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

December Is a Separation Month

Most orgs are easing back in today

Slack channels are quiet
Leaders “organizing their week”
Reps pretending they forgot how to dial

But here’s the thing nobody wants to admit

December isn’t a slow month…it’s an exposed month

It shows you who has a system… and who’s held together with duct tape and vibes

Pipeline doesn’t magically appear in January
It’s created by the operators who take the first 10 days of December seriously

If you lead a sales team… run enablement… own new business… or carry a bag yourself…this month is your cheat code

Less noise
More pickup
More planning
Easier conversations

Here are 3 plays your competitors won’t touch but the teams who run them lap the field

Let’s get into it

Play #1 | The “First 48 Hrs” Leadership Reset

Every leader walks into December with two problems

1. Reps think the month is already over

2. Leaders think planning ≠ selling

Here’s the move

Have each rep send you their “December 10 day plan” by EOD Tuesday

• Their top 30 accounts
• The 3 sequences they’ll run
• The objections they expect
• Their daily activity rhythm

Why it works?

• Forces reps into focused execution
• Creates clarity before the month gets away
• Lets you coach proactively not in panic mode on Dec 19

Great teams don’t “ramp into December”
They set the tone before lunch on Monday

Play #2 | The Q4 Relevance Outreach
(AE + SDR Joint Play)

December is when buyers finally say the quiet part

“I don’t want a meeting this year… but I will take context”

So here’s the outbound message that wins in December

“Saw your planning for Q1 want me to send the 2-3 patterns we’re seeing across teams in your space closing out the year?”

Why this hits?

• Zero pressure
• 100% relevance
• Speaks directly to planning season
• Opens a convo now → books the meeting for January

This works for AEs, SDRs, consultants, founders…anyone who sells into operators planning 2026

You’re not asking for time
You’re giving value that aligns with their actual calendar reality

Play #3 | The “December Priority” Call Opener (My personal favorite)

Most call openers get obliterated in December because buyers smell desperation a mile away

Use this instead

“Tom here.. calling ya about something that actually matters in December.. quick one for you…

They ALWAYS ask

“…okay what’s that?”

Congrats! You’re now in a real conversation

Why it works?

• You’re not begging
• You speak to the month they’re in
• You reset the power dynamic
• It positions you as someone who understands their world

This is how operators get real conversations in a month where everyone else makes excuses

Sponsor of the Week | Appy.AI

Alright this one is actually useful for the people reading this

A ton of you lead teams, run consulting shops, run enablement or have frameworks you’ve refined for years. Targeting, messaging, cold call coaching, onboarding flows, qualification models, objection work etc

But the bottleneck is always the same

“How do I package my expertise without building a full blown course or running 40 coaching calls a week?”

Appy.AI cracked that open

Here’s what it does

You talk for 2 mins → it builds an AI version of your method
Scripts, sequences, frameworks, pricing, checkout, support portal… the whole thing!

No code
No funnels
No landing pages
No “launch calendar”

Just record → done

I tested it by turning my outbound system into an AI coach and it worked so well it freaked me out a little

If you’ve got knowledge you want to scale, share internally, monetize or just get out of your head and into a usable format…

👉 Give Appy.AI a run

and here is mine I just built out - https://thesdlab.appy.ai/

This is one of those tools where 30 minutes of playing around with it = “oh damn… I get it”

Explore + Engage + Evolve

Your Inbound Funnel Is Probably Leaking (Fix This Before Q1)

Last week I broke down the #1 inbound problem I keep seeing across teams

Reps are doing work AI should be handling now

I unpacked the 3 part workflow I’m implementing with teams today

Act 1 | Instant Context
Instant enrichment → tech stack → trigger events → key personas
Your reps stop scrambling and start informed

Act 2 | Real Scoring
Not “hot lead” emojis… actual fit + timing scoring so reps stop chasing tire kickers

Act 3 | The Relevance Engine
Turns signals into talking points, a cold call opener and a 1st touch email that actually lands

Full deep dive here if you want the full blueprint
👉 https://www.spara.co/blog/zero-leak-inbound

Here’s the 1:44 clip so your team can steal the flow 👇

Books Worth Your December Desk Space

1️⃣ Profit-Generating Pipeline by Leslie Venetz

A USA Today Top 50 Bestseller and honestly one of the most practical outbound/leadership books released this year

Why your team will actually benefit from it
• Gives SDR leaders a clean, modern outbound system
• Helps you stop guessing and coach from a repeatable blueprint
• Shows managers how to build trust + consistency inside their team
• Perfect “level-up” resource going into Q1

Leslie builds outbound exactly how I believe outbound should be built…with clarity, trust, repeatability and zero theatrics

If your reps lack structure or your managers need a coaching backbone this will land

2️⃣ The Unapologetic Professional by Brianna Doe

This isn’t a “sales book”

It’s a career book for people who refuse to shrink themselves just to fit a mold

Why it hits for GTM operators
• Helps reps show up more confident + authentic on calls
• Helps managers lead without becoming corporate robots
• Helps founders stop shape shifting and start operating from clarity
• Amazing mindset reset as we walk into 2026

Brianna hits the stuff most GTM leaders avoid. Confidence, identity, voice and self leadership

If you want reps who show up with more presence on the phone (and in life) start here

December Kickoff Question

Before your team gets swallowed by EOY chaos ask them this

“What’s the ONE revenue producing activity we should over index on for the next 7 days?”

