converts prospects into customers?

The answer lies in creating a strategic multichannel cadence—a coordinated approach that leverages multiple communication channels in a carefully timed sequence. This blog explores how to develop and implement an effective cadence that will transform your sales outreach efforts.

The Basics of Sales Cadence

When you send an email, it's important to understand that it's just one piece of a larger strategy. A well-crafted sales cadence secures the recipient's interest across multiple touchpoints. This is important because it encourages them to engage with your message and potentially take action. It sets the stage for a relationship, and effectively introduces your value proposition.

The best way to build an effective sales cadence is to start by defining a clear sequence of activities. If you can create a consistent approach that reaches prospects through their preferred channels, they are more likely to respond. After all, if your initial outreach message has hooked them, the rest of your cadence should be just as compelling.

So you've got the concept of a sales cadence, but what exactly does it include? Don't lose sight of the fundamentals—make sure to have a clear understanding of the key components.

What is Sales Cadence?

A sales cadence is a timeline of sales activities and methods that your reps follow to engage leads. It's the sequence of steps you take to contact a prospect and get them to agree to a face-to-face meeting. For example, if a lead fills out a form on your site, your sales cadence tells you when and how to contact them (e.g., email on day 1, call on day 2, send a follow-up message on day 3, etc.).

A well-defined sales cadence can make your sales process run more smoothly and efficiently for several reasons:

Consistency: A sales cadence provides a set of specific and common procedures for reps to follow, ensuring consistency in your sales process.

Monitoring and Measuring: A sales cadence makes monitoring and measuring your sales process easy, making managing and optimizing it simpler.

Speeding up conversions: A sales cadence removes potential bottlenecks or leakages, accelerating your conversion timeline.

Scaling: A sales cadence allows you to quickly scale up your sales process, such as growing your team or doubling your pipeline.

What You Need for a Sales Cadence to Work

No one likes implementing a system that fails to deliver results, so make sure your sales cadence has all the necessary components. Here's our formula for creating a cadence that actually works:

First and foremost, you need multiple channels. A modern sales cadence requires at least three channels (emails, phone calls, and social media) to make an impact. This should be followed by multiple touches—research shows it takes 6 to 13 touches before you can generate a valid lead. Finally, you need a CRM platform to monitor all these activities and keep everything organized.

In addition, make sure you have clearly defined goals for each step in your cadence. This will help your team understand the purpose behind each action and improve their execution.

A tip from us: Using a CRM that integrates with your email and phone systems can increase your team's efficiency by automating activity tracking and providing timely reminders for follow-ups!

12 Steps to Winning Over Prospects

When it comes to sales outreach, being strategic with your cadence is key. If your approach isn't well-planned and coordinated, you're likely to lose the sale.

There are several things you can do to make sure your cadence effectively converts prospects. First, start by following a proven sequence that builds relationship and trust. Be explicit about what you want the prospect to do at each stage. These strategic touchpoints will increase the likelihood that your message will be heard and acted upon.

If you're looking for a meeting, make it easy to schedule.

If you're sharing information, make it relevant and valuable.

Then be specific about what makes your offering unique and why it's valuable to that particular prospect. This may seem like another piece of common sense advice, but too often sales communications are vague and fail to articulate why your solution addresses the prospect's specific situation.

Finally, don't be afraid to be persistent without becoming annoying.

Here's a proven 12-step cadence that balances persistence with value:

Step 1: The Cold Email

First impressions matter. Introduce yourself, your company, and what makes you unique in a way that will grab their attention. Show them why they should choose you over the competition.

Step 2: LinkedIn Connection Request

Personalize your message and find a common interest or connection to make a genuine connection. After all, people buy from people they like and trust.

Step 3: Phone Call

Be bold and pick up the phone! Establish a connection and briefly discuss your offering. Remember, you're not trying to make a sale just yet; you're simply introducing yourself and your company.

Step 4: Follow-Up Email

Address any questions or objections mentioned during the phone call. This shows that you were listening and cared about their concerns.

Step 5: LinkedIn Comment or Share

Engage with their content by leaving a thoughtful comment or sharing their post. This shows that you're interested in what they have to say and want to support them.

Step 6: Phone Call

Follow up on your previous conversation and provide additional information or resources. This demonstrates that you're serious about helping them and are willing to go the extra mile.

