Fine-Tune Your Sales Call Cadence and Rock Revenues in 2024
In the fast-paced world of B2B sales, timing is everything. You could have the best product, the most compelling pitch, and the most talented reps, but if you don‘t engage buyers at the right time and frequency, deals will slip through the cracks.
That‘s where sales call cadences come in. A well-executed call cadence – the strategic sequence and schedule of touchpoints across phone, email, social and other channels – can be your secret weapon for driving more conversations, pipeline and revenue.
But there‘s a science to getting cadences right. And many sales teams are failing the test. A study by Telfer School of Management found that 90% of sales call cadences are not optimized. The negative impacts can be huge:
- 70% of sales calls go to voicemail (Baylor University)
- Sales reps make on average only 2 attempts to reach a prospect (Sirius Decisions)
- 44% of salespeople give up after just one follow-up attempt (Scripted)
On the flip side, studies show the benefits of a persistent, tailored cadence:
- Prospects contacted 6 times are 70% more likely to become qualified (Velocify)
- Reps who make 12 contact attempts perform 16% better than those who make 8 attempts (Bridge Group)
- Spacing out contact attempts by 2-3 days apart yields the best results (Lead Response Management)
Clearly, there‘s massive upside in optimizing your sales call cadence. But it takes focus and discipline. Here are the keys to designing and executing a high-performing cadence strategy for 2024 and beyond.
The Ideal Sales Call Cadence: A Visual Guide
While there‘s no one-size-fits-all approach, research and best practices from high-growth sales teams point to a proven cadence framework. It balances the need to be persistent and engaging without risking prospect fatigue.
Here‘s a visual representation of an example cadence for a typical B2B sales cycle:
| Day | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Call 1, Voicemail 1, Email 1 |
| 3 | Call 2, Voicemail 2 |
| 5 | Email 2 |
| 8 | Call 3, LinkedIn Touch 1 |
| 11 | Call 4, Voicemail 3 |
| 15 | Email 3 |
| 18 | Call 5, Voicemail 4 |
| 22 | Email 4, LinkedIn Touch 2 |
As you can see, this cadence includes 15 touches across 22 days. It uses a mix of phone calls, voicemails, emails and LinkedIn activity to diversify the approach and improve odds of engagement. The frequency starts high in the first week, then spreads out to avoid fatigue.
Of course, this example would be modified based on factors like buyer persona, selling motion, market, relationship and prior engagement. Inside sales reps selling a lower-ACV product may use a tighter, higher-velocity cadence. Field sellers in enterprise deals may spread out touches over a longer period. The key is tailoring the approach for your context.
Secrets of Top-Performing Cadences
Now that you have a framework in mind, let‘s dive into some specific strategies to elevate your sales cadence strategy:
Align Touchpoints to the Buying Journey
Don‘t use the same generic cadence for every prospect. Segment and tier your approach based on buyer personas and where they are in the buying journey. An inbound lead who attended a webinar needs a different cadence than a cold outbound prospect.
Touches to new prospects should focus more on research, social proof and thought leadership to earn trust and credibility. Engaged opportunities warrant more specific, personalized outreach around their pains, goals and next steps. Tailor content and CTAs for each stage to guide them seamlessly to a close.
Master the Voicemail
Despite all the new digital channels, phone still reigns supreme in B2B sales. 41.2% of salespeople said their phone is the most effective sales tool at their disposal (Marc Wayshak). But you won‘t always reach a live person. That‘s where voicemails come in.
Contrary to popular belief, voicemails are still an important part of a cadence. A ContactPoint study showed that 50% of executives say they‘ll return a voicemail from a salesperson if the message is relevant and compelling.
