“You get out what you put in.” It’s one of life’s most obvious truisms. And for sales leaders, it’s precisely why research showing sales teams spend the vast majority of their time not selling is so concerning.

According to Salesforce, sales reps spend only 30% of their time selling during an average week. Even worse, HubSpot reports sales reps spend only 2 hours per day selling and at least one hour on manual or administrative tasks.  

Sales reps spend only 30% of their time selling during an average week.—State of Sales Report, Salesforce

While those statistics are troubling, they also highlight a key opportunity to increase sales productivity and as a result, drive revenue growth. 

Sales productivity refers to the efficiency and effectiveness at which teams are able to perform the work of selling and close deals. Improve sales reps’ ability to manage key tasks, and it follows that they’ll have more time to grow their pipelines, build customer relationships, and drive more sales. Simple, right?

Not quite. To increase sales productivity, you must first understand and address bottlenecks bogging down your team. Once you know that, then you can implement productivity-boosting solutions and best practices. 

Why Sales Productivity Is Lagging 

Considering few business operations are so closely tied to revenues as sales, the fact that sellers spend most of their time doing other work is indeed problematic.  

If reps spend just 30% of their time actively selling, what are sellers doing with the other 70% of their time? Here are some additional findings that shed light on why sales productivity is lagging:

43% of reps spend between 10 and 20 hours a week on administrative work, such as note-taking, scheduling, and CRM updates (Salesroom)

The most time-consuming tasks—note-taking and CRM input (68%), reporting (17%), and proposal generation (15%)—are critical but often repetitive. Streamlining these through technology or templates helps reps shift focus from administrative execution to actual selling and relationship-building.

47% of reps say incomplete or inaccurate customer data is a bigger challenge than a year ago (Salesforce)

Poor data prevents reps from identifying high-potential leads and tailoring their outreach, leading to wasted time and missed opportunities. If you can improve the data accuracy, reps can focus their energy on prospects most likely to convert. Better lead scoring and targeting tools can help them focus on the right opportunities faster, improving both efficiency and conversion rates.

54% of sales reps say it’s harder to meet rising customer expectations (Salesforce)

Today’s buyers expect highly personalized interactions. But when reps lack insight into customer goals, they struggle to deliver those experiences. This disconnect increases cycle times and decreases win rates, directly undermining productivity.

Reps already spend close to 20% of their time preparing for meetings and building quotes, yet 59% of buyers still say sellers don’t understand their objectives. This points to a need for smarter tools and training that improve personalization without adding to reps’ workload—enabling more impactful conversations and better use of time.

Increasing sales productivity starts with removing those barriers. The following strategies will help you do just that—and enable your sellers to close deals faster. 

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7 Strategies to Increase Sales Productivity

The barriers to sales productivity are clear. But awareness is only the first step. To empower your reps to sell more effectively, you need targeted strategies that free up time, sharpen focus, and improve the quality of every buyer interaction. Here are seven proven ways to increase sales productivity across your team. 

Strategy #1: Audit and Eliminate Non-Selling Activities

As the data shows, much of the sales process is consumed by manual tasks that reduce selling time and make it harder to increase sales productivity. But what specifically is dragging down your reps?  

To determine the answer, begin with a workflow audit. Time-tracking tools can help you measure how much time reps spend on administrative tasks, such as scheduling, CRM updates, and internal meetings. The data helps you assess ROI by task and identify low-impact activities that can be automated or eliminated, freeing up more time for your reps to have high-impact conversations with buyers.

Strategy #2: Automate CRM and Data Entry Workflows 

Data entry and other manual tasks take up valuable time, but it doesn’t have to be that way. According to HubSpot, simply automating repetitive tasks can save sales reps two hours each workday. 

Automating repetitive tasks can save sales reps two hours each workday.—Sales Trends Report, HubSpot

For the greatest productivity gains, look for solutions that make automating simple—and do not require IT support. Modern CRMs and sales enablement platforms now offer simple, intuitive automation workflows that sales or marketing can deploy directly, making it easier to increase sales productivity at scale.

Automation opportunities include:

• Automatically extracting and importing call notes to your CRM
• Follow-up reminders based on prospect actions, including automated call scheduling and emails based on key actions or milestones
• Pipeline management and updates
• Lead scoring and forecasting

These changes compound quickly, giving your reps more time to build relationships and close deals. 

Strategy #3: Embrace AI for Smarter Selling

AI isn’t just about automation. It’s also about augmenting your sales team’s capabilities. With AI-powered sales coaching and conversation intelligence, reps can receive real-time, personalized feedback that boosts performance and confidence.

63% of sales leaders say AI gives their team a competitive edge.—Sales Trends Report, HubSpot

Think of it like every rep having a personal coach: one that flags talk-time imbalances, identifies objections that stall deals, and suggests next-best actions. AI tools can even recommend tailored training, content, or flashcards based on individual strengths and gaps.

The results speak for themselves: 84% of sellers report improved performance with AI (Salesforce), and 63% of sales leaders say it gives them a competitive edge (HubSpot)—making it a powerful way to increase sales productivity. 

Strategy #4: Use Sales Productivity Metrics to Drive Focus 

If sellers spend most of their time on manual tasks rather than meaningful customer interactions, they’re busy—though not terribly productive. That’s why defining and tracking the right sales productivity metrics is essential to understanding where reps are thriving, where they need support, and how to increase sales productivity with data-driven insights.

First, set clear, measurable goals using your preferred framework (SMART, FAST, etc.). Then track performance across meaningful KPIs such as:

Sales Cycle Duration 

How long does it take for a rep to close a deal from the first touchpoint to signature?

