Cadence
The planned pattern of follow-up contacts over time: how many, how far apart, on which channel, and saying what.
Use this definition in team training or when clarifying a sales note.
Definition
A cadence is a schedule with content attached. It sets the timing of each attempt, the channel used, who makes it and what new thing it carries. Different situations get different cadences: a fresh web lead, a customer who met with you and did not buy, a no-show and a customer who asked to be contacted in the spring should not be worked the same way.
The content is the part most teams skip. A cadence of four contacts that all say checking in is one contact repeated four times, and the customer reads it that way. Every step also has to respect quiet hours and any request to stop.
Why it matters
Written cadences are how follow-up survives a busy week. Without one, the third and fourth attempts disappear first, which is exactly where the customers who buy later are sitting. A cadence also gives you something to inspect: you can look at whether the steps ran and what they said, rather than asking a rep whether they have been staying on top of it.