A sales sequence is a series of coordinated touches — across email, phone, and sometimes in-person — designed to move a prospect from cold to conversation. Most sequences fail because they're built around rep convenience: same template, same cadence, same channel every time. Prospect psychology works differently.
Here's what a high-performing five-touch sequence looks like for local business prospecting:
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Day 1 — personalised cold email: Reference something specific about their business — their location, something you observed, a recent expansion. Lead with a relevant insight or question, not a product pitch. End with one low-friction ask: not "book a 30-minute call" but "worth a quick conversation?"
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Day 3 — phone call: Reference the email briefly, then pivot to them. Have a 30-second pitch ready for when they pick up, and a different voicemail script ready for when they don't. Your voicemail should introduce a different angle — not a reading of your email.
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Day 7 — value-add email (no ask): Send a short article, a local market insight, or a brief case study directly relevant to their situation. Demonstrate that you understand their world. This touch builds credibility without asking for anything.
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Day 12 — phone call or in-person visit: By this point you've established two prior touches; showing up in person is a differentiator, not an interruption. Keep it short: "I was in the area and thought I'd stop by — do you have five minutes?"
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Day 18 — the break-up email: Short, direct, respectful: "I've reached out a few times and understand if now isn't the right moment. I'll stop following up — but if your situation changes, here's how to find me." This final touch consistently generates the highest reply rate of any in the sequence. People respond when they sense closure.
Sequence principles that matter
- Vary your channels across touches — never send two emails in a row without a call attempt in between
- Always measure reply rate by touch number — that's how you know which messages to improve and which to protect
- Personalise touches 1 and 4 more than the others — these are where the relationship is made or lost