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

Before we get into the 2026 GTM Playbook… let me start with something real

This last week kinda beat my ass

My wife and I got rear ended at a red light
We spent hours in doctors offices trying to figure out what was going on with our necks and heads
Insurance calls… rental cars… the whole nine

In the middle of that chaos I also launched a new partnership with Expandi, recorded the first episode of a new podcast (“Cheer Dad Unfiltered”), coached my SDR, helped teams tighten messaging and tried to stay present with my family

and somewhere between the chiropractor, a Zoom call and a late night writing session….something clicked

Not business wise
Not “strategy wise”
Tom-wise

I realized I’d been trying to show up like “polished CEO Tom”… when the people who follow me actually want the real Tom

the homie
the operator
the dude in the trenches
the guy who’s lived the mistakes not just read about them

So today’s issue is coming from that version of me! The one who’s in the arena with you not performing above you

Because here’s the truth most people won’t say out loud

December isn’t a quiet month….it’s a revealing month

Most orgs are easing back in today
Slack channels are quiet
Leaders are “organizing their week”
Reps are moving in slow motion

Meanwhile the teams who win Q1 are already sharpening their systems

Pipeline doesn’t magically appear in January
It comes from the operators who use the first 10 days of December with intention

Less noise
More pickup
More planning
Cleaner conversations

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

So instead of giving you fluffy predictions for 2026 I’m giving you the 5 part GTM Playbook operators MUST fix before January

Let’s get into it

Here’s what I’m seeing across the teams I’m coaching right now
the same 5 gaps showing up over and over again

Fix these before January…
and 2026 gets a whole lot easier

THE GTM PLAYBOOK FOR 2026
WHAT OPERATORS MUST FIX BEFORE JANUARY

Play #1 | Fix Your Targeting Before You Touch Messaging

Alright let’s start with the thing almost every team gets wrong

Most leaders think they have a messaging problem
But nine times out of ten?
They have a who-the-hell-are-we-actually-going-after problem

Here’s the pattern I keep seeing across dozens of teams

• ICP is vague

• Personas are 2 years outdated

• Trigger events aren’t defined

• Reps default to “spraying” because nobody gave them permission to be precise

2026 will punish teams who try to “personalize everything” and reward teams who simply choose better targets

The fix
Before your team sends a single email tomorrow tighten these four things

1. The 3 personas that actually convert

2. The 5 trigger events that signal timing

3. A list of the top 20 accounts per rep for December

4. A fresh understanding of the problems buyers care about now

Dial this in and your messaging gets sharper without changing a single word

and speaking of messaging…

Play #2 | Audit Your Messaging for “Desperation Language”

If targeting is the foundation…messaging is the frame
and December exposes every crack

Buyers don’t respond well to

“Circling back…”
“Just bumping this up…”
“Any update here?”
“Do you have 15 minutes?”

You can feel the quota pressure in every syllable

2026 messaging needs to be

• clean

• relevant

• human

• light

• pressure free

Here’s the line I’m giving every team right now

“Seeing a few patterns across outbound teams closing out the year want me to send the 2–3 that might apply to you?”

Curiosity > coercion
Context > calendar ask

and once your messages hit better…
the next bottleneck shows up - the call opener

Play #3 | Fix Your Call Opener (Most Teams Are Using the Wrong One)

You can have great targeting and strong messaging…
but if your reps open calls like it’s 2019 it all falls apart fast

December buyers aren’t taking pity calls
They will take relevance calls

Most openers fail because they’re:

• too soft

• too needy

• too generic

• too long

• or too fake

Here’s the opener that’s winning across teams right now

“Tom here… calling you about something that actually matters in December got 10 seconds?”

They always say

“…okay what’s that?”

It works because it acknowledges the month, resets the tone and signals you’re not there to waste time

and once reps start having better conversations…
you see the next weak link: handoffs

Play #4 | Get Your SDR–AE Handoff Out of Chaos Mode

This one is the silent deal killer

A sloppy handoff can erase all the good work your SDR did and force your AE to restart the entire conversation

Buyers want simple, smooth transitions

• Clear recap

• Why this matters now

• What they asked for

• What happens next

• Zero “homework”

Here’s the exact handoff note I teach

SDR → AE Handoff Note

• The problem they mentioned

• Why now

• The trigger you spotted

• What they asked for

• The next step you recommend

This turns a cold meeting into a warm continuation not a reset

and once this is clean?
You’re ready for the most important part of December…

Play #5 | Build January Pipeline BEFORE January Starts

This is the difference between operators and everyone else

Most teams walk into January “warming up”
Operators walk in already moving

Here’s the system I’m running with every client this month

1. The “Top 40” Focus List

Every rep picks 40 accounts that matter. Nothing else gets their attention

2. The 3 Sequence December Sprint

Three simple, high output sequences

• relevance

• trigger-based

• referral request

3. The 12-Day Call Rhythm

December has predictable pickup windows
Hit them with intention → January becomes easy

When you layer these five plays together you start to see exactly where the gaps really live…

and that’s why the next part actually matters
Because the truth is most teams know these plays…
they just don’t have a system that keeps everything connected

Which brings me to this week’s sponsor and honestly one of the few tools that actually helps untangle the GTM chaos

Sponsor of the Week - ZoomInfo GTM Workspace

Most GTM teams are running their motion across

spreadsheets
Slack threads
random dashboards
tribal knowledge
one-off docs
tools that don’t talk to each other

