Cold Email / Outbound Sequence

What It Is

A structured, multi-touch cadence that moves a prospect from cold to meeting-booked. The factory-recommended starter is a 12-step, 28–32 day sequence coordinating three channels:

  • Email — hook + value prop + social proof → problem framing → objection pre-handle → soft break-up
  • LinkedIn — profile view, connection request + note, engagement touches
  • Calls — parallel dial bursts (when phone numbers are available)

Coordinated email + LinkedIn lifts reply rates 30–50% over email-only — don't run them as disconnected tracks.

Cadence Rules

  • Reply rate peaks at touch 4–5 — most sequences quit too early; median effective length is 5–7 touchpoints.
  • Follow up on replies within 2 hours — converts at ~3x a 24-hour follow-up.
  • Auto-reply ≠ no reply; a hard "no" is a gift (close it out); a soft "not now" → re-approach in 60–90 days on a new trigger.
  • Timing: emails Tue–Thu, 8–10 AM / 2–4 PM in prospect timezone; min 2-day spacing; max 3 touches per channel per week.

Channel Mix by Motion

  • Email-dominant (low-touch, self-serve): 6–8 emails over 45–60 days.
  • Multi-channel (mid-market, ACV $10K+): 4–5 emails + 4–5 LinkedIn + 3–4 calls over 30–40 days.
  • Phone-dominant (enterprise/transactional): 2–3 intro emails + aggressive calling.

How It Applies to Marketing Factory

The sequence is the outbound agent's core workflow: research → personalize → send → score → follow-up, gated by reply detection and exit rules. The cadence rules (touch count, reply-window SLA, exit on hard-no) are machine-enforceable. Sequence type is selected by ideal-customer-profile tier, and message variants feed message-market-fit testing. Sending depends entirely on email-deliverability being healthy.

Referenced from: outbound-playbook