A sales cadence is the structured schedule of outbound touches, across email, LinkedIn, phone, and other channels, that an SDR runs against a prospect over a defined window. A typical B2B cadence has 6-10 touches over 18-25 days. Cadences are the operating system of outbound: they encode rep behavior, force consistency, and let teams A/B test entire prospecting motions instead of one-off emails. The strongest cadences are built from data on what works in a specific ICP, not copied from a generic template.
What does a real B2B cadence look like?
A mid-market SaaS cadence might run: Day 1 email (research-driven opener, soft ask), Day 3 LinkedIn connect, Day 5 LinkedIn message (after accept), Day 7 phone call plus voicemail, Day 10 follow-up email (new angle, social proof), Day 14 LinkedIn engagement (comment on a post), Day 18 phone call plus voicemail, Day 21 break-up email. Total: eight touches across three channels over three weeks. The break-up email at the end of the cadence often outperforms all earlier emails for reply rate because it explicitly asks for a "no" rather than a "yes."
Different segments need different cadences. Founders and executives respond to shorter, sharper cadences (5 touches in 10 days). Operations and IT buyers tolerate longer ones (10+ touches in 30 days). Healthcare and government cycles run even slower. The variable to tune is touches per week (frequency), not total touches.
Cadence vs sequence: are they the same?
Functionally similar, technically different. A cadence is the conceptual design (which channels, what spacing, what angle). A sequence is the automated implementation inside a sales engagement platform. Many teams use the words interchangeably. The distinction matters when you're documenting playbooks: the cadence is the strategy, the sequence is the build. ReachIQ's sequence builder lets you run multi-channel cadences with per-recipient send-time optimization, so identical content reaches each prospect at their highest-probability open window.
Related questions
How long should a cadence run?
18-25 days is the typical sweet spot for B2B mid-market. Shorter cadences (under 14 days) miss prospects who are temporarily unavailable. Longer cadences (over 30 days) hurt sender reputation and produce diminishing returns on reply rate.
How many touches should be in a cadence?
6-10 is the standard range. Below 5, you give up too early on prospects who would have engaged on touch 6 or 7. Above 10, you exhaust the prospect and start generating spam reports and unsubscribes.
Should every prospect get the same cadence?
No. Different ICP segments warrant different cadences. Tier-1 strategic accounts get a personalized 12-touch cadence with heavy research. Tier-2 accounts get an 8-touch standard cadence. Tier-3 (volume) accounts get a 5-touch automated cadence. Tiered cadencing matches effort to expected deal value.