Rethinking GTM Enablement: Why Practice—Not Just Content—Drives Performance

By Vennela Subramanyam, Global Product Lead at Google

For years, go-to-market (GTM) enablement has been rooted in a paradigm of knowledge transfer. We’ve built vast libraries of content, designed comprehensive onboarding paths, and perfected certification quizzes. We’ve become experts at passive learning. Yet, a fundamental gap persists: reps who know the material but can’t execute in the moment.

The truth is, watching a video doesn’t prepare you for a skeptical CFO. Acing a quiz doesn’t build the muscle memory to navigate a competitive objection. This is the limitation of a passive approach—it creates an illusion of competence. It, no doubt, provides you  with information but fails to build the confidence and conversational agility required to ace deals. The modern GTM team needs a scalable way to translate that knowledge into performance.

At Google, we’re addressing this by fundamentally shifting our focus from passive learning to active practice. The catalyst for this transition is AI-powered roleplays, a technology that finally makes it possible to build and measure readiness through doing, not just knowing.

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From Knowledge to Mastery: The Gap That Needed Solving

In a traditional enablement model, we wait for indicators—like call recordings or lost deals—to diagnose performance concerns. By then, it’s too late. The damage is done, and confidence is shaken. This reactive loop is a direct consequence of an over-reliance on passive learning.

We needed to give our teams a space to fail, iterate, and master their skills before they faced a customer. Active practice is the solution. By moving from a “read-and-remember” model to a “practice-and-perform” model, we empower reps to build real-world skills in a controlled, low-risk environment.

This is where Yoodli plays a transformative role. Their AI roleplay technology provides the infrastructure for active practice at scale. It allows reps to simulate the critical conversations they will face—from discovery to objection handling—and receive immediate, unbiased feedback. This isn’t just another training tool; it’s the engine for enablement.

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How Active Practice Changes the Game

1. Speed to Ramp:

Instead of spending weeks passively consuming content, reps begin doing from day one. Active practice scenarios allow them to apply core messaging immediately, dramatically shortening ramp time. They aren’t just learning the playbook; they’re mastering the plays through repetition.

2. Higher-Quality Dynamic Conversations:

Roleplays make it easy to embed nuance into training. Reps learn to navigate tricky objection handling, tailor messaging by region or vertical, and adjust based on buyer persona—all through repetition, not theory.

3. Enablement at the Speed of Business:

Instructional designers used to spend weeks rolling out new messaging. With AI roleplays,new scenarios can be deployed in hours, allowing teams to practice and internalize new talk tracks instantly. This provides immediate data on what’s working and where reps are struggling, enabling quick iterations.

4. Personalized Coaching at Scale:

Managers are no longer limited to ride-alongs or call reviews. With AI-driven practice, they gain access to a rich dataset on rep performance. Coaching sessions become proactive and precise, focused on tangible metrics like clarity, filler word usage, and persuasion, tailored to the specific needs of each individual.

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A Cultural Shift: From “Learn” to “Train”

Perhaps the most powerful shift isn’t in tools—it’s in mindset. When roleplay becomes the norm, reps start to treat it like athletes treat drills. They compete, iterate, and ask for feedback. Practice isn’t a box to check—it’s a daily habit.

We’re building a culture where readiness is earned through reps, not just resources. And that creates a more consistent, confident, and coachable team.

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Looking Ahead

As AI continues to reshape every function, enablement can’t afford to stay static. What used to be a quarterly training event or a reactive coaching moment is now a continuous, personalized, and proactive learning loop.

Yoodli isn’t just a tool—it’s an approach. It is a powerful enabler of this future, providing the technology to make active practice a reality for every rep. By moving beyond the limits of passive learning, we can finally close the gap between knowing and doing, ensuring every member of the team shows up to every customer conversation prepared to win.