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- The SDR Role 2.0
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
This Week’s Big Idea: The SDR Role 2.0
Be real with me…
Does your SDR team feel stuck in “spray-and-pray” mode?
Dial counts over conversations?
Open rates over replies?
That old playbook is toast 😆
and here’s why I care about this topic: I’ve lived it!
I’ve been in the game since 2007
Carried full-cycle quota until 2015
Then I went all-in on the SDR path → Rep → Manager → Director → VP of Sales
I’ve run SDR communities before (and I’m running one again)
I even served as VP of Sales for an SDR bootcamp program
Point is → I’ve been in the trenches “
I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly of this role
So when I talk about the SDR Role 2.0 this isn’t theory
This is my take from 15+ years in the arena
If I were in your shoes today? I’d be doing everything I could to make sure my SDRs aren’t just clicking buttons, running templated sequences and missing quota
I’d be building reps who are evolving, adapting and staying in the game
That’s what this issue is about 👇
Lemlist - my 90 day pressure test (snapshot)
I ran Lemlist like a real team would. LinkedIn-first outreach, enrichment/verification, conditional flows and a few AI assists. Three months, multiple campaigns, tried to break it
What I tested
LinkedIn + email in a single sequence with branch logic
Waterfall enrichment/verification for clean lists
AI help for first-pass copy and variables
Routing that moves replies to meetings and non-buyers to nurture
What happened in my run
3,834 contacts enriched, 2,640 valid
2.6% invalid (deliverability stayed clean)
20%+ replies, 16%+ “interested”
$51K in pipeline tied to Lemlist
Who should look at this
Sales leaders with 5–15 SDRs who want fewer tools and cleaner handoffs
Founders/lean teams who need mailboxes + multichannel without duct tape
If you want to sanity check your stack run a 14 day trial and measure replies and meetings not opens
Here’s the truth → the role isn’t dying but the lazy version of it is
The reps who treat this job like button clicking, templated sequences and chasing dials for the leaderboard? They’re cooked
The reps who treat it like training camp for the Navy SEALs of sales? They’re the ones evolving into tomorrow’s AEs, leaders and pipeline assassins
Here’s how I’d build SDR 2.0 if I were in your shoes today
1. Quality > Quantity (Tech + Process)
Stop glorifying dial counts and “activity”
👉 I’d invest in tools that let reps target smarter (Apollo, Surfe, Smartlead, Lemlist)
👉 I’d set a process where 50 high quality touches → outperform 500 generic ones
👉 Train reps to do quick hit research (2–3 insights max) not write college essays
2. Own the First 30 Seconds (Training + Coaching)
SDRs don’t fail because they can’t pitch. They fail because they don’t frame the convo
👉 I’d run weekly call coaching sessions. One strength + one growth area. Always
👉 Drill the open: curiosity > pitch. “Hey [Name] quick q are you the one handling X or should I speak with someone else?”
👉 Give them Navy SEAL level reps on objection handling until it’s muscle memory
3. SDRs = Mini-Marketers (System + Culture)
The best SDRs don’t just send emails. They run multi-channel plays: call, email, LinkedIn, video, content
👉 I’d train them to think like marketers: how do I get attention, build familiarity and create trust?
👉 Give them tools like Sendspark (video), LinkedIn voice notes (Lemlist) and content snippets they can drop into conversations
👉 Build a culture where they’re creators of pipeline not “appointment setters”
4. Navy SEAL Standards (Discipline + Consistency)
Reps thrive when expectations are clear
👉 I’d set micro-goals weekly (ex: “pause 2 seconds longer on calls” or “comment on 3 ICP posts daily”)
👉 I’d hold them accountable in 1:1s. Track progress. Celebrate small wins
👉 Treat this role as a launchpad not a burnout pit
The result?
You don’t just get reps booking meetings. You get pipeline strategists who carry your top of funnel, make your AEs lives easier and grow into the next wave of GTM leaders
That’s SDR Role 2.0
Explore. Engage. Evolve.
