Why do so many internally run social selling programs fail to deliver the revenue the business expects?

The answer lies in understanding how humans change

Teaching someone something new requires more than knowledge transfer, it requires commitment and behaviour change

In my 20s, I could eat what I wanted and never gain weight

But at 44, my doctor told me bluntly: unless I lost 10kg, I wouldn’t make it to 50 without a heart attack

I knew exactly what to do: eat less, exercise more

Simple, right?

Yet for anyone who’s tried to lose weight, we know simple isn’t the same as easy

The global weight loss industry is worth nearly $300 billion for a reason

Changing habits takes more than information on a powerpoint presentation

It takes coaching, accountability, and a shift in mindset

I had a personal trainer for five years

He was brilliant

He kept food diaries for all his clients, but often got frustrated, he would say to me about one of his clients:
"Here’s a highly intelligent person sabotaging their progress for a chocolate bar at 3pm," 

You can sit someone through countless PowerPoint presentations on nutrition or exercise, but that doesn’t get them fit

It’s not a learning exercise, it’s a coaching journey

The same applies to social selling

To succeed, people must not only know what to do but be empowered to do it themselves, every day, consistently

And that requires coaching, not lecturing

What’s more, internal trainers often face a perception challenge:

The sales team may not see them as credible experts

How can someone be “just a colleague” one day and a social selling authority the next?

The internal social selling resource just by looking at their linkedin profile clearly isn't social selling

When there is a “do as I say” not “do as i do” they lose all credibility 

Many internal people are subject matter experts, but not skilled in behaviour change, coaching, or unlearning ingrained habits

Remember: it’s not systems that resist change, it’s people

And people don’t transform through slides; they transform through consistent support, accountability, and belief in a better way

Conclusion:
Internally run social selling programs often fall short because they confuse teaching with coaching

Lasting behaviour change doesn’t come from PowerPoint decks or process manuals

It comes from lived experience, credibility, and the ability to guide people through the discomfort of doing things differently

If you want a social selling program that drives revenue, you need more than knowledge, you need transformation

And transformation starts with people, not slides