Stopping after one or two calls
Most meetings come from later attempts. A cadence that ends at touch two leaves most of them behind.
Free sales template
Sales cadence template
A sales cadence is the planned sequence of calls, emails and LinkedIn touches an SDR makes to one prospect over a set number of days. This template lays out each touch by day, channel, purpose, asset and timing, with exit rules, so every prospect gets a complete, consistent attempt rather than one call and a forgotten follow-up.
What it is and when to use it
Most prospects do not answer the first call. In Nousu's data from 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, it takes 4 attempts on average to reach a decision maker, and 58% of meetings are booked on the fourth attempt or later. A cadence makes sure those later attempts actually happen.
The cadence is the structure, not the words. It sets how many touches, which channel on which day, what each touch is for and when to stop. The words live in your script and email libraries. This template links to them rather than repeating them, so you can change a message without rebuilding the cadence.
Nousu's standard cadence is 8 touches over about 24 days, phone first. Calls carry the cadence because a live conversation books more meetings than a reply, and emails and LinkedIn give the prospect a name to recognise when the phone rings again.
Who uses it
SDRs
Follow the cadence for every prospect, and know exactly which touch is due today.
SDR managers
Build the cadence once in your sales engagement tool, test variations and check completion rates.
The sales cadence template
Every section and column, with what to write in each. Use the fill-in version below to type straight into it and copy, print or download the result.
1. Touch plan
One row per touch. Calls in the prospect's local time. Link each email to the template you will use.
| Touch | Day | Channel | Purpose | Asset or script | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 | Call | Reach the decision maker, open with the reason for the call | Opener from your script | 10am to 11am local |
| 2 | Day 1 | Put your name and reason in writing after the call | First-touch email template | Within an hour of the call | |
| 3 | Day 3 | Call and voicemail | Second attempt, short voicemail with one reason to call back | Voicemail script | 2pm to 3pm local |
| 4 | Day 5 | Connection request with no pitch | Connection note | Any time | |
| 5 | Day 8 | Call | Third attempt, new angle or trigger | Alternative opener | 10am to 11am local |
| 6 | Day 12 | Share something useful: a benchmark, a customer story | Value email template | Morning | |
| 7 | Day 17 | Call | Fourth attempt | Opener | 2pm to 3pm local |
| 8 | Day 24 | Close the loop politely | Final email template | Morning |
2. Exit and branching rules
| If the prospect | Then | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Books a meeting | Exit cadence, send invite, confirm the day before | SDR |
| Replies 'not now' with a time | Exit, create a task for that date | SDR |
| Refers you to someone else | Exit, start the cadence for the new contact referencing the referral | SDR |
| Asks not to be contacted | Exit, mark do not contact in every system the same day | SDR |
| Completes the cadence with no response | Rest the contact for at least a quarter, then re-enter with a new trigger | SDR manager |
3. Cadence settings
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Cadence name | Persona and play, for example: finance director, new leader trigger. |
| Who enters | Persona, tier and any trigger. One cadence per persona and play. |
| Daily new contacts per SDR | How many new prospects enter each day, so later touches do not pile up. |
| Compliance checks | Do Not Call Register wash date, email consent basis, sender identification and unsubscribe in every email, plus NZ or Singapore rules if relevant. |
Fill it in online
Type into the template, or load the worked example and edit it. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere: it stays in this browser tab until you copy, download or print it.
Empty fields copy as {{placeholders}} so you can see what is left to fill in.
Formulas
Cadence health checks.
| Metric | Formula | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence completion rate | Prospects who received every touch / prospects who entered | Low completion usually means too many new contacts a day. |
| Meetings per 100 prospects | Meetings booked from the cadence / prospects entered x 100 | Compare plays and personas on the same basis. |
| Meetings by touch number | Meetings booked on touch n / all meetings booked | Nousu's data shows 58% of meetings on the fourth attempt or later. |
| Daily touch load | New prospects per day x touches per cadence | Check it fits the SDR's day once the cadence is full. |
Worked example
An Australian B2B company using outsourced SDRs. The company is described, not named, and the figures are illustrative.
Worked example: a Sydney HR software company calling NZ and Australia
A Sydney HR and payroll software company runs one cadence for heads of people at employers with 200 to 1,000 staff in Australia and New Zealand, delivered by an outsourced SDR team. New Zealand calls are made in New Zealand time.
The email templates referenced sit in the company's email library. Timing is illustrative.
