The Quiet Train That Made Me Question Everything We’re Doing To Our Sellers

I was on a train into London recently and, for once, I didn’t reach for a podcast or an audiobook. I put my earplugs in, sat back, and let the journey happen. To top it off, I’d forgotten my Apple Watch (no step points for me), so even the usual subtle nudges and taps weren’t there to pull me back into anything remotely resembling productivity.

What happened next surprised me a bit. I realised I was engaging in focused, uninterrupted thinking, which I haven’t done in a while. It wasn't reactive or just clearing mental tasks, but a clear, connected thought process. This kind of clarity only emerges when you stop forcing it.

And it made me realise how rare that has become.

Because if I’m honest, that kind of uninterrupted space isn’t something that naturally exists in the rhythm of most working days. Not for me, and certainly not for the sellers we expect to perform at their very best.

We all agree, at least in principle, that thinking time matters. We talk about reflection, planning, preparation and strategy as though they are embedded into the role. But when you look at how the job is actually designed, it’s difficult to see where that time really lives.

The modern working environment is not just busy, it’s fragmented to the point where sustained attention is the exception rather than the norm. The average knowledge worker is now interrupted every couple of minutes, and every one of those interruptions carries a hidden cost in the time it takes to get back into any sort of rhythm again.

While it might seem like a general productivity concern, in sales, it becomes more critical. Effective selling relies not just on activity but on sound judgment. It involves understanding where to concentrate efforts, how to position offerings, when to push back, and when to step back. This kind of strategic thinking usually doesn't occur in brief, disjointed snippets.

Yet when you look at how a seller’s week actually plays out, it becomes painfully clear that deep, uninterrupted thinking is not what the system is optimised for. Across multiple studies, salespeople spend roughly thirty percent of their time actually selling, with the majority of their week disappearing into administration, internal process, CRM updates and preparation. 

The intention behind all of that work is usually sound, but the cumulative effect is something very different. It creates a rhythm of constant interruption and shallow engagement, where the real work of selling is constantly being squeezed into whatever space happens to be left.

Interestingly, we rarely describe it like that. We don’t label ourselves as distracting sellers; instead, we focus on productivity, compliance, enablement, and ensuring the machine runs smoothly. Every request seems reasonable on its own. 

Updating the CRM, finishing the learning, attending sessions, and logging activities may seem manageable individually. However, combined, they form an environment where the seller seldom has enough uninterrupted time to reflect effectively.

And when that space disappears, so does a certain quality of performance.

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