It’s duct tape… disguised as “process”

ZoomInfo’s GTM Workspace is the first thing I’ve seen that actually brings the entire GTM system into one place! Where the plays above stop living in theory and start living in the reps workflow

Here’s what teams unlock when they use it

• ICP + personas + triggers → all defined in one workspace

• Enrichment + context delivered to reps automatically

• Scoring that actually reflects fit + timing (not guesses)

• Outbound plays built FROM the data layer (not outside it)

• Leadership visibility without 14 tabs open

If you want January to feel predictable instead of “we’ll see what happens” this is the kind of infrastructure that gets you there

👉 https://www.zoominfo.com/gtm-workspace

Alright now let’s zoom back out of the systems level and into a few things I’ve been hands on with this week…

Explore. Engage. Evolve.

If you want something real to throw on during a commute this week… check out my new episode with Will Padilla

We went deep on identity, pressure, purpose and why so many of us end up building careers based on what other people think we should do instead of what actually lights us up. It’s one of the most honest conversations I’ve had on a mic

Spotify link → https://open.spotify.com/episode/4BkljOnm20hnc9bBmY2Vhk?si=o9_YuQ3-SkSAj_twn_m6Pg

(You’ll feel this one. Promise)

and if you want to level up your GTM brain… the Midnight to Millions replay library is officially live

Scott Leese, Sell Better and a ridiculous lineup of operators ran 24 hours straight of actionable sessions! Outbound, enablement, RevOps, AI, mindset, everything.
Think of it as a December fuel tank

Replay link: https://www.midnight-to-millions.com/#watch-replay

Pick one session
Bring one tactic back to your team
That’s it

Last one… a small but powerful exercise I’ve been using with leaders this week

Ask every rep

“What's one thing you learned this year that you never want to repeat?”

It opens up cleaner coaching conversations than any KPI meeting ever will

Great way to close out the month with clarity

Tom’s Play of the Week
The Two-Tab Test (and What To Say Next)

If you only run ONE thing with your reps this week make it this

Most leaders will spend December “reviewing” instead of actually coaching and that’s why January always feels like a cold start

This fixes that

The Move

Ask every rep to send you two screenshots before noon today

Tab 1: Their Top 20 accounts
Tab 2: Their last 3 days of outbound activity

Put them side-by-side

This gives you a crystal clear X-ray of whether your reps are

• targeting with intention

• taking meaningful action

• or hiding behind “busy work”

But here’s the part nobody teaches…what to actually SAY once you see the gaps
This is the coaching language that changes behavior without killing morale

What to Say Depending on What the Tabs Reveal

1️⃣ If the account list is strong but the activity is chaotic
→ “You’re Thinking, Not Executing”

Say this

“Your list is strong. The strategy is there
Now we just need your actions to match it
Pick 5 accounts from that list and run a focused sprint this afternoon
Momentum is the goal not perfection”

Why this works
Removes overwhelm. Reps feel directed not judged

2️⃣ If activity is high but the account list makes no sense
→ “You’re Working Hard, Not Smart”

Say this

“I love the effort seriously
Now let’s channel that energy toward higher fit accounts
Pull your touches off low fit targets and redirect that same hustle into your Top 30”

Why this works
Affirms their motor while tightening their aim

3️⃣ If BOTH tabs are messy → “Let’s Reset, Not Shame”

Say this

“No stress this is exactly why we’re looking at this now instead of January
Let’s rebuild your list together and tighten your workflow for the next 7 days
You’ll feel back in control faster than you think”

Why this works
Builds psychological safety. Prevents shutdown

4️⃣ If BOTH tabs are clean → “Build January Now”

Say this

“This is strong. You’re ahead of the pack
Now let’s turn December into your January advantage
Pick your top 10 accounts and run relevance plays starting today”

Why this works
High performers need acceleration not gold stars

How to Close Every Conversation (Use This Line)

End every coaching touchpoint with

“Cool we’ve got clarity
Run this for 3 days and we’ll review together
Progress not perfection”

This gives your reps structure without pressure the perfect December combo

Why This Play Wins

Most leaders coach concepts in December
Operators coach behavior

This play gives you

• instant clarity

• instant accountability

• instant momentum

and best of all?

Your reps feel supported not inspected

Run this tomorrow
Watch your whole team tighten up by Wednesday

Alright that’s the play
Simple, human, effective
Exactly the kind of stuff that actually moves revenue when everyone else is packing it in

Now let me land this plane with something I’ve been sitting with all week…

If there’s one thing this past week reminded me of between the accident, the calls, the doctors offices, the Zooms, the launches, the coaching and the little moments of clarity

It’s this

December doesn’t reward the smartest teams
It rewards the steady ones

The ones who show up even when the week punches them in the mouth
The ones who tighten screws instead of making excuses
The ones who use the chaos as a mirror instead of a reason to drift

Because at the end of the day

Consistency > talent
Clarity > motivation
Systems > vibes

Most teams are about to coast for the next 3 weeks
Yours doesn’t have to

If you

• show up with intention

• clean up the cracks

• build January now

…you’ll separate from 90% of the field before they even realize the calendar flipped

I’ll be right there with you this week. Coaching my SDR, running plays with clients, staying present with my family, healing up, doing the work

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

Tom 🤙 

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

- Tom Slocum ✌️

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