You've rolled out the training. Sales reps nod along. Managers promise reinforcement. But three weeks later? Everyone reverts to old habits.
According to Nina LaRouche, founder of Impact Enablement and former Sales Enablement Director at Salesforce, this is a behavior change problem. And she's cracked the code on making enablement programs that actually stick.
In this article, we'll break down Nina's proven 6-step framework for creating enablement programs that drive lasting behavior change and measurable business results.
Here's the uncomfortable truth about sales enablement: most programs fail not because of bad content, but because they ignore human nature.
"We are all creatures of habit," Nina explains. "When times are stressful or busy, we're gonna typically revert back to whatever our historical behaviors are."
Think about it. Your sales reps are juggling dozens of deals, facing constant pressure to hit quota, and dealing with unexpected objections daily. In that chaos, they'll naturally fall back on familiar patterns—even if those patterns aren't optimal.
Traditional training treats enablement as a content delivery problem. You create materials, present them, and hope they stick. But Nina's approach recognizes that behavior change requires intentional design, sustained reinforcement, and strategic partnership with frontline leaders.
Programs built on this foundation see real results—like the 70% promotion rate Nina achieved with one of her career progression programs.
Nina has developed a systematic approach to enablement that transforms one-time training events into sustained experiences that drive measurable business impact. Let's break down each step.
Before you create a single slide or schedule any training session, answer this question: What exact business metric are we trying to move?
Don't start with content. Start with outcomes.
Examples of clear metrics:
Why does this matter? Without a clear metric, you can't prove impact or secure leadership buy-in. And more importantly, you can't design a program that actually moves the needle.
This metric becomes your North Star for everything else in your enablement program. Every decision—from content to delivery method to measurement—should tie back to this core business objective.
Once you know your metric, ask the critical question:
"What are we trying to get sales reps to do that's different than today?"
This is where most enablement programs go wrong. They focus on what sales reps should know rather than what they should do differently.
Examples of specific behavior changes:
Notice the difference? These aren't vague goals like "improve discovery" or "build better relationships." They're concrete, observable behaviors you can coach and measure.
Without specific behaviors, you can't effectively coach your team or reinforce the changes you're trying to drive. Be precise about exactly what you want to see change in your sales reps' daily activities.
Here's where Nina's approach gets strategic. Don't just ask for sponsorship from leaders—define exactly what you need from them.
And here's the counterintuitive insight: don't only tap your top performers as champions.
According to Nina, middle performers often make better champions than your stars. Why? Middle performers see champion roles as career growth opportunities and tend to stay more engaged than overloaded top performers who are already juggling maximum responsibility.
What does clear champion ownership look like? Instead of a vague request like "Can you support this initiative?" try:
When you set clear expectations and choose the right champions, you create a foundation for sustained reinforcement that goes far beyond the initial training.
This step is transformational: involve your frontline sales leaders in building the program itself.
Nina recommends:
Why is this so critical? When managers help build programs, they own them. When they own them, they reinforce them with their teams.
This isn't just about getting feedback. It's about creating genuine ownership and buy-in from the people who will make or break your program's success. Sales managers who co-create enablement content become advocates who naturally champion the program with their reps.
Plus, they bring invaluable insights about what's actually happening in the field, what objections reps face daily, and what language resonates with your specific prospects and clients.
Not all content should be delivered the same way. Nina emphasizes matching the learning method to the type of content:
E-learning = Knowledge transfer (product features, company policies, market information)
Live training = Discussion and practice (working through complex scenarios together)
AI roleplay = Skill reinforcement (practicing objection handling, pitch delivery, discovery questions)
Coaching = Behavior change (one-on-one feedback on real deals and calls)
Different content needs different delivery methods. Trying to teach discovery techniques through e-learning alone won't work. Sales reps need to practice those conversations, get feedback, and refine their approach.
This is where tools like SellMeThisPen come in. They allow sales reps to practice scenarios repeatedly—handling objections, pitching to AI buyers, and testing different approaches—without the pressure of a real client call. Then they can bring refined skills to live training sessions for deeper discussion and manager coaching.
Here's Nina's most important insight:
"Enablement cannot be an event. It has to be an experience."
The difference between an event and an experience:
Event (what doesn't work):One-time 60-minute training sessionNo follow-up or reinforcementExpectation that behavior changes immediately
Experience (what works):Multi-month programs with clear milestonesRegular touchpoints and check-insContinuous reinforcement through multiple channelsOngoing coaching and feedback loops
Think about any skill you've mastered. Did you learn it in a single session? Or did it require repeated practice, feedback, and refinement over time?
Sales skills are no different. Lasting behavior change requires sustained experiences that give sales reps multiple opportunities to practice, fail, learn, and improve.
Let's look at how Nina's framework works in practice.
The Challenge:A company wanted to move SDRs (Sales Development Representatives) into SMB (Small-to-Medium Business) sales roles faster while improving retention rates.
The Program Design:Nina created a 4-month sustained experience with 8-10 participants that incorporated all six steps of her framework:
The Results:70% of participants got promoted within six months.
Traditional programs might see 20-30% promotion rates. Nina's framework more than doubled those results by following a systematic approach to behavior change.
Ready to create sales enablement programs that actually stick? Here's your action plan:
Start with clarity:Define the exact business metric you're trying to move. Get specific. Don't settle for vague goals like "improve sales performance."
Define observable behaviors:Identify 2-3 specific behaviors that will drive your target metric. Make them concrete enough that you could observe them on a call recording or in your CRM.
Build your champion team:Don't just ask for sponsorship. Create specific roles with clear expectations. Consider tapping middle performers who see this as a growth opportunity.
Involve frontline leaders early:Before you build content, sit down with sales managers. Ask what they're seeing in the field. Let them shape examples and scenarios. Make them co-creators, not just consumers.
Match method to content type:Use e-learning for knowledge transfer, but don't stop there. Layer in AI roleplays for skill practice, live sessions for discussion, and coaching for behavior change.
Design for sustained engagement:Map out a multi-month experience with regular touchpoints. Think about what reinforcement looks like at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days after launch.
Measure and iterate:Track both your target metric and the specific behaviors you're trying to change. Are sales reps actually doing things differently? Is it moving your metric? Adjust based on what you learn.
In this episode of SellMeThisPen Podcast, Michael and Nina discuss why most sales training programs fail to create lasting behavior change, the psychology behind habit formation in high-pressure sales environments, and Nina's proven 6-step framework for building enablement programs that actually stick.
Nina LaRouche is the founder of Impact Enablement and brings over 10 years of enablement experience to the conversation. A former high school educator who transitioned into a 15-year career in tech and marketing sales, Nina served as Sales Enablement Director at Salesforce before founding her own consultancy. Her unique background in education combined with frontline sales experience gives her a distinctive perspective on how people actually learn and change behavior in sales environments.
