Run a sequence
How to build and launch an email sequence
Build a multi-step cadence that auto-sends emails from your own mailbox on a schedule, pauses for manual call or LinkedIn steps, and stops the instant a prospect replies or books a meeting.
Updated July 2026
A sequence (or sales cadence) is a planned series of touches that follow up with a prospect over days or weeks so nothing slips. In KudosCRM, the email steps send automatically from the rep's own connected mailbox — so replies thread normally and land back in your inbox — while call, LinkedIn, and video steps are manual tasks the cadence simply waits on until you mark them done.
This guide covers building the steps, setting the sending window so emails only go out during business hours, enrolling people, and understanding exactly what stops a sequence — because a cadence that keeps emailing someone who already replied is the fastest way to lose them.
Who this is for
Reps and SDRs running outbound or follow-up, and managers who design the team's cadences and want them to behave honestly.
Before you start
- A connected mailbox (Gmail, Microsoft, or SMTP) — email steps send from your own address.
- Contacts or leads to enroll.
- An idea of your touch pattern — how many emails, how many days apart, and where a call or LinkedIn step fits.
What's automated vs. a manual task — and what we don't do
Email steps are automated: they send from your own mailbox on the schedule you set, and the sequence auto-stops the moment a prospect replies or books a meeting. Call, LinkedIn, and video steps are NOT automated outreach — they're manual task steps the cadence pauses on and assigns to you until you complete them. There is no SMS channel in KudosCRM. AI assist can draft step copy with Claude, but you always review and approve before anything sends.
Build the cadence and turn it on
Create the sequence and add your first email step
Start a new sequence and add an email step. Write the subject and body — or use AI assist to draft a first version with Claude, then edit it. The email will send from your own connected mailbox, so it reads as a normal one-to-one message, not a blast.
Add delays and more steps
Set the wait before each step — for example email on day 0, then day 3, then day 7. Add as many email steps as the cadence needs. Each subsequent email can thread on the previous one so the follow-up reads as a bump, not a fresh cold email.
Add manual call, LinkedIn, or video steps where they belong
Drop in a call, LinkedIn, or video step at the right point. These are manual task steps — the sequence pauses and assigns you a task on the due date. Nothing is sent automatically for these; the cadence simply waits until you mark the task done, then advances to the next step.
Set the sending window
Define the per-sequence sending window — the days and hours emails are allowed to go out. A step that comes due outside the window is held until the next allowed slot, so a day-7 email scheduled for 2am sends at the start of the next business morning instead.
Enroll people
Add the contacts or leads you want in the cadence. Enrollment starts each person at step one on their own clock, so people who join on different days each get the full sequence rather than catching it mid-stream.
Let it run — and let it stop
Once live, email steps send on schedule from your mailbox. The key safety net: the sequence auto-stops for a person the moment they reply or book a meeting — so you never keep chasing someone who's already raised their hand. You can also pause or remove anyone manually.
What you get
- Follow-up that happens on schedule from your own inbox, without you remembering to send it.
- A cadence that stops itself the instant a prospect replies or books — no awkward over-chasing.
- Call and LinkedIn touches sequenced as manual tasks, so the human steps land at the right moment too.
- Emails that only send inside the business hours you set, never at 3am.
Related articles
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The commercial overview of running sequences, calls, and tasks as one engagement motion.
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How KudosCRM handles outbound cold email from your own mailbox — deliverability and all.
Read articleGrowth is the broad engine of the KudosCRM journey — sequences, campaigns, audiences, lead discovery, and referrals that keep new pipeline flowing. See the full picture on the Growth platform overview.
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