Dear SaaStr: How Often Does a Typical SDR Follow Up With a Prospect?
Probably too often given how the world has changed.
Here’s basically the classic SDR framework in B2B:
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5-7 Touchpoints: Aim for at least 5-7 touchpoints over 2-3 weeks. This is a good baseline, but you might need more if you’re targeting enterprise accounts or high-value prospects. Studies show that persistence pays off, but it’s about quality, not just quantity 4.
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Cadence: A typical cadence might look like this:
- Day 1: Initial email.
- Day 3: Follow-up email (reference the first email and add value, like a relevant case study or insight).
- Day 5: LinkedIn connection request or message.
- Day 7: Phone call (if you have their number).
- Day 10: Another email, perhaps with a different angle or value prop.
- Day 14: Final email (a polite “breakup” email, e.g., “I don’t want to keep bothering you, but let me know if this is of interest”).
Hire the typical SDR with a typical SDR manager, this is often what you get.
What’s wrong here:
- Zero value added
- Because zero value added, no right earned to send another email
- This is essentially a “spray and prey” approach that hopefully yields a very small return
- Be honest: do you want a break-up email?
- This sequence again nominally benefits the SDRs as it’s very little work. But it does not benefit the prospect.
AI SDRs can make this even worse, as they make it even easier, and arguably increase the quality here.
A better cadence. A better email. But the same lack of value, all sending too many emails driving to a “break up”.
It’s time to reboot this, slow it down, make it better, and make it count.
More here:
