AI Adoption Stalls as Overtime Fails to Boost Sales Performance
New research reveals that putting in extra hours isn’t paying off for sales teams. Despite a rise in overtime, fewer salespeople are hitting their targets, signaling that working longer isn’t the solution.
The latest State of Sales and Marketing report from CRM provider Pipedrive surveyed over 1,000 sales professionals across 82 countries. It found only 57% met their sales quotas last year—the lowest in five years—even though 75% reported working overtime, with many adding 20+ extra hours weekly.
Overtime Creep Is Real—and Costly
- 21% of employees worked 10 or more extra hours weekly, up from 16% the previous year.
- Nearly 9% clocked 20+ overtime hours, compared to 7% last year.
This growing overtime trend is linked to burnout rather than better results. In fact, those avoiding overtime are more likely to hit their sales targets, suggesting that more hours do not equal more wins.
AI Offers Time Savings But Faces Resistance
AI tools have the potential to reduce the workload by automating tedious tasks. Among those using AI in sales and marketing:
- 36% saved about 2 hours per week.
- Another third saved between 3 to 5 hours weekly.
Sales reps use AI primarily for:
- Writing emails (74%)
- Preparing sales materials (46%)
- Transcribing calls (37%)
- Researching prospects (35%)
Marketers rely on AI for quicker content creation, including social media posts (62%), ad copy (58%), blog articles (56%), and images (43%). Yet, despite these clear benefits, 59% have not adopted AI into their workflows.
Why the Hesitation?
Concerns about data privacy, security, and trust in AI outputs remain high, with 35% to 40% of respondents skeptical about the accuracy of AI-generated results.
More significant is the fear of job displacement:
- About 60% worry AI might replace human roles.
- 8% are very concerned, even though only 6% have experienced team cuts due to AI.
These fears slow AI adoption, even though AI’s true value lies in enhancing human work—not replacing it.
Balancing AI with Human Sales Skills
Sean Evers, VP of Sales at Pipedrive, points out the dual nature of AI adoption: it can automate repetitive tasks and free up time for building real customer relationships. But ignoring AI risks falling behind in a competitive sales environment.
Smart sales teams use AI to work smarter and faster while keeping the human touch central to their success.
For sales professionals ready to explore AI tools and boost productivity without burnout, learning how to leverage AI effectively is key. Check out AI courses tailored for sales roles to get started.
Your membership also unlocks:
