Definition
Think of a sales cadence as the rhythm of your outreach. It’s the sequence of touches via emails, calls, LinkedIn pings, or even gifts, that a rep uses to connect with a prospect over a set period of time.
Done right, a cadence balances persistence with respect. Done wrong, it feels like spam.
Why sales cadence matters in SaaS
- Prospects are busy: They don’t answer on the first email. A structured cadence increases the odds of connecting.
- Scalability: Standardizing cadences helps SDR teams ramp faster and keep activity consistent.
- Data-driven: Testing cadences (touch count, channels, timing) gives insights into what really works for your ICP.
- Pipeline health: Cadence discipline ensures leads don’t slip through the cracks.
What a sales cadence looks like
For example, a 12-touch, 3-week cadence might include:
- Day 1: Intro email
- Day 3: LinkedIn connect request
- Day 5: Call + voicemail
- Day 7: Follow-up email with case study
- Day 10: Call
- Day 14: Break-up email (“Should I close the file?”)
The goal is to create polite persistence with value in every touch.
Inside the SaaS sales cadence
- PLG signals: A product sign-up might trigger a special “PQL cadence” with tailored outreach.
- Enterprise accounts: Cadences are longer, more personalized, often multi-threaded across stakeholders.
- SMB motion: Cadences are shorter, higher-volume, and more automated.
- Channel mix: In SaaS, LinkedIn and email often outperform cold calls, but testing matters.
Where sales cadences go wrong
- Sending “just checking in” emails without adding value.
- Stopping too early (most reps quit after 2–3 touches; it often takes 6+).
- Over-automation- prospects can smell a generic cadence a mile away.
- One-size-fits-all- enterprise CIOs don’t want the same cadence as SMB founders.
Sales cadence vs. sales sequence
- Sales cadence: The concept: the rhythm and structure of how you reach out to a prospect over time. It’s the strategy.
- Sales sequence: The execution: how that cadence is set up and automated in a sales engagement tool (like Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo, or HubSpot).
AI prompt
What to provide the AI beforehand
- ICP role/title and segment (SMB, mid-market, enterprise)
- Product positioning or pain solved
- Preferred outreach channels (email, phone, LinkedIn, etc.)
- Average deal size and cycle length
- SDR/AE workflow (shared or separate)
Act as a sales enablement lead at a [seed-stage / Series A / growth-stage] SaaS company. Design a [insert length: 7-touch / 12-touch] sales cadence for reaching [insert ICP, e.g., VP of Finance at mid-market companies]. Include timing, channel, and value to deliver at each step.
