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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

The best SDR leaders I know right now aren’t waiting for permission
They’re building systems, testing tools and rewriting what frontline leadership looks like

You don’t need to be a VP to lead like one
You just need the right focus and a playbook that actually works

Last week I called out what modern SDR leaders are up against
This week? I’m giving you the playbook I wish someone handed me

This issue is that playbook

Not for reps
But for YOU

→ What great frontline managers are doing right now
→ How to coach smarter without burning out
→ Where AI fits (and where it doesn’t)
→ Why SDR Ops isn’t just a buzzword but your new edge

Lets rip 👇

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Main Play: The Modern SDR Leader Playbook

Most of the advice out there for SDR managers?
Written in 2019 🙄

→ Before AI
→ Before budget freezes
→  Before we started asking 1 manager to cover 8 reps, 6 tools and 0 real enablement

So let’s talk about what leadership actually looks like in 2025

This is what I’ve seen working
This is what I’ve been doing
and if I was running a team today this is the playbook I’d run👇

1. Coach like a peer not a boss
Your reps don’t need a cheerleader
They need someone who can jump in the seat and show them how it’s done

What that looks like

• Jumping on a call block yourself

• Reviewing raw recordings not call summaries

• Giving feedback they can use in the next 15 minutes not 15 days later

2. Coach with AI not around it
If you're still doing call reviews manually you're wasting time

What I do

• Drop the transcript into Sybill or Fathom

• Run quick prompts to surface the gaps

• Layer your judgment on top (AI doesn't coach you do)

Try these

→  “Where did the rep lose momentum and how could they have turned it around?”
→ “What objections were handled poorly or missed completely”

3. Own the stack like a RevOps apprentice
You don’t need to be a spreadsheet junkie but you better know what’s helping and what’s in the way

This week? Run a quick audit

• What tools are actually being used?

• What’s slowing reps down?

• What can you cut, combine or upgrade?

Bonus move: Bring 1 idea to leadership this week like a product manager would

4. Teach your reps to self-assess
You want leverage? Build reps that don’t rely on you for every single answer

Start here

• Make them listen to their own calls before your 1:1

• Have them fill out a coaching checklist

• Ask them: “What would you coach yourself on?”

That’s when the learning sticks

5. Build enablement from the inside
Don’t have an enablement team? Cool, you’re it now 🤷‍♂️

And if you’ve got a rep who’s process oriented and tech savvy?
Promote them into an SDR Ops Manager

What they own

• Sequences + messaging

• Tool workflows

• Call coaching support

• Data hygiene + reporting

I had this exact role in 2019
Back then we didn’t even have a name for it

Now?
With AI, lean teams and rising expectations?

This isn’t a nice-to-have
It’s the backbone of high performing teams

You don’t need more reps
You need reps that are better coached, better equipped and better supported by you

That’s the work and that’s the edge

You’ve got the playbook now let’s give you a few more levers to pull this week 👇

Explore. Engage. Evolve.

🎥 Video of the Week: Nooks AI Roleplay Challenge

This wasn’t just a stunt but a reminder that reps need more reps and most teams aren’t practicing enough

I faced off with a VP named Jim Hardass while eating Nooks ghost pepper hot sauce 🌶️
Held the frame. Fumbled the close. Learned a lot

If you want your team to sound sharper when it matters most this is the kind of training that actually works

Watch the clip and steal the format for your next team session 🤙

📚 Book of the Week – B2B Influencer Marketing by Nick Bennett
Want to see how modern GTM leaders are partnering with creators to drive real pipeline?
Nick breaks it down with examples from companies like Dell and Spotify

It’s not just a marketing book but a blueprint for building brand authority and trust in a world where people buy from people

If you’ve ever thought about launching a creator strategy or testing brand partnerships like I did this week with Lemlist and Trupeer start here.

Big congrats to Nick on publishing this one. Proud of you my guy 💪

Bonus Sales Tactics 🤑

1. Self-Coaching Prompts That Actually Work
Don’t wait until your 1:1 to surface coaching moments
Send these before the call

→ “What moment on your last call made you feel unsure or caught off guard?”
→ “Where do you think you lost momentum?”
→ “What would you coach yourself on if you were the manager?”

Reps won’t grow until they learn how to assess themselves 😎 

2. AI Sequence Checkpoint
Your messaging is part of your team’s daily workflow don’t let it go stale

Drop one of your active sequences into ChatGPT and ask

→ “Where in this sequence would a skeptical buyer tune out?”
→“What lines feel too generic or soft?”

Then revise with your team. Make it a shared learning moment not just a top down edit

3. Build an SDR Ops Layer Inside Your Team
If you don’t have enablement? Make it

Identify your most process minded SDR and level them up to SDR Ops Lite
Have them own

• Dialer config + call routing

• Sequence QA + reply audits

• Email infra health + warmups

• Tool usage reporting

Give them 1 hour a week to go deep. You’ll instantly spot what’s working and where reps are getting slowed down

Small investment
Big leverage 💪 

This past week I launched a new client, dialed in West Monroe’s outbound flow and landed brand deals with Lemlist and Trupeer after outbounding 15 companies in 5 days

Why am I telling you that?

Because I’m doing what you’re doing

→ Building while coaching
→ Selling while leading
→ Testing tools while protecting the team

There’s no clean job description for this version of SDR leadership but that’s okay

You don’t need permission to lead. Just a process, some guts and a team that’s watching how you move

So go build it
Refine it
and share what works

Let’s get after it this week

Tom 🤙

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

- Tom Slocum ✌️

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