Sales Reps Spend 70% of Their Time on Admin— Here’s How to Fix That

Summary•3 min read

Sales reps should be focused on closing deals, not drowning in administrative tasks. Yet many fall into 'The Agreement Trap,' spending excessive time on contract-related admin, CRM updates, and repetitive paperwork instead of selling.

The Agreement Trap is Draining Sales Productivity

A recent CRM report found that only 28% of a rep’s time is actually spent selling, while the rest is spent on admin, follow-ups, and other low-impact tasks like CRM updates, contract creation, and internal meetings. This inefficiency slows down deal cycles and reduces the overall productivity of your sales team.

Automate, Streamline, and Reclaim Selling Time

Docusign helps sales teams eliminate unnecessary admin work with Web Forms, DocGen for Salesforce, and Templates, seamlessly integrating with CRM platforms like Salesforce to ensure data accuracy and minimise repetitive tasks., allowing reps to:

Auto-generate contracts from CRM data to reduce manual data entry.
Use pre-approved templates to eliminate time-consuming legal reviews for standard agreements.
Enable self-service contracting for simple deals, letting customers complete agreements faster.

Extend your agreement workflows by connecting partner apps through the Docusign App Center, eliminating repetitive manual tasks and giving reps more time to focus on selling. McKinsey research indicates that automating non-customer-facing activities can free up about 20% of a sales team's capacity, leading to significant productivity gains.

More Time to Sell, Higher Close Rates

Companies like Canva have reduced administrative overhead and given their reps more time to focus on selling. If your sales team is bogged down with admin, it’s time to invest in automation. The most successful sales teams are those that eliminate unnecessary friction, allowing reps to do what they do best—sell.

By addressing these key sales pain points—slow contracts, inaccurate forecasts, excessive admin, and high turnover—your team can unlock greater efficiency and drive revenue growth.

Ready to take the next step? Discover actionable strategies and insights in our comprehensive whitepaper, The Evolution of B2B Sales: Trends and Transformations. Download now to learn how you can streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and drive efficiency with Docusign IAM.