# The 5-Touch Cadence in GoHighLevel

Setup time: 15 minutes. This is the cleanest path if you have a GHL sub-account.

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## Step 1: Create the Tag

1. In GHL, go to **Settings → Tags → New Tag**.
2. Name: `cadence-active`.
3. Save.

## Step 2: Build the Workflow

1. Go to **Automation → Workflows → Create Workflow**.
2. Choose **Start from scratch → Blank workflow**.
3. Name it: `5-Touch Cadence`.
4. Trigger: **Contact Tag Added → cadence-active**.
5. Save.

## Step 3: Add Touch 1 (Day 0 + 2 hours)

1. Add action: **Wait → 2 hours**.
2. Add action: **Send SMS** (or Send Email — your call).
3. Message body: Touch 1 from Templates file. Load contact name via GHL tokens `{{contact.first_name}}`.
4. Save.

## Step 4: Add Touch 2 (Day 2)

1. Add action: **Wait → 46 hours** (that's the delta from 2 hours to 48 hours).
2. Add action: **Send Email** (Value Drop works best in email).
3. Body: Touch 2 template. The `[LINK TO A SPECIFIC THING]` should be a real URL — a blog post, a case study page, or a testimonial video. Have this ready before launching.
4. Save.

## Step 5: Add Touch 3 (Day 7)

1. Add action: **Wait → 5 days** (delta from 2 days to 7 days).
2. Add action: **Send SMS** (highest reply rate for direct-ask messages).
3. Body: Touch 3 template. Pre-write your top 2 objections into the message so it's ready to send instantly.
4. Save.

## Step 6: Add Touch 4 (Day 14)

1. Add action: **Wait → 7 days**.
2. Add action: **Send Email**.
3. Body: Touch 4 template. You'll need at least ONE customer story ready to paste in. Ideally rotate through 3-5 stories tagged by industry so different leads get different proof.
4. Save.

## Step 7: Add Touch 5 (Day 30)

1. Add action: **Wait → 16 days**.
2. Add action: **Send SMS**.
3. Body: Touch 5 template. Verbatim.
4. Save.

## Step 8: Wire the Exit Rules

Every touch needs to check if the lead has replied. If they have, PAUSE the cadence.

Two ways to do this in GHL:

**Option A: Global workflow exit condition** (recommended)
1. In workflow settings, set **Exit Condition: Inbound message received**.
2. This kills the whole workflow the moment they reply.

**Option B: Manual condition step before each touch**
1. Before every Send SMS/Email step, add a **Condition → Contact Property → Last Inbound Message Date is within 24 hours of now**.
2. If YES: **End workflow**.
3. If NO: continue to send.

Option A is simpler. Use it unless you need fine-grained control.

## Step 9: Wire the Re-Entry Rules

If the lead replies but doesn't buy, they should re-enter at Touch 3.

Create a second workflow:
1. Trigger: **Manual tag: `cadence-restart`**.
2. Immediately re-tag as `cadence-active` but skip to Touch 3 timing.
3. You (or your team) applies the `cadence-restart` tag after any live conversation that ends without a sale.

## Step 10: Publish

1. Toggle the workflow to **Publish** (top-right).
2. Test it: add the `cadence-active` tag to your own test contact. Verify Touch 1 arrives in 2 hours.
3. Real leads: start applying the tag to every unclosed lead going forward.

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## Bonus: The Long-Term Nurture

After Touch 5, if there was no reply and no book:
1. Auto-remove `cadence-active`.
2. Auto-add `cold-nurture`.
3. Second workflow triggered by `cold-nurture`: send 1 touch per month for 6 months. Simple check-in messages.

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## Common GHL Setup Mistakes

- **Don't skip the exit condition.** Sending Touch 5 to someone already in your calendar looks broken.
- **Don't send all 5 touches from the same channel.** Mix SMS and email for higher deliverability and open rates.
- **Don't leave the `[LINK]` in Touch 2 blank at go-live.** Have a real URL ready. Placeholder links get deleted by anti-spam filters.

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Ready to have us configure the entire cadence for you? Every BFM client's CRM ships with the 5-Touch Cadence pre-installed and wired to their tools. Book a Clarity Call at [/plan](/plan).