Outbound Sequence

Setting Up Sequences in Your SEP

Regardless of which tool you use, follow this setup checklist:

1. Create one sequence per persona-tier combination. "VP Sales at SaaS $5-20M" is a sequence. "All prospects" is not. Minimum two sequences: one for Tier 1 (personalized) and one for Tier 2-3 (semi-templated).
2. Set manual steps for phone and LinkedIn. Don't skip manual touches just because they can't be automated. The best SEPs create tasks for reps to complete — that's the point.
3. Configure send windows. Match the prospect's time zone. Tuesday-Thursday, 8am-10am local time for email. Stagger sends across a 1-2 hour window.
4. Set reply detection. Auto-pause the sequence when any reply comes in. Never send an automated follow-up after someone has already responded.
5. Build exit rules. Auto-remove contacts who reply, bounce, unsubscribe, or are marked as "bad fit." Also auto-remove if a meeting is booked in your CRM.
6. Configure task management. Phone steps and LinkedIn steps should show as tasks in a daily queue. Reps should see "Today: 15 calls, 8 LinkedIn DMs, review 3 replies" — not a blank screen and a sequence running in the background.

Daily Workflow for Reps

A well-run sequence creates a daily operating rhythm:

• Morning (30 min): Review overnight replies (handle immediately), check new tasks from sequences
• Call block (60-90 min): Execute phone tasks, log outcomes, auto-advance sequences
• Email + LinkedIn (40 min): Personalize Tier 1 emails, execute LinkedIn tasks, engage with prospect content
• Afternoon: Enter new contacts into sequences, review sequence analytics weekly

Branching Logic

Sequences aren't linear. Build decision points:

If They Reply (Positive)

• Stop the sequence immediately.
• Respond within 1 hour during business hours.
• Move to discovery call scheduling.
• Reference their reply specifics — don't send a canned booking link.

If They Reply (Objection)

• Stop the sequence.
• Handle the objection (see objection-handling skill).
• Branch based on the specific objection type — see the next section.

If They Open But Don't Reply (Email)

• They're reading but not compelled enough. Change the angle.
• Move up the next phone touch — they know your name now.
• Try a shorter, more direct email. Your current one might be too long.

If They Accept LinkedIn But Don't Respond to DM

• Wait 3-5 days, then engage with their content before DMing again.
• Don't DM a second pitch. Share something valuable instead.
• Use this connection to get visibility — they'll see your posts now.

If Zero Engagement After Full Sequence

• Move to a different persona at the same company.
• Re-queue the original contact for 90 days with a new trigger.
• Don't keep hammering the same person with the same approach.

Handling the 3 Most Common Replies

These three replies account for 70%+ of non-positive responses. Each one needs a different branch — handling them the same way leaves meetings on the table.

"Not right now" / "Maybe in Q3" / "Timing's off"

This is the most valuable objection. They're saying the problem is real but the priority isn't today.

Response:

Totally understand — timing is everything. I'll circle back
in [specific month they mentioned].

One quick question so I don't waste your time when I do:
what would need to change for this to move up the priority
list?

{{signature}}

Sequence action: Pause the sequence. Set a task for the exact date they mentioned. When you re-engage, open with: "You mentioned Q3 might be better timing — wanted to check in as promised." Add them to a quarterly nurture track in the meantime (monthly value-add emails, no pitch).

"Not interested" / "Remove me" / "Don't contact me again"

Respect it immediately. One reply, no pushback, no "but what if."

Response:

Appreciate the honesty, {{first_name}}. Removing you now.

If anything changes, I'm easy to find.

Sequence action: Stop the sequence. Mark as closed-lost. Do NOT re-enter them in another sequence. Do NOT have another rep reach out. Add to your suppression list. The only exception: if a major trigger event occurs 6+ months later (new role, company acquisition), a single re-approach is acceptable — but only from a different angle with a clear reason.

"Send me more info" / "Can you email me something?"

This is the trickiest one. 80% of the time, it's a brush-off disguised as interest. 20% of the time, it's real. Your job is to figure out which.

