The five most common: audience too broad, opener about you instead of them, too many CTAs, giving up too early (or persisting too long), and ignoring the data in the sequence report.
Audience too broad
Sequences "to everyone in the ICP" underperform sequences to a specific segment with a specific angle. Narrower audience + sharper message beats broader audience + generic message, always.
Self-centered openers
"We are a leading platform that..." gets deleted. Openers about the prospect's situation — their signal, their stack, their likely pain — earn the read. Audit your openers: count the "we"s.
CTA problems
One clear, low-friction CTA per message. "Worth a look?" outperforms "Can we schedule a 30-minute demo Tuesday or Thursday?" early in a sequence. Escalate CTA weight as engagement builds.
Wrong persistence
Under 4 touches leaves replies on the table (most replies come on touches 2–4). Past 8 touches on a silent prospect burns reputation. The 4–6 touch band is right for volume motions.
