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Welcome to the GTM Launchpad newsletter! Each week I will share a sales play to help you grow your business, level up your sales game and succeed in the trenches

Most teams are off today but if you’re reading this you’re probably one of the ones still thinking about how to finish Q2 strong

Maybe you’ve got a couple reps underperforming
Maybe you’ve got a few stuck deals
Maybe you’re just trying to squeeze momentum out of a short week

Whatever it is this issue’s for you

No fluff
No forced motivation

Just

→ A method to coach objections that actually works
→ A framework to help your reps stay in the call when it gets messy
→ And a few levers to help you lead better from the middle

Lets rip it 👇

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🔥 How to Coach the Moment That Costs You the Deal

(and why “overcoming objections” isnt the goal anymore)

You know what breaks most cold calls?

Not the opener

It’s the middle when the rep finally gets a human on the line, sparks interest…
…and then folds the second they hear

→ “Not interested”
→ “Just send me something”
→ “Now’s not a good time”

Its not a script problem. Its a reflex problem

Reps don’t need more rebuttals they need a way to stay in the conversation naturally, confidently and without sounding like a sales robot right?

Well that’s where R.I.S.E. comes in 👇

The R.I.S.E. Framework

Rapport → Inquire → Solve → Engage

Its not a gimmick

Its how your rep buys themselves one more honest line of dialogue

Let’s break it down in plain English

🟡 Rapport – Match energy. Call out what’s real

This isn’t “how’s your day?”
It’s:

“Totally hear you sounds like you’ve got a lot in motion especially with the new reps onboarding and the tools coming in makes sense”

You're not pushing you're leveling with them

🟡 Inquire – Get curious genuinely

You're not trying to sneak around the objection you're trying to learn something

Try:

“Out of curiosity what has actually been rising to the top lately? Ive been hearing [pain 1] [pain 2] [pain 3] a lot. Any of those same for you?

🟡 Solve – Share a quick, true story not a pitch

“Funny enough I just worked with a sales org in your exact seat. They were struggling to get reps to actually adopt the new tool. We ran hands on training sessions across two weeks - live reps, live workflows and by the end they’d book 5 more meetings per rep. They finally unlocked the value they bought the tool for”

Its not about hype. It’s about “here’s how we helped someone like you fix this”

🟡 Engage – Make the ask lightly

“Would it be wild to pencil in a 30 minute chat next week? Worst case? You get a few tactical ways to speed up adoption. Best Case? It fits and we fix it together. Sound fair?”

Why This Works

Because real objections aren’t barriers. They’re buy signals wrapped in fear, time pressure or past scar tissue

and your reps need to learn to stay in it not overcome it 😎 

Coach It Like This

1. Pick one call this week where the rep got hit with “not interested”

2. Have them write out the R.I.S.E. version of how they could’ve stayed in it

3. Roleplay it back in their voice, their tone, their words

4. Send them the R.I.S.E. PDF and tell them try it 3x this week

This is how you build confidence
This is how you make objection handling feel real again
and this is how you flip a cold shoulder into a booked meeting 💪 

Download the R.I.S.E. Guide (PDF)

Explore. Engage. Evolve.

🎥 Video of the Week – “Steal This Cold Calling Framework to Book 2–3x More Meetings”

Jason Bay joined Chris Bussing to break down his “Reason to Meet” strategy, how AI is shifting outbound and what makes messaging actually land

It’s another practical framework you can steal for your team especially helpful if your reps are booking interest but struggling to lock down next steps 👇

📚 Book of the Week – The JOLT Effect by Matthew Dixon & Ted McKenna

Want your reps to win in high stakes moments? This book is all about overcoming indecision not objections

Its one of the best resources for coaching deals that stall or prospects that ghost IMO.
Perfect for this end of month sprint when buyers start getting “shaky” 😎 

Bonus Sales Tactics 🤑

1. Objection Tape Swap
Pick one common objection (ex “not a priority”)
Ask 3 reps to drop real call clips where they faced it
Then run a 15 minute coaching breakdown

→ What worked?
→ What missed?
→ How would you R.I.S.E. it next time?

Peer led. No judgment. Just pattern recognition 💪 

2. Story Library Sprint 🗂️
Reps handle objections better when they’ve got real stories to pull from

This week build a lightweight objection to story matrix

Ask each rep to write out

→ 1 short win story for “bad timing”
→ 1 for “already using a vendor”
→ 1 for “not interested”

Use this conversational format to guide them

“Totally get that honestly someone just like you over at [company] felt the same way it wasn’t a priority at first but once they [key action] things started to shift.

After working with us they [clear result] and that helped them finally [business outcome that matters]”

Collect them in a shared doc or Slack thread. Review them as a team then challenge reps to use one live this week

3. R.I.S.E. Challenge Comp 💥
It’s the last week of the month and time to sprint

Run a team wide comp this week
→ Reps roleplay your top 3 objections
→ Then hit live dials using R.I.S.E.
→ Any rep who sends in a recording where they handle the objection and book the meeting? Wins the prize

Extra points if they use the R.I.S.E. method
No better way to end the month than rewarding grit and execution right?

This past week I ran a live objection session with Sales Assembly
One rep ran a play live during the session… and DM’d me the next day saying he booked a meeting using it. That’s the game

→ Not theory
→ Not templates
→ Just better conversations

So if this short week feels a little chaotic don’t overthink it

Help your reps own the moment
Coach the calls that matter
and if nothing else?

Use R.I.S.E. once this week and see what happens

Lets get after it

— Tom 🤙

Thanks for reading. See you again next week at 8 am MST!

- Tom Slocum ✌️

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