We may not always like to admit it, but sales are a fundamental part of everything we do in the workplace. Whether we work in product development, HR, project management, or customer service, we are selling—ideas, solutions, concepts, and, not least, ourselves. Yet, many people draw a distinction between «those who sell» and «those who don’t.» This is a misconception that we, as leaders, must challenge.
Sales are not just about persuading someone to buy a product or service. It is about influence, communication, and relationship building. When we understand this, we can strengthen our organization by helping everyone see their role in value creation.
Sales in Roles Where It May Not Be Obvious
HR – Selling Recruitment and Culture
The HR department is largely engaged in sales, even if it is rarely described as such. When we recruit new employees, we are selling our workplace. We need to convince candidates that our company is the right place for them. We create an attractive employer brand, communicate values and culture, and sell a vision of the future.
Internally, HR is also in sales. They sell new initiatives, new policies, and organizational changes to employees. A poor «sales pitch» here can lead to resistance, whereas convincing communication fosters engagement and commitment.
How can we help HR see themselves as sellers?
- Use sales techniques in recruitment. How we position the company in a hiring process has much in common with how we position products in the market.
- Practice «internal sales.» When implementing new initiatives, HR should think about how to «sell» the idea to employees.
Project Managers – Selling Ideas and Progress
Project managers rarely have «sales» in their job descriptions, but their work largely involves getting others to buy into a vision and drive projects forward. This requires both persuasion and relationship building—two core elements of sales.
A project manager must sell ideas to leadership to secure resources, sell the need for change to their team, and often sell project results to external stakeholders.
How can we help project managers understand their sales role?
- Focus on storytelling. Good project managers know that facts alone are not enough—they must build a compelling narrative about why the project is important.
- Build relationships that sell. The best project managers create engagement by involving people early and ensuring they feel a sense of ownership.
Customer Service – Selling Through Service
Those in customer service often see themselves as problem solvers rather than sellers. However, a good customer service experience is, in itself, a sales activity. It is about creating an experience that makes customers return, recommend us to others, and perhaps even buy more than they originally intended.
Many of our most loyal customers are not necessarily those who got the cheapest solution but those who received the best follow-up.
How can we help customer service teams think like sellers?
- Train in upselling through value. Instead of viewing upselling as «pressure,» we can train our teams to identify real needs and offer relevant solutions.
- Measure long-term value, not just resolved cases. If we only measure how quickly a case is closed, we miss the opportunity to build relationships that can lead to more business.
IT and Development – Selling Technology and Solutions
Technology teams rarely see themselves as part of the sales process, but they are crucial to how customers experience our products. They sell usability, stability, and innovation through the solutions they create.
Internally, IT must also sell new systems and processes to the rest of the organization. We have all seen what happens when a new IT solution is rolled out without people buying into the change—resistance, frustration, and low adoption.
How can we help tech teams see their sales role?
- Train on communicating the value of technology. Don’t expect others to «see» the value—teach developers and IT leaders how to sell it.
- Use user feedback actively. The more we understand customer needs, the better we can develop solutions that sell themselves.
How Can We, as Leaders, Promote This Perspective?
As leaders, it is our job to create an organizational culture where everyone understands their role in sales and value creation. This requires us to change how we talk about sales internally.
Change the Narrative About Sales
Many people have negative associations with sales—they think of pushy salespeople and manipulation. We must show that sales, at its best, is about solving problems, creating value, and building relationships.
- Hold an internal workshop where you discuss how different roles contribute to the sales process.
- Use examples from your own organization to show how different teams influence customer decisions.
Clarify the Value Chain
People work best when they understand how their efforts connect to the end result. We must help our teams see how their work impacts customers—even if they do not work directly in sales.
- Create a «customer journey» that shows how each department affects the experience.
- Invite customers to share their experiences, so teams see the direct effect of their work.
Foster a Culture of Customer Orientation
Sales, ultimately, is about customers. If we want the entire organization to contribute to the sales process, we must build a culture where everyone sees the value of understanding our customers.
- Let all employees participate in customer meetings or support occasionally to gain insight into the customer perspective.
- Celebrate successes that come from good collaboration across departments.
Sales Is Everyone’s Responsibility
When we see sales as more than just a transaction but rather as an ongoing process of relationship-building, influence, and problem-solving, it becomes clear that everyone in the organization has a role to play.
As leaders, we must help our teams see their part in value creation. By changing the narrative about sales, clarifying the value chain, and building a customer-oriented culture, we can create an organization where everyone works toward the same goal—creating value for our customers, and thereby, for ourselves.
