Sequencing toolkit

Sequencing Toolkit

Overview

Sequencing platforms send your cold emails — but only if configured correctly. The mistake: importing a list, writing one template, hitting send, and wondering why deliverability is 40%. This skill is the cross-platform router: platform selection, sequence architecture, and shared best practices.

For platform-specific setup, load the sibling skills under tools/: instantly-sequences, smartlead-workflows, lemlist-setup, salesloft-cadences, outreach-sequences, hubspot-sequences.

Authoritative Foundations

• Smartlead — Unlimited mailboxes, auto-rotation, AI reply categorization — Unlimited mailboxes, master inbox, and agency-scale cold email ops.
• Instantly — Warmup pool, campaign optimization, unified inbox — Mailbox rotation, campaign caps, and deliverability-first sending setup.
• Salesloft — Rhythm cadences, Conversations, multi-channel orchestration — Cadence + coaching rhythm; rhythm-based pipeline management.
• Outreach — Enterprise sequencing, triggers, analytics — Sequence governance, task-based selling, and CRM-locked cadences.
• Lemlist — Personalized images/video, multi-channel sequences — Multichannel sequences — email, LinkedIn, calls in one enrollment.

When to Use

Trigger phrases: "sequencing platform setup", "Smartlead configuration", "Instantly optimization", "Salesloft cadences", "Outreach setup", "Lemlist sequences", "sequence optimization"

Comparison: references/platform-comparison.md · Sequence template: templates/sequence-architecture.md

Platform Selection

Platform	Best For	Key Features	Cost
Smartlead	High-volume, multi-mailbox	Unlimited mailboxes, auto-rotation, master inbox	$89-249/mo
Instantly	Warmup-first, agencies	Largest warmup pool, campaign optimization	$37-97/mo
Salesloft	Enterprise, multi-channel	Rhythm cadences, Conversation intelligence	$125-165/seat
Outreach	Enterprise, complex workflows	Sequencing engine, triggers, analytics	$100-160/seat
Lemlist	Personalized outreach, SMB	AI images/video, multi-channel	$59-99/mo

Artifacts

Standard Sequence Architecture (All Platforms)

Email 1 (Day 0): Introduction — problem-focused, 50-75 words
Email 2 (Day 3): Value add — case study or insight, 75-100 words
Email 3 (Day 7): Social proof — customer result, 50-75 words
Email 4 (Day 12): "Breaking up" — last attempt, direct ask
LinkedIn touch (Day 2): Connect request or DM
Call (Day 5): Short voicemail if no answer

Total: 4 emails + 2 multi-channel touches over 14 days

Mailbox Configuration (Smartlead/Instantly)

Per domain: 3 mailboxes max. 30 emails/day per mailbox.
3 domains × 3 mailboxes = 9 mailboxes. 9 × 30 = 270 emails/day capacity.
Warmup: 2 weeks minimum before full volume. Start at 5/day. Increment 5/day.
Rotation: Auto-rotate between mailboxes. Randomize send times.

Implementation Checklist

• Mailboxes warmed up (2+ weeks) before full volume
• SPF/DKIM/DMARC configured for all sending domains
• Custom tracking domain set up (not shared)
• A/B test running (subject lines + copy variants)
• Reply handling: AI auto-categorization + human escalation rules
• Bounce rate under 3% (investigate if higher)
• Daily send limits per mailbox respected

Common Pitfalls

1. No warmup. New mailbox sends 50 emails/day day 1. Spam folder. Burned domain. Fix: 2-week warmup. Start at 5/day. Increment slowly.
2. One mailbox doing everything. 200 emails/day from one mailbox. Instant spam. Fix: Multiple mailboxes per domain. 30/day per mailbox max.
3. No A/B testing. Same copy forever. Ignorance about what works. Fix: Always run at least one A/B test per sequence.

Output Format

The agent delivers a sequencing platform setup and optimization plan matched to the user's volume, persona, and budget:

• Platform Recommendation (when selection is requested): side-by-side comparison of Smartlead, Instantly, Salesloft, Outreach, and Lemlist on mailbox limits, warmup capability, multi-channel support, and price per seat/mailbox
• Mailbox Configuration Plan: domain count, mailboxes-per-domain (max 3), daily send cap per mailbox (30), warmup timeline (2-week minimum with daily increment schedule), and auto-rotation setup
• Sequence Architecture: 4-email + 2 multi-channel touchpoint plan with day-gap, word-count target, and stated objective per step (intro → value → social proof → break-up + LinkedIn connect + call)
• A/B Test Setup: subject line and copy variants, split percentage (50/50 or 33/33/33), winning metric (positive-reply rate), and minimum sample size before declaring winner
• Deliverability Checklist: SPF/DKIM/DMARC status per sending domain, custom tracking domain confirmation, warmup progress gate, bounce rate threshold (< 3%), and spam-trap monitoring setup

Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

• All required sections complete
• Output matches the user's stated need
• No vague or unsupported claims
• Frameworks cited where applicable

Execution Artifacts

• references/framework-notes.md — named frameworks, citation anchors, and operating assumptions
• templates/output-template.md — copy-paste deliverable structure for the user
• scripts/check-output.py — local checklist validator for required sections This skill includes lightweight artifacts the agent can load on demand:
• references/platform-comparison.md — Smartlead, Instantly, Salesloft, Outreach, Lemlist
• templates/sequence-architecture.md — 14-day multi-channel cadence Use the artifacts when the user asks for an implementation-ready deliverable, a repeatable workflow, or a quality check rather than generic advice.

Related Skills

• smartlead-workflows — Smartlead-specific setup
• instantly-sequences — Instantly-specific setup
• cold-email-strategy — Sequence architecture and cadence
• email-deliverability — SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warmup, reputation