🎥 Video of the Week: Is the SDR Dead? The Rise of AI and Channel Strategies
I know the title’s spicy but the breakdown is on point. This video rips into why the old school SDR model (100 calls, templated emails, pray for pipeline) is broken and what’s actually working now with AI and multichannel plays
If you’re still measuring success by “how many dials did we make today?” this will hit you right between the eyes
👉 I shared this with a client last week and it flipped the light bulb on why their connect rate was stuck under 3%
📚 Book of the Week: The Sales Development Playbook by Trish Bertuzzi
This book is still the bible for SDR structure. Yes it came out a few years back but the fundamentals are timeless: team design, process, scaling.
I leaned heavy on this back when I was building my first SDR team as a Manager → Director → VP. It gave me a foundation to scale reps the right way instead of just burning them out
👉 If you’re serious about building SDR 2.0s who are more pipeline strategists than button pushers this is the blueprint
👉 Sponsored Webinar: Common Room
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If you’re running GTM or RevOps this one’s worth showing up for! I will def be tuning in myself! See you there 💪
Bonus Sales Tactics 🤑
If you want your reps evolving into SDR 2.0s they can’t just hammer one channel. They need smart, simple plays that stack. Here are 3 you can test this week
1. The 3-Touch Refresh (Classic but sharp)
Day 1 - Call: Lead with curiosity. “Hey [Name] quick question do you handle X or should I speak with someone else?”
Day 2 - Email: Drop one sharp insight (2 sentences max)
Day 4 - LinkedIn: Engage with their content before sending a short note.
👉 Builds familiarity across channels without burning reps or your list
2. The Objection Flip (Turn “not interested” into a convo)
Call: Prospect says “not interested”? Train reps to respond “Totally fair can I just ask are you not interested because of timing or fit?”
Follow Up Email: Reference that objection directly “You mentioned timing was tough. I’ll circle back in Q4 here’s a resource in the meantime”
👉 Instead of treating “no” as the end reps use it as intel
3. The Micro-Content Drop (Mini-marketer mode)
LinkedIn: SDR comments on 2–3 of the prospect’s posts before outreach
Email: Send a quick, relevant link (case study, blog or even a video from your AE) with no ask attached
Call: Reference both touchpoints “I shared that [case study] earlier this week curious how you all handle X today?”
👉 Positions SDRs as connectors, not spammers
⚡ These aren’t just “templates.” They’re ways to train your SDRs to think like strategists instead of button-pushers. Exactly what SDR 2.0 is all about
🌐 Outbound Underground
Four weeks in… and we just crossed 100+ members inside Outbound Underground 🎉
The vibe has been unreal. Reps dropping call recordings. Managers tearing down sequences. Leaders sharpening outbound in real time
And now we’ve got a mini tech enablement kit backing the crew
ConnectAndSell ⚡
Sybill 🎧
Expandi 🔗
Sendspark 🎥
…with Apollo + LeadLabs circling in this week
This isn’t theory. It’s SDRs, managers and founders in the trenches together getting sharper every single week
👉 It’s free to join (or $50/month, $500/year if you want in deeper)
Bring your team. Drop in your bottom performers or come hang yourself if you’re a founder who wants to stay sharp
We’ve got it covered you just need to show up
👉 Come join us here https://www.thesdlab.com/outboundunderground
🧠 Final Thought
I’ve been around long enough to see SDRs written off more times than I can count and every time the role doesn’t die it evolves
The teams who win are the ones giving reps room to sharpen their skills, think strategically and actually own pipeline impact
➡️ The future SDR isn’t a button clicker or a dial machine
They’re a pipeline strategist - disciplined, creative and built for the long game
And if you’re leading them? Your job isn’t to keep them busy
It’s to make them dangerous
🤙
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
Curious what this could look like for your org?
Book a 20 min strategy chat no pitch just clarity 👇