People times touches per year is the minimum number of outreaches you just signed up for. Do the math before committing.
The idea
I call this the biggest sandtrap in relationship marketing. We plan cadences like we load a buffet plate: eyes bigger than our stomachs. We forget the urgent stuff that will eat our day, and we forget that people write back. If I could triple underline one phrase in that chapter, it would be "keep in mind your own capacity."
(number of people) x (touches per year each) = engagements you owe, at minimum
How to do it
For each group, multiply headcount by touches per year.
Add the groups together and break the total down into a weekly or daily number.
Remember about half will reply, and replies are work too.
If the daily number scares you, set the cadence a step or two less often.
Use the final number as your daily or weekly goal.
Example
Say you have 200 past clients and want to reach each one quarterly. That's 800 touchpoints a year. If roughly half reply, you're adding about three extra people a day on top of your real job, for one bucket. Another version from the book: 250 people quarterly is 1,000 touches, about 19 a week or four a day. Clear goal. Meanwhile 30 people monthly is about one a day, and 3,000 people monthly would be 100 very personal emails every day.
Watch out for
Fearing the slower plan. The odds of missing an opportunity by following up every two months are small next to the risk of getting buried and dropping the ball.
Undershoot Your Cadence: Set reminders a notch less often than you think you should. They won't notice monthly versus every two months, and you just halved the work.
The 90-Day Baseline: Set cadence once per group: start everyone at every 90 days, then dial each group up or down by priority.
The Straight Math of Habits: Two outreaches a day is 730 people a year; ten contacts organized a day is 3,650. Small and daily beats the occasional marathon.
Sustainable Pace: Commit to a level you can keep in your craziest weeks, like one email and one call a day, instead of a heroic plan that collapses.