Sequence

---
name: sequence
description: >
  Activate for: sequence, outreach sequence, cadence, multi-touch,
  email sequence, follow-up sequence, drip sequence, nurture sequence,
  prospecting sequence, sales cadence, outreach plan, touch plan,
  6-touch, 8-touch, how many times should I follow up, follow-up schedule.
  NOT for: single outreach messages (use outreach), post-meeting follow-ups (use follow-up), sequence lifecycle management (use outreach-sequencing-agent), campaign planning (use campaign-planning).
---

## SEQUENCE DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Before building any sequence, apply these principles:

1. QUALITY OVER VOLUME: Each touch must add value or offer a new angle.
   Never send "Just checking in." Never repeat the same message.
   Each touch uses a DISTINCT hook, proof point, or angle not present
   in any previous touch. Plan the distribution of available hooks
   across touches before writing — do not front-load all proof points
   into Touch 1.

2. CHANNEL VARIETY: Mix LinkedIn and email. Different channels reach
   people at different moments. Phone for HOT leads after Touch 2.

3. VALUE ESCALATION: Early touches are about them. Later touches
   introduce social proof and specifics. Final touch is graceful exit.
   Reserve your strongest proof point (case study, customer result)
   for Touch 3-4, not Touch 1 — social proof converts better after
   rapport is established.

4. BRANCH ON REPLY: As soon as prospect responds, sequence STOPS.
   All subsequent communication is human-led, not automated.

5. TIMING: HOT leads -- faster cadence. WARM leads -- slower. Never
   contact more than once in 3 days on the same channel.

## STANDARD SEQUENCE STRUCTURES

### HOT Lead Sequence (6 touches, 21 days)

Touch 1 -- Day 1 | Primary channel (LinkedIn or Email)
[Personalised first outreach -- see outreach skill]

Touch 2 -- Day 3 | Secondary channel (Email if T1 was LinkedIn; vice versa)
[Same hook, different medium. Reference T1 briefly if appropriate.
Add one new data point or angle. Repeat the one ask.]

Touch 3 -- Day 7 | Value add -- no ask
[Send something genuinely useful: relevant case study, industry stat,
short framework. No pitch. "Thought this might be relevant given
what you're navigating at [Company]." Opens goodwill without pressure.]

Touch 4 -- Day 10 | Problem reframe -- ask
[Share a specific insight about the problem -- not your product.
3 patterns you see in their sector. What your best customers say
about the problem before they solved it. End with the ask again.]

Touch 5 -- Day 17 | Trigger check or new signal
[If new signal has appeared (news, post, job ad): reference it.
If not: "I've reached out a few times -- is this timing off, or
not the right priority? Either way, I'm happy to hear it."]

Touch 6 -- Day 21 | Graceful close
[Short. Respectful. Leave door open.
"I've reached out several times without hearing back -- I'll
assume the timing isn't right. If that changes, I'm here.
[Name]." No ask. No guilt. Prospect remembers how you left.]

### WARM Lead Sequence (5 touches, 35 days)

Touch 1 -- Day 1 | Email (lighter personalisation than HOT)
Touch 2 -- Day 7 | LinkedIn -- value add
Touch 3 -- Day 14 | Email -- problem insight, no pitch
Touch 4 -- Day 28 | Email or LinkedIn -- soft check-in
Touch 5 -- Day 35 | Graceful close

### RE-ENGAGEMENT Sequence (3 touches, 21 days)

For prospects who went cold after initial engagement:

Touch 1 -- Day 1 | Reference last interaction specifically
["We spoke about X in [Month] -- I wanted to reconnect because
[new signal or development that's changed since then]..."]
Touch 2 -- Day 10 | New value: something relevant that has changed
Touch 3 -- Day 21 | Graceful close or hand-off

## SEQUENCE OUTPUT FORMAT

OUTREACH SEQUENCE: [Prospect Name] / [Company]

---

Lead tier: [HOT / WARM / RE-ENGAGE]
Sequence: [N] touches over [N] days
Goal: [Discovery call / Demo / Re-engagement]
Channels: [Mix -- e.g. LinkedIn x3 + Email x3]

TOUCH 1 -- Day [N] | [Channel]
[Full message text]
Word count: [N]

TOUCH 2 -- Day [N] | [Channel]
[Full message text]
Word count: [N]

[... all touches ...]

---

BRANCHING RULES:

- Reply received at any touch -> EXIT SEQUENCE; alert rep immediately
- LinkedIn connection accepted without reply -> warm follow-up DM
  (not the generic sequence touch)
- Email open (no click) after Touch 3 -> move Touch 4 forward 3 days
- Bounce detected -> pause sequence; alert rep; verify new email via /enrich

SEQUENCE COMPLETION:

- If no response after all touches: move to CULTIVATE nurture cadence
- Log in CRM: "Sequence completed -- [date] -- no response"
- Re-evaluate timing signal in 90 days via /enrich

## NEVER DO THESE

- NEVER continue a sequence after a prospect has replied -- ANY reply
  (even negative) means exit the sequence and go human
- NEVER use "Just checking in" as an opening for any touch
- NEVER send more than one touch per channel within 3 days
- NEVER repeat identical content across touches -- each touch must add
  something the previous touch did not contain
- NEVER skip the graceful close -- ending without a proper close burns
  the relationship for future attempts
- NEVER build a sequence without the research brief completed first
  (sequences built without personalisation perform at generic template level)