1. Touch plan
| Touch | Day | Channel | Purpose | Asset or script | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 | Call | Reach the head of people about payroll change | Payroll change opener | 10am to 11am local (AEST or NZST) |
| 2 | Day 1 | Name and reason in writing | First-touch email | Within an hour | |
| 3 | Day 3 | Call and voicemail | Second attempt, 20-second voicemail | Voicemail script | 2pm to 3pm local |
| 4 | Day 5 | Connection request | No-pitch note | Any time | |
| 5 | Day 8 | Call | New angle: award or pay rate changes | Compliance opener | 10am to 11am local |
| 6 | Day 12 | Short customer story from a similar employer | Value email | Morning | |
| 7 | Day 17 | Call | Fourth attempt | Payroll change opener | 2pm to 3pm local |
| 8 | Day 24 | Close the loop | Final email | Morning |
2. Exit and branching rules
| If the prospect | Then | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Books a meeting | Exit, invite from the AE's calendar, confirm the day before | SDR |
| Replies 'not now' with a time | Exit, task for that month | SDR |
| Refers you to someone else | Exit, new cadence for the payroll manager referencing the head of people | SDR |
| Asks not to be contacted | Exit, do not contact in the CRM and email tool the same day | SDR |
| Completes the cadence with no response | Rest for a quarter, re-enter on a new trigger | SDR lead |
3. Cadence settings
- Cadence name
- Head of people, payroll change trigger
- Who enters
- Heads of people and HR directors at Tier 1 and Tier 2 employers with 200 to 1,000 staff in AU and NZ.
- Daily new contacts per SDR
- 15 new prospects per SDR per day, which keeps total touches under 120 a day once the cadence is full.
- Compliance checks
- Australian numbers washed against the Do Not Call Register each month. Emails identify the sender and company, include a working unsubscribe and only go to role-relevant business addresses. NZ emails follow the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act.
What to notice
- Half the touches are calls. Emails and LinkedIn support the calls rather than replace them.
- Capping new prospects at 15 a day kept completion high. When it was 30 a day, the day 17 and 24 touches were being skipped.
How to use it, step by step
- Pick one persona and one play. Each cadence should serve one persona with one reason to talk. Different buyers need different cadences.
- Lay out the touches by day. Start from 8 touches over about 24 days, phone first, then adjust for your market.
- Set call windows in local time. Nousu's data shows 10am to 11am (22% connect rate) and 2pm to 3pm (19%) as the strongest windows.
- Link each touch to its asset. Scripts and email templates live in their own libraries. Link them here so the cadence stays clean.
- Write the exit rules. Meetings, referrals, 'not now' and opt-outs each need a clear next step.
- Set the daily load and compliance checks. Choose how many new prospects enter each day and confirm the compliance basics before launch.
- Measure and change one thing at a time. Track completion and meetings by touch. Test one change per cycle.
Common mistakes
Email-only cadences
Without calls, you rely on replies, which are rarer than conversations.
Too many new prospects a day
Later touches get skipped when the queue overflows. Cap new entries.
Ignoring opt-outs across tools
An opt-out must be applied everywhere on the same day, not just in the email tool.
More sales templates
- Sales process map templateThe B2B sales process steps from target list to handover, with owner, inputs, actions, exit criteria and time limits.Sales managerFounderSDRAEProcessOpen the template
- Sales playbook templateICP, personas, triggers, plays, messaging, qualification, objections and handover rules in one shared document.Sales managerFounderSDRProcessOpen the template
- SDR onboarding plan templatePre-start checklist, a week-by-week first month, a certification checklist and ramp milestones to day 90.Sales managerSDRFounderPlanningProcessOpen the template
Want the meetings, not just the template?
Nousu Collective runs phone-first outbound for B2B companies selling into Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, with Australian callers in-house in Sydney. Our outsourced SDR service builds the list, runs the calling, email and LinkedIn cadence and books qualified meetings into your calendar. If you only need calls made, see cold calling or appointment setting.
In our data from 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, Australian callers booked 1.3 meetings per 100 dials, against 0.3 for offshore teams. Pricing is starting at $7,000 a month.
FAQ
Sales cadence template questions
Straight answers from the team that runs outbound for Australian B2B companies.
Still have questions?
Book a 30-minute callA planned sequence of touches, such as calls, emails and LinkedIn messages, made to one prospect over a set number of days, with a purpose for each touch and rules for when to stop.
Nousu's standard is 8 touches over about 24 days, phone first. It takes 4 attempts on average to reach a decision maker, and 58% of meetings are booked on the fourth attempt or later.
In Nousu's data, 10am to 11am local time has a 22% connect rate and 2pm to 3pm has 19%. The 12pm to 1:30pm lunch dip falls to 9%.
Many teams use the words interchangeably. Some use sequence for the automated emails in a tool and cadence for the full plan including calls. This template covers the full plan.
Use our sales email template library for first-touch, value and final emails, and the cold call script library or script generator for openers and voicemails.
In Australia, check the Do Not Call Register before calls where it applies, and follow the Spam Act 2003 for email: consent (which can be inferred where a business address is conspicuously published and the message relates to the person's role), sender identification and a working unsubscribe. New Zealand's Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 has similar email rules. In Singapore, check the Do Not Call Registry before marketing calls or texts to Singapore numbers and follow the Spam Control Act for bulk email. This is general information, not legal advice.
Need a team to run the plan?
Book a 30-minute call. We will map your market and buyers and show you what a phone-first campaign would book.
Starting at $7,000 a month. Exact fee quoted after a 30-minute call.