Tracking sales cycle length helps you spot inefficiencies in the sales process. An unusually long cycle may indicate bottlenecks, such as delays in follow-ups, proposal generation, or deal approvals. But not all long cycles are bad. Be sure to evaluate this metric alongside average deal size and pipeline velocity. For instance, high-value enterprise deals naturally take longer but may justify the investment of time with higher ROI. If shorter-cycle deals consistently yield better ROI, it’s a sign to optimize for faster paths to close. 

Outreach Efforts

How often are reps engaging with prospects through emails, calls, meetings, or demos?

This metric gives you a sense of sales rep activity and how much time is spent in direct customer interactions versus administrative tasks. A steady cadence of outreach is a strong indicator that reps are prioritizing selling time. Low outreach numbers may suggest reps are bogged down with internal processes, struggling with prioritization, or lacking clarity on their target accounts. Analyzing this metric helps leaders coach on efficiency and ensure reps are focused on high-impact activities.

Overdue Tasks

How many assigned tasks or follow-ups are being missed or delayed?

Consistently overdue tasks can signal a range of issues. Reps may be overwhelmed, unclear on priorities, or facing friction with their sales tools. Missed tasks can stall deals or create a negative buyer experience. Monitoring this metric allows you to proactively intervene—whether it’s through better coaching, process simplification, or reassigning responsibilities. It’s also a key early warning sign for pipeline stagnation or rep burnout.

Quota attainment, revenue per rep, and time spent selling

These are foundational metrics that offer a holistic view of individual and team productivity.

• • Quota attainment shows whether reps are meeting their revenue goals. Low attainment may indicate broader issues, such as weak leads, inefficient processes, or training gaps, that need to be addressed.
  • Revenue per rep gives a direct view of each salesperson’s contribution to overall revenue. It’s useful for benchmarking performance, identifying top performers, and reallocating resources.
  • Time spent selling refers to the percentage of a rep’s workday dedicated to actual selling activities (calls, demos, meetings, etc.). This metric is critical because it reflects how well your systems and processes support reps in spending their time on what matters most: closing deals. Aim for continuous improvement here by removing unnecessary tasks and distractions.

Strategy #5: Align Sales and Marketing Content 

Content is one of the most powerful tools in a rep’s toolbox—if they can find it, and if it’s on-message. Misaligned or hard-to-find content leads reps to waste hours creating their own materials.

A searchable, well-organized sales content library built in collaboration with marketing is essential for increasing sales productivity. AI-powered sales enablement platforms can help by recommending the right content for every stage of the buyer’s journey, while also giving marketing insight into what’s being used.

Marketing and sales alignment drives results. According to HubSpot, sellers who use enablement content are 58% more likely to exceed their goals.

Strategy #6: Optimize Your Sales Tech Stack 

Yes, you can have too much of a good thing. For sales reps, that includes technology. On average, sales teams use 10 apps to do their jobs, according to Salesforce. And 70% say the number of tools they use at work is overwhelming.

70% of sales reps say the number of sales tools they use at work is overwhelming.—State of Sales Report, Salesforce

To help with this, more than half of businesses are looking to consolidate their sales tools, Salesforce reports. A modern, AI-powered sales enablement platform often replaces multiple tools—offering content management, coaching, onboarding, and digital sales rooms in one.

By consolidating your tech stack, not only will you increase sales productivity, but you will reduce costs. In fact, sales enablement platform users say having an all-in-one solution reduces software costs 50%, shortens sales cycles 50%, and increases win rates 45%. 

To help you with your consolidation, begin with an audit. What tools are your reps using? Are they redundant? What’s essential? Then streamline or integrate where possible to reduce context-switching and improve adoption.

Strategy #7: Track and Adjust in Real-Time

Productivity improvements don’t stop after implementation. The most successful teams continuously track performance, gather feedback, and adjust in real time.

Dashboards and reporting tools make it easy to monitor sales KPIs and spot early signs of progress or challenges. Look for trends in metrics like sales cycle duration, time spent selling, and outreach volume.

Pair this with rep feedback collected in your one-on-one meetings or surveys to capture the full picture.

Then act on what you find. Continuous iteration, supported by real-time data and AI insights, helps you stay agile, eliminate inefficiencies, and refine your strategy based on what’s working. Iterating regularly on your strategy is key to uncovering what works and to continuously increase sales productivity. 

Take a Strategic Approach to Increase Sales Productivity

Sales reps are busy, but often, not in ways that move the needle. That’s why teams must take a strategic look at how sellers spend their time, identify where support is needed, and determine how tools and data can help them work smarter.

Increasing sales productivity requires more than effort. It demands insight, alignment, and targeted action to increase sales productivity across every stage of the sales process. By reducing time sinks, improving data accuracy, and enabling smarter selling, you can turn busy reps into high-performing sellers.

Start by auditing your team’s current workflows, and use the strategies above to reclaim selling time and drive real revenue impact.

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About the author: Erik Fowler is Chief Revenue and Operating Officer of Allego where he is responsible for the company’s customer acquisition and sales goals. He has 20 years of sales leadership experience, focused on maximizing sales opportunities through strategic planning, streamlined sales processes, and strong marketing and sales alignment.

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Discover What Top-Performing Teams Do Differently

What separates sales teams that hit targets from those who don’t? The State of Sales Enablement Report 2025 reveals the strategies, tools, and alignment tactics driving results for high-growth teams. Get the report.