Sequences
Creating Your First Sequence
Creating a sequence in Dalil is straightforward, but understanding the interface and workflow ensures you build effective automations from the start.
This article walks you through naming your sequence, understanding the six main tabs, creating the sequence from scratch, and executing your first automation, all without code.
By the end, you'll have a working sequence ready to enroll contacts and begin automated outreach.
Naming your sequence
Before building, you need to give your sequence a clear, descriptive name.
The sequence name appears in:
Your Sequences list (when browsing all sequences)
Lead analytics and reports (when analyzing performance)
Workflow triggers (when connecting sequences to other automations)
Team communication (when discussing which sequences are running)
Best practices for sequence names
Clear and Specific
Use names that describe exactly what the sequence does. A team member should understand the sequence's purpose without needing additional context.
✅ Good names:
"Cold Outreach - SaaS CFOs - Q2 2024"
"Post-Demo Follow-up - 3 Day Series"
"Unresponsive Leads - Re-engagement Campaign"
"Enterprise Prospects - LinkedIn First Touch"
❌ Avoid:
"Sequence 1" (unclear)
"Outreach" (too generic)
"Test" (not descriptive)
"Untitled Campaign" (sounds unfinished)
Include Context
When possible, include:
Target audience (which prospect segment)
Sequence type (cold, warm, nurture, re-engagement)
Time frame (quarter, season, or campaign period)
This helps when you're scaling and running multiple sequences simultaneously. You can quickly scan your sequence list and know exactly what each one does.
Use Consistent Formatting
If your team uses a naming convention, follow it:
Use hyphens to separate segments: "Cold Outreach - SaaS CFOs - Q2 2024"
Use parentheses for details: "Post-Demo (Email First) - 7 Day Series"
Lead with the type: "Cold Outreach vs. Warm Follow-up vs. Nurture"
Consistency helps team members find sequences quickly and understand naming at a glance.
Understanding sequence status
As you create and manage sequences, you'll encounter different statuses.
Draft
When you first create a sequence, it exists in Draft status.
In Draft mode:
You can edit the sequence freely
Contacts cannot be enrolled
No automations are running
You can preview how it will work
The sequence does not consume any resources
Think of Draft as your design phase. Build, test, and refine before going live.
Published
Once you're confident in your sequence design, you Publish it.
Published sequences:
Are live and ready to accept enrollments
Run automations for enrolled contacts
Execute steps and conditions as designed
Generate analytics and performance data
Can be paused or disabled without losing data
Publishing is a one-way gate, once published, you can only go back by disabling the sequence.
However, you can publish back the sequence once the editing has been completed. (changes take effect for new contacts and ongoing steps).
Status indicator
In the Dalil interface, you'll see a status indicator near the Publish button:
Blue banner: "This sequence has not been published yet" – You're in Draft mode
Green indicator: "This sequence has been published" – Sequence is live
Understanding the six main tabs
The sequence interface is organized into six main tabs, each serving a specific purpose.
Tab 1: Editor
The Editor tab is where you design your sequence.
Here you'll:
Visualize your sequence flow (canvas)
Add steps and conditions (right panel)
Configure each step's messaging and timing
Connect nodes to build the automation logic
Preview message content in real-time
The Editor is the primary workspace. You'll spend most of your time here when building and refining sequences.
What you see:
Center canvas showing your sequence flow
Right panel with available step types (Email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, etc.)
Configuration panel when a step is selected
Preview panel showing how messages will appear
Tab 2: Leads
The Leads tab is where you manage which contacts are enrolled in the sequence.
Here you'll:
Import lead lists from your database
Bulk enroll contacts in the sequence
Enroll contacts via workflows
View active, paused, and soft-deleted leads
Monitor individual lead progress through the sequence
Add or remove leads as needed
The Leads tab has three sub-views:
Active Leads – Contacts currently enrolled and progressing
Paused Leads – Contacts temporarily paused (can be resumed)
Soft Deleted – Contacts removed from the sequence (not permanently deleted)
This tab is essential for controlling who gets enrolled and monitoring enrollment status.
Tab 3: Preview
The Preview tab shows you how your sequence will execute before publishing.
Here you can:
Test the sequence flow end-to-end
See step timing and conditional branching
Preview message content
Identify any gaps or issues in logic
Ensure everything works as expected
The Preview tab is your quality assurance checkpoint. Always preview before publishing a sequence you've spent time building.
