Making enablement stick: how to drive real adoption across GTM teams

Even the best enablement strategy will fail if no one actually uses it. Adoption is where enablement lives or dies.

Why enablement struggles to stick

You can have the most beautifully designed playbook in the world - but if reps keep using their old deck, does it even matter?

The truth is: most enablement initiatives fail not because they’re bad, but because they’re ignored. Or half-used. Or treated like a “nice to have” in a fast-moving GTM org. If adoption isn’t there, the impact won’t be either. And without impact, enablement becomes an expensive hobby.

So how do you fix it? You don’t just tell people “use the stuff”. You design for adoption - from day one.

Here are the four pillars I use every time I roll something out.

The 4 pillars of enablement adoption

#1 Deliver value to the user

If it doesn’t help them sell, close, or retain - it won’t stick.

People don’t adopt things just because they’re told to. They adopt what makes their life easier or better. That means clearly answering: What’s in it for me?

• Position new assets or processes as time-savers and confidence boosters

• Include peer examples: “this talk track helped me unlock a $100K deal last quarter”

• For partners: show how the materials help them win more business (not just tick your boxes)

💡 Enablement that feels like admin won’t drive change. Enablement that helps close deals? That gets remembered.

And don’t forget: some things feel like they’re “just for leadership” - until you explain the real benefit. Anyone who worked with me in the past probably heard me using this example more than they wished (😅):

“Forecasting isn’t just a numbers game for execs - it directly impacts your future quote. The better you forecast today, the more realistic your targets will be tomorrow.”

#2 Reinforce through leadership

Managers are your multiplier. If they don’t care, no one will.

Leadership isn’t just a “nice to have” - it’t the air cover that turns enablement from suggestion to expectation.

• Train frontline managers on how to coach using enablement (e.g. “review this play in your next pipeline review”)

• Use dashboards or call analytics to show usage by team

• In partner orgs: ensure regional partner managers are tracking enablement engagement, not just pipeline.

A quiet manager is the death of a good initiative. A vocal one makes it fly.

#3 Embed into daily workflows

Meet people where they are - not where your Notion file is.

You can’t expect people to adopt what they can’t find, can’t remember, or have to dig for.

• Build links, triggers, or snippets into your CRM, Slack, Gong, or sales tools

• Use AI nudges to surface materials contextually (e.g. during live calls or after certain pipeline changes)

• For partner enablement: add co-sell materials into the deal registration flow, not buried in the portal only

When it’s right there, people use it. When it’s 5 clicks deep…they won’t.

#4 Make it necessary

No option = no excuses.

Let’s be honest: if there’s a way to skip something, people usually will. Adoption improves when enablement becomes the only way forward.

• Make completion part of the process (e.g. no pricing approval without the MAP attached)

• Use checklists, approvals, and CRM automations to enforce usage

• Build social pressure by celebrating teams who follow the new process and win because of it

The best kind of adoption? One where people don’t even realize they’re “adoption” - it’s just how things work now.

It’s not magic. It’s design.

Enablement doesn’t “stick” because you ran a great session. It sticks because:

• Users see the value

• Leaders reinforce the message

• Workflows make it frictionless

• The system makes it necessary

It’s not about betting everything on one tactic - it’s the balance between all four levers that drives long-term success. You don’t want to put all your eggs in the “manager coaching” basket, or over-automate and lose human connection. Think of these as ingredients you calibrate depending on your team and stage.

And even when you get it right, it’s normal for adoption to fade over time. That doesn’t mean you failed. It’s simply a signal - time to reinforce the foundations, re-communicate the “why”, and possibly evolve the format.

Don’t kill the initiative too fast. Investigate before you iterate - or eliminate.

Adoption isn’t about perfection — it’s about intention, repetition, and design. If you want enablement to land, build it like it matters.