You probably have people in your company whose title is sales representative (or some variation), but they are not the only salespeople on your team. Every person in your organization should be selling as an integral part of everything they do.

By selling, we don’t mean pushing every customer or prospect to buy more with every contact you have. We mean applying customer-focused strategies to each customer interaction—strategies that clearly say, “Our goal is to deliver what you want.” When you are doing that, increased sales are a natural result.

The first step in creating an organization-wide sales oriented culture is to communicate that goal to your employees. Make it clear that you aren’t changing their positions; you are simply expecting them to enhance their performance through the integration of professional selling skills. Explain that we all use selling skills in just about every aspect of our lives, whether you are trying to convince your toddler to go to bed, your spouse to go to the vacation destination you prefer, or even a restaurant host to give you a better table.

Next, provide training. Non-sales staffers don’t need the same level of training your salespeople do, but they need to know the basics and how to apply sales strategies to what they have come to think of as non-sales situations. They need to understand what drives behavior and how to use the psychology of persuasion in their interaction with customers as well as with their coworkers and even your company’s suppliers.

Finally, offer incentives. Reward your non-sales team members for using selling skills effectively with public recognition and possibly economic compensation. Make it a part of their performance evaluations. A culture that both respects and encourages sales skills will lead to increased profitability and productivity.

Something else to keep in mind: Your employees don’t stop working for you when they go off the clock. Think about how often they might be asked what they do and where they work by people who could be prospective customers. With the right training, support, and incentive, your employees will turn those situations into sales opportunities—but it’s up to you to teach them how to do that.

Jacquelyn Lynn is the editor of Flashpoints newsletter.