Tab 4: Settings
The Settings tab contains global controls for how your sequence operates.
Here you'll:
Set rate limits (max emails, LinkedIn messages, WhatsApp messages per 24 hours)
Configure timezone handling (ensure messages send at appropriate local times)
Enable auto-launch (automatically enroll new leads)
Set priority for owner (who manages the sequence)
Configure tracking preferences (what gets tracked, what's private)
Choose reply-stop behavior (pause sequence if contact replies)
Settings apply to the entire sequence. Changes here affect all enrolled contacts.
Tab 5: Executions
The Executions tab (coming soon in some versions) will show real-time activity.
When available, you'll see:
Live execution logs as steps run
Timestamps for each action
Success/failure status for each execution
Individual contact progress
Debugging information if steps fail
This tab is valuable for troubleshooting and monitoring active sequences.
Tab 6: Analytics
The Analytics tab shows performance metrics and insights.
Here you can:
View funnel visualization (Contacted → Opened → Interactions → Answered → Interrupted)
See campaign statistics (total leads, messages sent, open rates, reply rates)
Analyze step-by-step performance
Track individual lead journeys
Identify which steps are working and which need improvement
Analytics are available only after contacts are enrolled and the sequence begins executing.
Creating a sequence from scratch
Now let's walk through creating your first sequence step-by-step.
Step 1: Navigate to sequences
From the main Dalil dashboard, click on the Sequences tab (or navigate via the sidebar).
You'll see your sequences list.
If this is your first sequence, the page will show "No sequences yet."
Step 2: Create new sequence
Click the Create sequence from Scratch button (or look for a + or Create button).
At the top left of the canvas, you'll see a text input box labeled "Name" with "Draft" status next to it.
Click on the name box and enter your sequence name (for example, "Cold Outreach - SaaS CFOs - Q2 2024").
Press Enter or click outside the box to save the name.
Step 3: You're now in Draft mode
After creating, you'll land in the Editor tab with a blank canvas.
You'll see:
A green Sequence Start node in the center
A right panel with available actions
Status indicator showing "This sequence has not been published yet"
A Publish button (greyed out until you add content)
Step 4: Add your first step
Click the + button below the Sequence Start node to add your first action.
A menu will appear asking you to choose a step type:
Send Email
LinkedIn Message
LinkedIn Connection
View LinkedIn Profile
WhatsApp Message
Create Task
Create Note
Send to Another Campaign
Trigger Workflow
For your first sequence, let's start with Send Email.
Click Send Email.
Step 5: Configure your email step
A configuration panel will appear on the right side with fields for:
From – Which email account(s) sends this
Subject Line – The email subject
Message Body – The email content
Timing – When to send (immediately or wait X minutes/hours/days)
Preview – Shows how the email looks
Understanding Email Sender Selection
The From field lets you choose which email account(s) send the email. If your workspace has multiple email accounts connected to Dalil, you can select one or multiple senders.
Dalil uses intelligent sender assignment based on CRM ownership:
If the record has an Owner – Dalil prioritizes sending the email from that owner's account. This ensures prospects hear from their assigned sales rep.
If the record has no Owner – Dalil randomly distributes the email among selected senders, balancing the load equally so no single account gets overwhelmed.
If you select multiple senders – Dalil uses the priority/random logic above to decide which sender account to use for each contact.
For example, if you select three email accounts (Sarah, Marcus, and Chen) and enroll 30 contacts:
Contacts with Sarah as Owner → sent from Sarah's account
Contacts with Marcus as Owner → sent from Marcus's account
Contacts with no Owner → randomly distributed among Sarah, Marcus, and Chen (approximately 10 each)
This ensures personalized sender assignment (owner priority) while preventing bottlenecks (random distribution for unassigned contacts).
Enter your subject line and message. You can use personalization tokens like {{firstName}} or {{company}} to customize each message.
Click Save when you're done.
Step 6: Add a second step (Optional)
To add another step, click the + button below the first step.
Choose another action; for example, Wait 2 days, then Send LinkedIn Message.
Configure this step the same way.
You can chain as many steps as you'd like, building a complete sequence flow.
Step 7: Add a condition (Optional)
For more advanced sequences, you can add branching logic.
Click the + button and instead of choosing an action, look for Condition.
Select a condition like "Has LinkedIn URL?"
This creates a decision point:
If Yes → Send LinkedIn Message
If No → Send Email Instead
Configure each branch accordingly.
