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

We're officially knee deep in Q3

You’re not imagining it

A massive shift is happening in outbound and it’s hitting SDR teams first

36% of B2B companies cut SDR headcount this year (source: SaaStr)
But the top performing teams? They’re adapting fast

This week’s issue is all about

• What’s really driving the SDR shake up

• Tactical moves you can make right now to stay ahead

• And how to lead through this moment without losing your team

Let’s break it down 👇

Sponsor of the Week - Smartlead

We send 100K+ cold emails a month at The SD Lab across SaaS, manufacturing and HR tech

Deliverability used to be our biggest headache

Spam filters
Burned domains
Wasted effort

Then we switched to Smartlead
Now we’re benching it against Instantly and it’s holding its own

Here’s what’s impressed me

✅ SmartWarmups - AI powered warmups with 25k+ mailboxes keeping us out of spam
✅ SmartServers - Dedicated infrastructure = no shared rep issues, no blacklists
✅ Global Analytics (new) - One dashboard to track everything
✅ CRM Beta - Reps can now run full cycles without leaving the platform

Bonus: they’ve got a 14-day free trial to see for yourself
Plans start at $39/month so it works for solo SDRs and scale up teams alike

👉 Start Your Free Trial with Smartlead 

Build your deliverability first outbound engine 🤙 

What’s going on

Outbound isn’t dead
But bad outbound is

And unfortunately bloated teams, low quality outreach and misaligned KPIs have made SDRs an easy target during budget reviews

Executives are asking

• “Why are we sending 1,000 emails a week for 5 calls?”

• “What’s our CAC from ound vs. inbound?”

• “Can AI do this faster and cheaper?”

So what happens next that winning teams are doing differently

Here’s what we’re seeing in high output, low count teams

1. Shifting KPIs from volume → quality

• 30% contact rate

• 9%+ meeting conversion

• Shorter ramp time, tighter messaging, stronger feedback loops

2. AI + SDR = Force multiplier

AI isn’t replacing your reps it’s making them 3x better
Top tools are being used for

• Prioritizing leads based on intent

• Personalizing cold emails instantly

• Coaching reps post-call with actual insight

The result: fewer reps, more productive reps

3. Blending roles & building RevOps muscle

Sales leaders are re-scoping SDR roles to overlap with

• CS (handoffs)

• AE shadowing (upskilling)

• Marketing (intent data feedback)

Outbound is becoming less siloed just more strategic

Explore. Engage. Evolve.

📺 Explore: SDRs 2.0: The evolution of outbound sales in an AI‑first world

This great video dives into how SDR roles are being reshaped by AI, personalization at scale and smarter prospecting tactics perfect for your Q3 AI + SDR theme

How to use it: Embed and break it into a 60‑90‑second clip then host a brief discussion or analysis around

• Which AI-first SDR tactics resonate with your team?

• How can managers scaffold coaching on new workflows?

📚 Engage: The Transparent Sales Leader by Todd Caponi

This book shows how leaders can build high performing SDR and sales teams through sincerity, analytics and structured transparency. Strong focus on trust, accountability, and people first leadership

Why it’s relevant now

• Aligns with Q3 headcount pressure - how transparency builds engagement and retention

• Integrates well with your AI/disruption theme: it balances tech
with trust driven leadership.

• Featured in the 2025 curated book lists for sales leaders

Grab the Book →

Bonus Sales Tactics 🤑

• Audit your current SDR workflow
  Where are reps spending time on low-leverage tasks?
  

• Pick 1 AI tool to test
  Start small: Apollo’s new AI email writer, Smartlead, Common Room etc
  

• Shift one KPI to be outcome based
  Ex: Instead of “100 activities/day” track meetings held per active sequence
  

• Talk to your team
  Give reps a clear picture of where the role is headed and how they can stay relevant

One idea to steal

Equip them don’t eliminate them

That’s it for this week

Keep adapting
Keep evolving

The SDR role isn’t dying it’s transforming

See you in the next drop

— Tom, your sales homie

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

- Tom Slocum ✌️

Step Into The Lab

If you’re tired of spinning your wheels on outbound and need a real sales engine that drives results The SD Lab is built for you

Here’s how we help B2B orgs and SDR teams level up fast ⤵️

1️⃣ Outbound done-for-you – We handle your outbound lead gen booking up to 10-20+ sales qualified meetings a month so your team focuses on closing not chasing. We provide the talent, the tech stack and a process that works

2️⃣ The Revenue Accelerator – 8-12 week consulting, enablement & sales training program built for orgs and sales teams that want to

✅ Book more sales qualified meetings (20-30% lift in SQLs)
✅ Close more deals (better handoffs = better conversions)
✅ Sharpen their process (cold calls, email, social, all dialed in)

3️⃣ Custom Sales Playbooks – Need a structured sales game plan? We’ll build you a tailored playbook in 45-60 days that fits your ICP, messaging and outbound motion

4️⃣ Targeted Sales Workshops – Whether your team needs a cold calling clinic, outbound messaging tune up or social selling boost I run one-off training sessions that deliver actionable, immediate results

Want to see what this could look like for your team? Let’s talk

FORWARD TO A FRIEND 👉 [Click Here]