What you'll get
- 2 copy-ready blocks
- 1 table
- 6 min read
A sales cadence template usually means one sequence for everyone, which is how good accounts get generic treatment and weak accounts get expensive treatment. These are the two lighter patterns from our own tiered cadence: nine touches over 10 working days for Tier 2 and five touches for Tier 3, each matched to how much research the account earned.
The full-depth version is the 17-day multi-channel cadence for Tier 1. Which account sits in which tier is the Account Tiering Worksheet.
How to use these cadences
- Tier the list first. These patterns assume Tier 2 is researched per account and Tier 3 per segment.
- Copy the pattern into your task system or run it through the Outbound Cadence Planner, which dates every touch around your working week.
- Stop the cadence the moment a real reply arrives. A cadence is for silence; conversations get judgement.
- Exit cleanly at the end. The last touch asks who owns the topic, then the account rests.
The Tier 2 cadence: 9 touches, 10 working days, 4 channels
For accounts with a strong fit, researched per account: one fact about the company, the same message skeleton personalised at account level.
Day 1 LinkedIn Connection request with a one line reason. No pitch.
Day 2 Email Email 1: why you are writing, one line on what you
do, one question.
Day 4 Email Email 2: one new fact, in the same thread.
Day 5 LinkedIn A short message with one new fact. No pitch.
Day 6 Phone Call 1. No answer: a voicemail under 20 seconds,
then a two line email.
Day 7 Email Email 3: one relevant example, and why it fits them.
Day 8 Voice note A 30 second voice note. One point, your own voice.
Day 9 Phone Call 2, at a different time of day. No second voicemail.
Day 10 Email Email 4: a closing note. Ask who owns the topic;
a name is all you need.The Tier 3 cadence: 5 touches, email and LinkedIn only
For plausible-fit accounts researched by segment: the message is written once per segment and lightly adjusted, because the hours belong to the tiers above.
Day 1 LinkedIn Connection request with a one line reason. No pitch.
Day 2 Email Email 1: why you are writing, one line on what you
do, one question.
Day 5 Email Email 2: one new fact, in the same thread.
Day 8 LinkedIn A short message with one new fact.
Day 10 Email Email 3: a closing note. Ask who owns the topic.How do the three tiers compare?
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Touches | 10 to 14 over 17 days | 9 over 10 days | 5 over 10 days |
| Channels | Up to six | Four | Two |
| Research | Per person | Per account | Per segment |
| Who writes | A person, per account | A person, from a skeleton | Once per segment |
The touch counts come from our own tiered cadence: roughly 10 to 14 touches across up to six channels for Tier 1, 8 to 10 across four for Tier 2 and 5 to 7 across two for Tier 3. The thinking behind the full pattern is the lesson A 17-Day Multi-Channel Cadence.
The three rules that make any cadence work
- Every touch adds something. A new fact, a new example, a new name. "Just bumping this" is a touch spent teaching the buyer to ignore you.
- A reply ends the cadence. Any real reply, including no, moves the account out of the sequence and into judgement. Nothing reads worse than a scheduled email after a human answer.
- The exit is part of the pattern. The last touch asks who owns the topic and closes politely. Then the account rests, or moves to another person on the committee. Zombie cadences that never end burn lists.
Worked example (illustrative, not a real company)
Quaywise tiers 120 accounts: 20 Tier 1, 40 Tier 2, 60 Tier 3. Dana Whitfield runs the 17-day pattern on Tier 1 only. Tier 2 runs the 10-day pattern above; Pellow and Rook replies at the day 6 call and exits the cadence into a real conversation. Tier 3 runs the five-touch pattern from one segment skeleton; two replies arrive, and one account is promoted to Tier 2 with its own research. Total writing effort: 20 accounts deep, one skeleton, one segment email. All names are invented.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Running one cadence on the whole list. It is always too heavy for the tail and too thin for the top.
- Promising Tier 1 effort everywhere. Six channels on 120 accounts is a calendar, not a plan. The tiers exist because hours do.
- Letting the cadence outrun the research. A Tier 2 cadence with no account fact behind it is a Tier 3 cadence with extra steps.
- Ignoring promotion and demotion. A Tier 3 reply with budget behind it earns Tier 2 treatment; a Tier 1 account with no movement for a quarter drops. The tiers are a living sort, not a filing system.
- Counting touches as progress. Touches are cost. Replies, conversations and accounts moved are the output; the weekly numbers to watch are in the five KPIs.
Why this works on named accounts
Common questions
What is a good sales cadence for B2B outbound?
One matched to the account's tier. Full depth, 10 to 14 touches over about 17 days across many channels, for the named accounts that would change your year; nine touches over 10 days on four channels for strong fits; five touches on email and LinkedIn for the long tail. The match matters more than any single pattern.
How many touches before you give up on an account?
Run the tier's pattern to its end, exit politely, then rest the account or switch to another person on the buying committee. Giving up on a person is normal; giving up on a named account usually just means the wrong door was tried first.
Should every touch be personalised?
To the depth the tier earns. Tier 1 is researched per person, Tier 2 per account, Tier 3 per segment. The honest rule: if you cannot fill the bracket with something true at that depth, the account belongs in a lower tier, not a louder cadence.
More from the Academy
17-Day Multi-Channel Outreach Cadence
For sellers who email twice and give up, or never stop.
You leave with a 17-day plan of 12 touches, stop rules, lighter versions for Tier 2 and Tier 3, a tracker and one calendar filled in.
Account Tiering Worksheet (Tier 1, 2, 3)
For teams with a scored account list and no agreement on who gets the most attention.
You leave with tier rules, a capacity sum, a worksheet, a treatment card and one list tiered.
12 Cold Email Templates for Named Accounts
For anyone writing a first email to a senior buyer in a large company.
You leave with 12 templates under 110 words, the research each one needs, one filled-in example and a five-point check.
Outbound Cadence Planner
Turn the 17-day pattern into a dated touch calendar for one account, on the buyer's working days. Runs in your browser.
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