Step 8: Preview your sequence
Before publishing, click the Preview tab to see your entire flow.
The preview shows:
All steps in order
Timing between steps
Conditional branches (Yes/No paths)
Overall flow logic
Variables of selected leads actually showing in the message
Check for any gaps or issues. Does the flow make sense? Are messages personalized? Is timing appropriate?
Step 9: Publish your sequence
Once you're confident, go back to the Editor tab and click the green Publish button.
A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Confirm to publish.
Status will change to "This sequence has been published."
Congratulations—your sequence is now live!
Step 10: Enroll contacts
There are multiple ways to enroll contacts into your sequence. Choose the method that fits your workflow.
Method 1: From the Leads Tab
Click the Leads tab in your published sequence
Click Import list from database or Import list from device
Select contacts from your Dalil database or upload a CSV file
Click Import People to enroll them
You can filter by:
Specific People records
Specific Pipeline records (enroll all opportunities in a particular stage)
Custom views or saved filters
Method 2: Bulk Action from CRM
Enroll contacts directly from the CRM without visiting the sequence:
Open the People or Opportunities entity
Select one or multiple records using checkboxes
Click Bulk Actions menu
Select Add to Sequence
Choose which sequence to enroll them in
Click Confirm
Contacts are immediately enrolled and begin executing the sequence.
Method 3: Automated Enrollment via Workflows
Create a Dalil Workflow that automatically enrolls contacts based on triggers:
Go to Workflows
Create a new workflow with a trigger (for example, "Opportunity stage updated to Discovery")
Add action: Enroll in Sequence and select your sequence
Publish the workflow
Now, whenever the trigger occurs (e.g., an opportunity moves to Discovery stage), contacts are automatically enrolled. This enables continuous enrollment without manual work.
Example workflows:
"When a contact replies to an email → Enroll in Follow-up Sequence"
"When an opportunity reaches Proposal stage → Enroll in Demo Sequence"
"When a new lead is created → Enroll in Welcome Sequence"
What Happens After Enrollment
Regardless of enrollment method, enrolled contacts will:
Immediately enter at the Sequence Start node
Begin executing steps based on your sequence design
Generate activity logs and analytics
Trigger conditions and branch accordingly
Continue through the sequence until completion or they stop responding
Understanding "Send immediately after enrollment"
One key concept to understand is "Send immediately after enrollment" timing.
When you create a step and set timing to "Send immediately after enrollment," this means:
The step executes as soon as the contact reaches that node
No delay occurs
The action (email send, LinkedIn message, etc.) happens instantly
Example:
Step 1: Send Email – "Send immediately after enrollment"
Contact enrolls → Email sends within seconds
This is different from "Wait X minutes/hours/days", which pauses before executing.
Example:
Step 1: Send Email – "Send immediately after enrollment"
Step 2: Wait 2 days, then Send LinkedIn Message
Contact enrolls → Email sends immediately → 2-day pause → LinkedIn message sends
Use "Send immediately" for first touches, and use delays for follow-ups to give contacts time to respond.
Understanding the sequence start node
The Sequence Start node is the entry point for all contacts.
Key things to know:
Every contact you enroll begins at Sequence Start
You cannot delete or modify this node
It always leads to your first step (or condition)
Multiple contacts can be enrolled at the same time and all start here
The Sequence Start node has no configuration—it's simply the beginning
Think of it as a universal entry door. No matter when or how a contact is enrolled, they always enter through this single point.
Why this matters
Creating your first sequence might feel like a lot of steps, but each one serves a purpose:
Naming clearly ensures team alignment and prevents confusion at scale
Understanding tabs lets you move between design, management, testing, and analysis efficiently
Previewing before publishing catches issues before they affect real contacts
Settings configuration ensures your sequence respects rate limits and compliance requirements
Clear timing ensures messages feel natural, not spammy
A well-built first sequence becomes a template for future sequences. You'll learn what works, what resonates, and how your audience responds—then apply those lessons to scale.
Key outcome
Creating a sequence in Dalil is a six-step process: name it, design it in the Editor, preview the flow, configure settings, publish it, and enroll contacts in the Leads tab.
Understanding the six main tabs—Editor, Leads, Preview, Settings, Executions, and Analytics—gives you full control over sequence design, enrollment, testing, configuration, monitoring, and performance analysis.
By following this workflow, you'll build effective sequences that automate coordinated outreach while maintaining compliance and respecting contact preferences.