Some voicemail tips to boost callbacks:
- Keep it concise (20-30 seconds max)
- Mention a trigger event or shared connection
- Highlight a potential challenge they may be facing
- Tease unique insights or relevant content
- Use a cliffhanger that piques their curiosity
- Include a clear call-to-action
- Change up your tone and approach on each touch
Example voicemail script:
"Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company]. The reason for my call is I saw your company recently [trigger event]. We‘ve helped similar companies like [peer example] achieve [benefit] through our unique approach to [topic]. I thought you might be interested in learning more. I‘ll send over a couple examples for you to check out. If you‘d like to discuss live, you can book a quick chat on my calendar here [Meetings link]. Talk soon!"
This voicemail is concise, relevant, credible and actionable. Importantly, it complements the other touches like email rather than duplicating the message.
Embrace Video
While not a replacement for phone, adding video to your cadence is a powerful differentiator. Video is the next best thing to face-to-face and allows your personality to shine through. And it‘s becoming more accepted as a sales medium.
Some tips for sales cadence videos:
- Record a 30-60 second personal introduction
- Sprinkle in shorter videos (15-20 sec) with specific tips
- Incorporate GIFs and images when possible
- Add captions for accessibility
- Embed a calendar link in the video to book a meeting
- Track view notifications to prioritize follow-up
Make It a Multi-Player Game
The highest performing sales cadences don‘t depend on just one rep. They leverage other voices and personas within the organization to reinforce the message. This could include:
- A relevant executive sponsor
- Functional leaders (product, marketing, success)
- Dedicated sales development (SDR) support
- Outsourced appointment setting resources
Incorporating other credible voices diversifies the messaging and makes the outreach feel like a orchestrated account-based approach rather than a solo pursuit. Just be sure to carefully coordinate and track the various touches.
Test, Analyze, Optimize
The path to an optimized sales cadence is paved with data. With the right tools, you can get insight into what activities and content are resonating across each channel and buying stage. Look at metrics like:
- Call connect rates
- Voicemail response rates
- Email open and reply rates
- Social engagement rates
- Conversation and appointment booking rates
- Conversion rates by funnel stage
Use this data to continuously test new approaches. Does 6 touches or 12 touches perform better? Are you reaching more people live in the mornings or afternoons? Which subject lines generate the most opens? Let the data guide your cadence optimization.
Technology: Your Cadence Co-Pilot
Managing a data-driven, multi-channel sales cadence is exponentially easier with the right technology. Modern sales engagement platforms like Outreach, SalesLoft and HubSpot Sales Hub allow you to:
- Automate reminders and tasks for each touchpoint
- Store templates and scripts for calls, emails and social
- A/B test different content and formats
- Analyze activity data and surface coaching insights
- Sync engagements to CRM and other systems
These tools give managers real-time visibility into cadence adherence and performance so they can proactively coach reps. Look for solutions that integrate seamlessly with the rest of your sales tech stack.
A Real-World Cadence Transformation
To bring this all to life, let‘s look at a real-world example. MarketSource, a global B2B revenue generation firm, realized their sales results were plateauing due to an inconsistent prospecting approach. Reps were doing a lot of activity but not seeing the outcomes.
So they implemented a standardized cadence strategy using Outreach. Over a 12-month period, they saw:
- 83% increase in calls and 157% increase in emails
- 145% increase in positive replies from prospects
- 176% increase in meetings booked
- 37% of opportunities sourced from new outbound prospecting
By aligning the team around a data-driven, orchestrated approach, MarketSource was able to fill the funnel faster and more predictably.
Bringing It All Together
Maximizing sales productivity and conversion in today‘s environment requires both art and science. A well-crafted sales cadence is your masterpiece.
By following the proven practices outlined here and leveraging the right technology, you can orchestrate a powerful sequence of touchpoints to capture attention, earn trust, and accelerate more revenue. It takes focus, testing and continuous optimization. But the payoff in pipeline and closed deals is well worth it.
Don‘t let another year go by with an underperforming, ad hoc cadence. Make 2024 the year you perfect your sales cadence and hit your number out of the park. The clock is ticking!
