Dear SaaStr: What Hours Do SaaS Sales Reps Work?
It really varies in SaaS.
Sales is hard. It’s a lot of Nos. A lot of pushback. A number you can’t hide from, and you have hit, every month, every quarter, every year.
But … but … if you are really good at sales, sometimes and in a groove … you often don’t have to work that many hours, if you’re ruthlessly efficient with your time. Especially in an in-bound driven environment.
- I’ve worked with Top 5% sales reps that work 70 hours a week, that’s part of how they do it.
- I’ve also worked with Top 5%s sales reps that are so efficient at what they do, and so practiced … that they get done in 20 hours what others spend 60 hours doing. Maybe even 15 hours.
- Most CROs tell me the #1 reason they want sales back in the office is to get reps to work more hours. To work “an honest 40”.
Sales is about results. Really, no matter how many hours it takes.
One thing I’ve found is almost everyone in sales, outside of the very top CROs and VPs of Sales, thinks they are working harder than they are.
You have to measure it, and even if it seems micro-managing, enforce it to maximize productivity. Measure their calendar. Measure their meetings per work. Measure the calls. Measure it all. Or almost every rep will think they are working harder … than they actually are. Especially from home.
One big caveat these days is be careful about side hustles becoming a distraction. The best in SaaS may work less than 40 hours a week, but I rarely see them doing a ton of lower-ROI side hustles. Too many of those just distract you from the big win, no matter how many hours a week you work.
