Let's talk about one of the most toxic myths in our industry: "Sales isn't a 9 to 5 job, you always have to be available."
This is not true.
I've been in companies where sales reps were working 11 hour days, drowning in 'admin' and follow ups. I've seen reps take their work home with them after hours, desperate to close deals that were never really there. I've even been in interviews where leadership proudly paraded this burnout culture as a badge of honor.
This "hustle" mindset is a lie. It's not a sign of dedication. It's a sign of inefficiency.
Why You Are Working 11 Hour Days
The reason you're working so hard is simple. You are spending your life trying to sell to everyone.
Sales is not about pushing, convincing, and discounting your way into every account. That is a brutal, exhausting, and low percentage game.
The real problem isn't the clock. It's your pipeline. It's full of prospects who are wasting your time.
The Real Job of a Sales Professional: Disqualification
The 2026 sales environment is about one thing: precision.
Your real job is to work out who needs you, why they need you, and the impact if they don't have you.
To get to the truth, you need to question and disqualify. You need to do it hard and do it early.
You must bring those concerns up first, before the prospect does.
"Is budget really signed off for this, or is this an exploratory call?"
"You mentioned you're happy with your current provider. What would it actually take for you to switch?"
"If we deliver on everything we promise, who on your team will try to stop this from happening?"
The quicker you can disqualify a lead, the more time you can spend on truly qualified leads. This is the single most effective way to improve your sales productivity.
Stop Wasting Energy on 'Garden Path' Prospects
If you're working way too hard, stop and think. Think about all the hours you wasted last quarter on prospects who led you up the garden path.
They took your calls. They joined your demos. They asked for references.
Then they vanished. Or they told you they decided to do it in house. Or they went with a competitor. Or, worst of all, they just decided to keep things as they are.
You didn't need to do four meetings, a custom proposal, and a "success roadmap."
You needed to ask tougher questions from the get go. Just like we discussed in my last post on Aiming High: Why I Call the CEO First, you need to be strategic from the very first conversation. Wasting time on people who can't or won't buy is the most expensive mistake in sales.
Your New Mantra: Get Comfortable Saying No
Stop wasting energy on prospects that are not ever going to go ahead. This simple change will make your life a lot easier.
Get comfortable saying no.
Get comfortable walking away.
Get comfortable telling a prospect, "Based on what you've told me, I don't think this is a good fit right now."
This strategy gives you back your time, your energy, and your evenings. It's the key to a sustainable, high performance sales career and a much better work life balance.
If you're a sales leader struggling with reps who are burnt out from chasing bad leads, our SDR training program teaches qualification frameworks that separate real opportunities from time wasters. Get your team focused on the deals that actually matter.