Step 7: Email with Case Study or Testimonial

Share success stories from clients in their industry. This helps them see the value in your offering and how it can benefit their business.

Step 8: Social Media Interaction

Like or comment on their content on relevant platforms. This keeps you top of mind and shows that you're interested in what they have to say.

Step 9: Phone Call

Attempt to schedule a meeting or demo to discuss your offering in more detail. This is your chance to showcase your expertise and show them how you can help their business thrive.

Step 10: Email with a Personalized Video

Create a short, engaging video that addresses them by name and highlights the benefits of your solution. This helps you stand out from the competition and demonstrates your creativity.

Step 11: Direct Mail

Send a personalized, handwritten note or a small, relevant gift that shows your commitment to helping their business succeed. This leaves a lasting impression and shows that you're willing to put in the effort to win them over.

Step 12: Final Phone Call

Make one last attempt to connect and discuss your offering, mentioning any interactions during the previous steps. This shows that you're persistent and genuinely interested in helping them succeed.

A tip from us: Track response rates for each step in your cadence and be willing to adjust timing or content based on what's working best. The most effective cadences evolve over time based on real performance data!

Selling Like a Pro: Sales Cadence Examples That Work

Something as simple as the right cadence structure can transform your cold outreach results. Your sales cadence should be clear and systematic. You should only include touchpoints that add value, and those interactions should be easy to execute consistently. When your team embraces this approach, you have a good chance of success in converting more leads to sales.

A tip from us: Turn your sales cadence into an easy-to-follow playbook with clear instructions for each step. This increases adoption rate by making it clear to everyone what needs to happen when. Need more convincing? Teams with documented sales cadences see 33% higher quota attainment than those without structured processes.

Here's a proven example you can adapt for your own business:

Example 1:

• Day 1: Email/InMail
• Day 3: Email in the morning, Call in the afternoon
• Day 5: Call in the morning, Call with a voicemail in the afternoon
• Day 7: Email in the morning, Call in the afternoon with a voicemail
• Day 10: Email and call in the morning

Strengths:

Uses all three key channels (email, phone, and social): This sales cadence is effective because it utilizes all three communication channels commonly used in sales. This increases the chances of reaching out to prospects at a time and in a way that they prefer. The sales team can establish a more meaningful relationship with the prospects by diversifying communication channels.

Leverages the law of immediacy: This sales cadence utilizes the law of immediacy, which suggests that sales reps should reach out to prospects in a timely manner to improve the chances of conversion. The touches are spread over a ten-day period, which is short and focused. This approach helps maintain interest without overwhelming the prospect.

Uses both live phone calls and voicemails: By using both live phone calls and voicemails, this sales cadence increases the chances of reaching out to the prospect. Live phone calls can help build trust and rapport, while voicemails can be effective in reminding prospects of the sales pitch.

Improvements:

Uses too few touch points: This sales cadence may need more touch points to be more effective. According to most studies, generating a valid lead may take up to 13 touches. Adding a few more touchpoints could improve the chances of reaching the prospect and establishing a relationship with them.

Waits until day 3 to place a call: This sales cadence waits until the third day to place a call after sending the initial email. This delay could reduce the chances of connecting with a prospect. For inbound leads especially, calling on day 1 would work well because they are already familiar with the company and its product or service.

Conclusion

Typically, sales teams that implement a structured multichannel cadence see response rates increase by 30-40%. While this figure may initially appear ambitious, it's crucial to remember that a systematic approach to outreach dramatically improves your visibility and credibility with prospects.

To sum up, adhering to these straightforward guidelines in crafting a sales cadence can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your outreach and boost your conversion rates. Create an impactful multichannel cadence by ensuring consistency across your team, utilizing multiple communication channels, implementing the right number of touches, using a CRM for tracking, and continuously refining your approach. Moreover, don't hesitate to test and iterate – continuous improvement plays a vital role in sales success.

A well-defined sales cadence is crucial for any business wanting to increase sales efficiency and conversions. By providing a set of specific procedures for sales reps to follow, a sales cadence ensures consistency, simplifies monitoring and measuring, and speeds up the conversion process. Following the 12 steps to winning over prospects helps turn cold leads into warm opportunities. Remember, persistence and genuine interest in helping the prospect succeed are key to achieving breakthrough results.

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