The Challenge: Too Little Time With Customers
Sales teams in industrial B2B environments are drowning in internal work. Reports, approvals, coordination meetings, CRM updates, Excel sheets, compliance checks – the list goes on.
In one typical case, a mid-sized team spent only 15% of its total working time in direct customer interaction. That includes phone calls, video meetings, and in-person visits. A high percentage of the rest? Internal friction.
This means that out of a 40-hour week, only 6 hours are truly customer-focused. The rest is spent “working around the customer” instead of “working with the customer.”
The Fix: Shift from Admin to Active Selling
What if that number could rise from 15% to 25%?
For a team of 10 field sales reps and 8 inside sales staff, that 10-point increase means around 72 additional sales hours per week- or 17 extra hours per person per month. That’s time you don’t need to hire for. You just need to free it up.
The way to do this isn’t magic – it’s method:
- Eliminate non-essential reporting.
- Automate where possible (especially in quoting, documentation, and planning).
- Standardize approvals.
- Use AI assistants and better CRM workflows to avoid duplicate entry and Excel overkill.
- Declutter meeting calendars.
Sales productivity doesn’t start with “more effort.” It starts with less distraction.
The Insight: Every Hour Saved Is an Hour Earned
Imagine your most skilled sales reps had 17 more hours per month to actually talk to customers. Not just answer emails, but consult, guide, ask, and sell.
It’s the compound effect that matters:
- More time per opportunity = better qualification
- More depth per conversation = stronger value argument
- More attention = higher close rates
Freeing up internal capacity isn’t just an efficiency win. It directly boosts your top line.
Your Next Step: Find Your 85%
If your team spends 15% of its time actively selling, the remaining 85% is your productivity opportunity.
Ask your team:
- What internal tasks regularly interrupt their customer work?
- What feels like busywork but adds no real value?
- What could be automated or removed altogether?
Because if time is your most valuable sales asset, it’s time to start protecting it.