Not tasks
Not admin
Not “pipeline hygiene”

One thing that actually moves revenue

Then build your week around that answer

That’s how operators win December while everyone else is saying “eh let’s just start fresh in January.”

Tom’s Play of the Week

The “Calendar Flip” Message

Perfect for AEs, SDRs, consultants, solopreneurs anybody selling into operators right now

Drop this today

“Most teams are locking in their Q1 plans right now — want me to send the blind spots I’m seeing across outbound teams heading into January?”

Relevance
Low friction
Future focused

This line books calls

Use it

Black Friday Deals
Quiet Extension (Ends Tomorrow)

A few of you asked me to leave these open one more day
If it helps you or your team → take it
If not → skip it. No pressure

→ Annual Membership | $500 → $300 
(Code: BF300)

For leaders who want their team coached every week without paying $15K+ for a training program

Outbound Underground gives your reps
• Weekly skill sessions
• Live call coaching
• Templates, talk tracks, frameworks
• December Playbook Pack
• December Office Hours Bundle
• Tech perks (ConnectAndSell, Apollo, Sybill, Sendspark)

Why it matters to YOU
You get a stronger outbound motion without building everything yourself.
Your reps stop improvising and start executing a repeatable system

→ Monthly Membership | $50 → $35/mo
(Code: BF35)

For managers who want consistency without the annual commitment

Locked pricing for 12 months
Cancel anytime
Includes all the same perks as annual

Why it matters?

You can onboard 1–3 reps today and see if the system fits your org before rolling out more seats

→ Outbound OS | $100 → $49

For founders, AEs or SDR leads who want a plug-and-play outbound playbook they can execute tomorrow

Includes the 3-part outbound system I’ve used to generate $3M+ in pipeline

• Precision Targeting
• Messaging that drives curiosity
• Consistency + volume (the right kind)

Why it matters?

You get clarity fast
If your reps don’t have a process this gives them one instantly

→ Power Hour | $500 → $100

For leaders who want clarity NOW instead of spending December guessing

A 90-minute deep dive with me where we

• Rewrite messaging
• Fix your outbound motion
• Audit sequences
• Build your December plan
• Or solve your biggest GTM problem in real-time

Why it matters?

You leave with a clean plan, upgraded assets and zero confusion heading into Q1
(Reply “POWER HOUR” and I’ll hold a slot)

→ December Sprint Workshop | $2,000

For teams that want 10–15 SQLs in December instead of waiting for January

A focused 1 day team workshop where we build a December execution plan your reps can use by Friday

Why it matters?

Most teams coast in December
Yours won’t

This gives you a real competitive edge during the quietest month of the year
(Reply “WORKSHOP” for details)

Bottom Line

If you want your team to finish 2025 strong without burning budget on “big ticket enablement” these are some cost effective options

Closing Thoughts

December exposes consistency
Not talent
Not luck
Not tools

Consistency

While most teams spend the month “resetting” the top 10% use December to build the pipeline January depends on

I’ll be in the trenches this week…coaching, reviewing sequences, testing messaging and dialing with my SDR

Show up this week and you’ll separate from 90% of the field before they even realize the year changed

See you next Monday
Last month of the year
Let’s finish the job

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

- Tom Slocum ✌️

How can The SD Lab help you?

If your outbound pipeline is stuck we fix that

The SD Lab works with founders, sales leaders and enablement pros to install outbound systems that actually generate pipeline

Here’s how we help teams level up fast 👇

🚀 The Revenue Accelerator

2 to 12 week outbound consulting sprints for B2B orgs with 10–20+ reps

✅ Lift SQLs by 20–30%
✅ Coach reps with real call reviews + AI scorecards
✅ Rebuild outbound messaging + targeting
✅ Deliver a scalable system your team can own

👉 Best for: Series A-B SaaS orgs, new SDR teams, stalled pipeline

📓 Custom Sales Playbooks

4 to 8 week builds of cold call flows, email copy, objection handling and targeting strategy

You bring the ICP, we build the message and motion
Final asset = plug-and-play playbook your team can use or scale

👉 Best for: founders, enablement leaders, agencies building outbound

🎯 Targeted Workshops + Power Hours

Live tactical sessions for your team. No fluff, just results

💥 Cold call clinics
💥 Email teardown sessions
💥 Social selling & DM strategy
💥 SDR workflow optimization

👉 Best for: fast enablement, rep upskilling, team offsites or new hire ramp

🧠 Outbound Underground

Our private Slack community for reps & rising sellers

🔓 Weekly office hours
🔓 Tech tool perks
🔓 Peer feedback, templates and real talk

🎟️ Join here » — free & paid options available

Curious what this could look like for your org?
Book a 20 min strategy chat no pitch just clarity 👇

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