Salespeople know the chase. Hit the number, keep the pipeline moving, and do it all again next quarter. But when the target keeps shifting, even strong performance can come with a cost.
Firmable surveyed 263 B2B sales professionals to find out what carrying a quota really looks like. The results show how often the pressure follows reps beyond the workday, from lost sleep to working through PTO. They also point to a structural problem. Many reps said the pressure comes from how targets are set, and better data and tools could make it easier to focus on the work that moves deals forward.
Key Takeaways
- 7 in 10 salespeople have had a sales quota moved at least once after it was set.
- About half of salespeople (52%) have seen their quota move two or more times in a single year.
- More than 3 in 5 salespeople (63%) lie awake at night worrying about their numbers.
- 60% have worked through vacation or PTO because they feared falling behind.
- 62% of salespeople say the pressure comes from how targets are set, not the work itself.
- More than 2 in 3 salespeople (68%) say better data and tools would help them hit their number with far less grind.
- More than 2 in 5 salespeople (44%) say finding the best leads is the top task they want AI or better tools to take over.
- More than half of salespeople (58%) have seriously considered leaving the career in the past year.
What the job takes out of salespeople
The strain didn’t stay at the office. It followed reps into bed, onto vacation, and into their bodies.
Sales pressure follows reps home
- Nearly 3 in 4 salespeople (73%) have checked a CRM, email, or sales dashboard from bed. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to do so (86%), followed by millennials (68%) and Gen X (58%).
- More than 3 in 5 salespeople (63%) said they lie awake at night worrying about their numbers, including 76% of women and 54% of men.
- More than 1 in 3 salespeople (37%) slept 5 hours or less a night during quarter-end crunch.
The pressure can take a physical and emotional toll
- Half of salespeople (50%) have felt physically ill before a big deal or deadline. About 3 in 5 women in sales said this, compared with more than 2 in 5 men (59% vs. 43%).
- About 1 in 4 salespeople (24%) cried because of work in the past year, with women more likely to say so than men (41% vs. 11%).
Work can spill into time off and career decisions
- 3 in 5 salespeople (60%) have worked through vacation or PTO because they feared falling behind. Gen X salespeople were the most likely to do so (72%), followed by millennials (60%) and Gen Z (56%).
- Nearly half of salespeople (47%) hid from their manager how much the job was affecting them.
- More than half of salespeople (58%) have seriously considered leaving the career in the past year.
Where the pressure comes from and what would ease it
Salespeople identified clear opportunities to ease the pressure, from how quotas are set to the tools they use. Their responses show where sales teams could make more room for selling.
Reps question how quotas are set
- 7 in 10 salespeople had a quota moved at least once after it was set.
- About half of salespeople (52%) saw their quota move two or more times in a single year. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to report this (61%), followed by Gen X (50%) and millennials (45%).
- About 3 in 5 salespeople (62%) said the pressure came from how targets were set, not the work itself. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to say so (66%), followed by Gen X (64%) and millennials (59%).
- About 3 in 5 salespeople (62%) said their targets were set without much regard for what was realistic in their market. Gen X respondents were the most likely to say so (72%), followed by Gen Z (66%) and millennials (56%).
Activity targets and admin add pressure
- Nearly half of salespeople (47%) named pressure to hit activity numbers, such as calls and emails, as their top source of strain.
- More than half of salespeople (53%) spent at least a quarter of their working week on admin and data entry instead of selling.
Hitting quota doesn’t tell the whole story
- Among salespeople who hit their target, 71% checked a CRM from bed, and 56% worked through PTO.
- More than half of salespeople who hit their target (54%) considered leaving sales.
- Across all respondents, nearly half (48%) said they would take the same salary they earned at the time of the survey, with no commission and no quota attached.
Better data and tools could ease the grind
- More than 2 in 3 salespeople (68%) said better data and tools would help them hit their numbers with less effort. Gen Z respondents were the most likely to say so (71%), followed by millennials (68%) and Gen X (64%).
- More than 2 in 5 salespeople (44%) named finding the best leads as the top task they wanted AI or better tools to take over.
Methodology
For this campaign, we surveyed 263 B2B sales professionals to explore what it is like to carry a sales quota, from the toll the job takes on their sleep and health to how their targets are set and moved. Among them, 56% were men, and 44% were women. Generationally, 40% were Gen Z, 44% were millennials, 14% were Gen X, and 2% were baby boomers.
About Firmable
Firmable is the AI-native sales intelligence platform for B2B sales teams, providing the most complete prospect data, tech intelligence, buying signals, and agent-driven actions to help you win more deals. As the salesperson’s favorite teammate, we don’t just give you data – we give you direction, whatever tool you work in.
Firmable’s agentic technology, built from the ground up, sources, assembles, and continuously refreshes a proprietary map of the market. It delivers the richest company, contact and tech stack details, with confidence indicators, including data you won’t find anywhere else, to sales teams across the United States, Canada, and APAC.
Fair use statement
You’re welcome to share the findings and visuals from this study for noncommercial purposes. When you do, please credit Firmable as the source and link back to this page so readers can see the full methodology.