Response:

Happy to — so I send the right thing, what specifically
would be most helpful?

I've got a case study on [topic A], a breakdown of [topic B],
or I can put together a quick summary of how we've helped
companies like {{company}}.

Which would be most useful?

Sequence action: Pause the sequence for 48 hours. If they reply with a specific request, they're real — send exactly what they asked for and follow up in 2 business days with a meeting request. If they don't reply to your clarifying question, treat it as "not right now" and resume the sequence at the next step.

A/B Testing Sequences

What to Test (In Order of Impact)

1. Sequence structure — 8 touches vs. 12 touches, channel order
2. Timing — 2-day gaps vs. 3-day gaps, morning vs. afternoon sends
3. Channel mix — Phone-heavy vs. email-heavy for the same persona
4. Opening angles — Trigger-based vs. pain-based vs. social-proof-based
5. Individual message copy — Subject lines, CTAs, email length

Testing Rules

• Change one variable at a time.
• Minimum 50 prospects per variant before drawing conclusions.
• Measure reply rate AND meeting rate — high reply rate with no meetings means your targeting or qualification is off.
• Run tests for at least 2 full sequence cycles before deciding.

When to Stop vs. Persist

Stop When:

• They explicitly say "not interested" or "remove me"
• You've completed the full sequence with zero engagement
• They've left the company
• Research reveals they're a bad fit (wrong ICP, recent competitor purchase)
• You've hit the same account 3 times in 12 months with no traction

Persist When:

• They opened emails but haven't replied (interest without action)
• They accepted your LinkedIn request (passive signal)
• A new trigger event hits (funding, leadership change)
• You find a different, better contact at the same account
• Your original outreach was weak and you have a materially better angle now

Sequence Design Template

═══════════════════════════════════════
SEQUENCE: [Name]
Target: [Persona + Company Profile]
Duration: [X days]
Touches: [X total across Y channels]
Goal: [Book discovery call / Get referral / etc.]
Capacity: [X contacts/month @ Y% meeting rate = Z meetings]
═══════════════════════════════════════

DAY 1
  Channel: [Email / Phone / LinkedIn / Mail]
  Action: [Specific action]
  Content: [Brief description or link to template]
  Branch: If [condition] → [action]

DAY X
  Channel: ...
  Action: ...
  Content: ...
  Branch: ...

EXIT CRITERIA
  Positive reply → [Next step]
  "Not now" → [Set future task, quarterly nurture]
  "Not interested" → [Remove, suppress]
  "Send info" → [Qualify interest, pause 48hrs]
  No engagement after Day X → [New contact / Re-queue 90 days]
═══════════════════════════════════════

Common Mistakes

• Same message, different channel. Sending your cold email as a LinkedIn DM isn't multi-channel. Each channel needs its own native format and tone.
• Giving up after 3 touches. The average deal takes 8-12 touches. Most reps stop at 3. The gap between those two numbers is where deals live.
• No breakup email. The breakup email consistently gets the highest reply rate in most sequences. Don't skip it.
• Ignoring time zones and schedules. Sending emails at 2am their time, calling during lunch — basic mistakes that kill reply rates.
• Running the same sequence for all accounts. Tier 1 accounts deserve a different sequence than Tier 3. One-size-fits-all sequences waste your best opportunities.
• No capacity math. Building a beautiful 14-day sequence without calculating how many contacts you need to enter per month to hit your meeting target. The math comes first.
• Automating everything. Fully automated sequences without manual phone and LinkedIn steps are just email campaigns with extra steps. The manual touches are where the meetings come from.
• Treating "send more info" like a win. It's usually a brush-off. Qualify it before you celebrate.

Related Skills

• cold-email — Write the email touches in your sequence
• cold-call — Script the phone touches in your sequence
• linkedin-outreach — Craft the LinkedIn touches in your sequence
• direct-mail — Design the physical mail touches for enterprise sequences
• lead-research — Research accounts before building the sequence
• referral-intro — Use warm intros as sequence entry points
• event-networking — Layer event-based touches into sequences
• objection-handling — Handle replies that aren't a "yes"