Set cadence once per group: start everyone at every 90 days, then dial each group up or down by priority.
The idea
One lesson we learned early on: deciding a cadence person by person falls apart. It's easy to say in the moment whether someone is a top past client or a low-priority web lead. Asking "how often for this specific human?" every single time leads to analysis paralysis and a pint of ice cream. So set the rule at the bucket level and let people inherit it. Every 90 days is a good middle ground to start from.
How to do it
Sort people into a few groups by priority.
Give every group a 90-day default.
Go more often for people who matter most or are actively in a buying cycle.
Go less often for large groups on long time horizons.
Rule of thumb: reach out at least as often as they're likely to need you or have a referral.
Revisit the rules when your priorities shift.
Example
Compare current clients and past clients. Current clients are working with you right now and are the most likely to refer you. Past clients matter, but they have less going on with you. So current clients get the tighter rhythm. Once that's decided, it's decided for everyone in the group. The Quick Win from the book: put your top 100 on a quarterly rhythm. That works out to about one extra conversation a day.
Watch out for
Treating the number as sacred. If a cadence stops feeling personal and meaningful to them, change it.
The Capacity Formula: People times touches per year is the minimum number of outreaches you just signed up for. Do the math before committing.
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.
A/B/C Spheres: Sort everyone into three tiers by gut feeling (love, like, don't know) and spend more time on A's than B's, and more on B's than C's.
Match Investment to Tier: Every touch costs different time and money, so spend dinners and gifts on your top tier and lighter touches on larger groups.