What exactly is a sales cadence — and why should you care?

If you’ve ever chased down a prospect, you know the drill: one email here, a phone call there, maybe a LinkedIn connection request sprinkled in. But without a clear structure, even the best sales process can fall flat when it comes to lead generation. That’s where a sales cadence comes in.

A sales cadence is the roadmap for your sales reps. It helps your team engage prospects at the right time, with the right message, through the right channel. And when done right? It can seriously boost your chances of getting responses and closing deals. The sales process includes having templates at the ready for cold calling, cold emails, and setting up an effective sales funnel.

Let’s walk through what a sales cadence looks like, why it matters, and how you can create one that actually works—plus how tools like CRMs and PandaDoc can make the whole process a lot smoother.

What is a sales cadence?

A sales cadence is a scheduled, strategic sequence of outreach attempts used to connect with potential customers. This goes in tandem with your sales cycle. It typically includes a mix of:

• Emails
• Phone calls
• Voicemails
• Social media messages
• Texts (in some cases)

The idea is to maintain consistent, value-driven contact without overwhelming or annoying your prospect.

Sales cadences can vary in length and format depending on the product, buyer persona, and industry. But across the board, structure and timing are key. When you reach out too often, you risk coming off as pushy. Wait too long? Your prospect forgets you exist. Your salesperson needs to know the basics of building relationships in order to execute their sales strategy. Coming off too pushy will ruin relationships before they begin.

What is an example of a B2B sales cadence?

Here’s a simple 7-touch, 10-day cadence example:

• Day 1: Sales email #1 (Intro + value prop)
• Day 2: LinkedIn connection request
• Day 3: Call + voicemail
• Day 5: Sales email #2 (Case study or testimonial)
• Day 7: LinkedIn message
• Day 9: Call + voicemail
• Day 10: Final email (Breakup or “last chance” message)

This sales cadence example balances persistence with respect for the prospect’s time. Each touchpoint should provide value—answering questions, sharing resources, or offering insights tailored to the prospect’s needs and increasing conversion rates.

The benefits of implementing a sales cadence into your sales pipeline

Still wondering if you really need a formal outbound sales cadence and why you need to address pain points? Here’s what you stand to gain:

• Consistency across the team: Everyone follows the same plan, making performance easier to measure and improve.
• Higher response rates: Multiple, strategic touchpoints mean more opportunities to get noticed.
• Better time management: Reps know exactly what to do each day, so less time is wasted figuring out next steps.
• Faster deal cycles: A clear cadence keeps momentum going, helping deals progress more efficiently.
• Improved customer experience: Structured, relevant outreach builds trust and professionalism.

Plus, with the right tools, you can automate parts of the cadence so your team spends more time selling and less time on email templates and spreadsheets.

How to optimize your sales cadence (and why tools matter)

Crafting a sales cadence is part art, part science. Here are a few best practices to level up your approach:

1. Know your audience

Not all prospects are created equal. Segment your outreach by persona, industry, or deal size to deliver more relevant messages. Tailoring your cadence helps build trust faster.

2. Mix up your channels

A multi-channel approach is more engaging and harder to ignore. Don’t just rely on email. Incorporate phone calls, LinkedIn, and even text messaging when appropriate.

3. Nail the timing

Your touches should be spaced enough to avoid spam territory but close enough to keep your solution top of mind. Many experts recommend 7–10 touchpoints over 10–14 business days.

4. Keep messages short and value-focused

Long-winded emails rarely get read. Focus on the value you’re offering. Why should this person care? What problem can you solve?

5. Use a CRM to track and automate

Here’s where things get real. CRMs (Customer Relationship Management tools) help you:

• Schedule and automate tasks
• Track prospect engagement
• See what’s working (and what’s not)

Top CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho all offer built-in cadence functionality. And here’s the kicker: PandaDoc integrates directly with these platforms.

So when a prospect responds and asks for more info, your team can send a proposal, contract, or quote within the same system. No need to jump between tools or lose momentum.

6. Analyze and iterate

Track open rates, response rates, and conversion metrics. Which steps are working? Which ones get ghosted? Use data to fine-tune your cadence over time.

How PandaDoc fits into your sales cadence

PandaDoc integrates with major CRMs like:

• Salesforce
• HubSpot
• Pipedrive
• Zoho CRM

This means you can trigger personalized documents (like proposals or quotes) right from your CRM at the exact moment they’re needed in your cadence. Plus, you can track document views, interactions, and signatures—all from one place.

Want to automate sending a proposal right after a discovery call? Done.

Need to follow up on an unsigned quote from last week? You’ll see it in your dashboard.

That’s the power of connecting your cadence with your sales tools.

Final thoughts: Build a better rhythm, close more deals

Sales is a lot like music. Without a rhythm, it falls flat. But with the right cadence—carefully planned, consistently executed, and smartly optimized—you can create real harmony between your team and your prospects.

A good sales cadence isn’t just about more touches. It’s about more meaningful touches from decision-makers to their target audience.

Want to make your cadence even stronger? Let PandaDoc help you close the loop. With powerful CRM integrations and time-saving document automation, we make it easier to move from first contact to signed contract.

Start your free trial today and streamline your sales cadence with PandaDoc.