Sales Is Not a Department — It’s a Culture

“The sales department is not the whole organization… but the whole organization better be the sales department.” — Philip Kotler

This quote still makes people uncomfortable. Because while most organizations agree with it, very few actually live it. Generally, the sales department carries the number and feels the pressure. And when results fall short, sales gets the call.

After working with hundreds of organizations over the past 18 years, one pattern is hard to ignore: When sales underperform, it’s rarely just a sales issue.  Most of the the time, it’s a sales culture issue.

In complex B2B environments, sales doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Sales teams are expected to sell value, defend margins, shorten cycles, and act as strategic partners — while navigating internal silos, unclear messaging, rigid processes, and constraints they don’t control.

Meanwhile, Marketing runs campaigns, Operations chase efficiency, Finance manages risk and Customer service close tickets. None of that is wrong.

The problem is this: no one owns how it all comes together for the customer — except sales. “Everybody enables sales” doesn’t mean everyone sells.
It means everyone understands one simple thing: How does what I do make it easier — or harder — for customers to buy, stay, and grow?

Five practical ways to get into “Everybody Enables Sales” mode

Products can be copied, prices can be matched and sales tactics can be replicated. But an organization where everyone understands how they enable sales — is extremely hard to compete with. A few ideas to get the ball rolling...

1. Start with strategic alignment

Make sure everyone clearly understands the go-to-market strategy: the real problems you solve , the target industries you serve, the target people you connect with, how you create value for them, and what good business conversations sound like. When people understand the GTM strategy, they make better decisions on their own — without waiting for approvals.

2. Make the customer journey visible across functions

Most teams only see their slice of the process. Mapping the end-to-end customer journey helps people see where friction is created — often unintentionally — and where collaboration actually matters.

3. Build basic sales literacy outside of sales

You don’t need full sales training for everyone. But non-sales teams should understand how customers buy, what slows deals down, and what builds trust. This alone changes how decisions get made.

4. Translate internal decisions into customer impact

Before locking in a policy, process, or pricing rule, ask: How will this show up in a sales conversation or customer experience? If no one can answer that, pause.

5. Reinforce shared ownership — not handoffs

Sales cultures break down when everyone optimizes locally. Strong cultures replace “that’s not my role” with shared accountability for outcomes, not just tasks.