Nearly Three-Quarters of Salespeople Start Their Fiscal Year "Flying Blind" Without Quotas

As 90% of reps faced obstacles hitting targets last year, new CaptivateIQ research reveals how delayed quotas, commission errors, and "shadow accounting" are stalling sales modernization

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As organizations strive for agility in a volatile selling market, nearly three-quarters (71%) of sales professionals still start their fiscal year without assigned quotas. This disconnect is one of several systemic failures in sales planning as outlined in a new report by CaptivateIQ, a sales performance management solution.

CaptivateIQ's 2026 State of Sales Report, based on a survey of 500 U.S. sales professionals, explores how frequent market shifts – including the rise of AI, budget cuts, and competitive pressures – are rendering the traditional annual sales plan obsolete. Over the past year, sales cycles increased for nearly half (49%) of sales professionals, and a vast majority (90%) faced obstacles hitting their targets, citing economic shifts (52%), customer-side changes (39%), and internal organizational changes (31%) as factors.

Revenue teams across industries are working to modernize their approach to sales in this unpredictable environment. Key findings include:

• The era of "set-it-and-forget-it" annual sales planning is over. Nearly half (49%) of sales professionals say their organization's frequency of setting or updating individual sales targets and quotas increased in the past three years. Most organizations are now setting sales targets and quotas on a quarterly (28%) or monthly (27%) basis.
  
  
• Changes to targets can drive motivation. A majority (70%) of sales professionals say adjustments motivate them when goals feel realistic and aligned with current market conditions. Sixty-seven percent say their motivation remains high as long as their goals are clear and transparent, regardless of how often they change.
  
  
• AI adoption is high, but use cases remain basic. While 81% of salespeople indicated that they use AI for at least some sales activities, the research suggests that it is being used as a tactical assistant rather than a strategic partner. Top use cases include: customer research (43%), drafting emails (39%), and meeting transcription (35%).

Despite these modernization efforts, most sales processes are still falling flat. While 69% of respondents consider their organization's approach to sales as "well-equipped to handle future market changes," the data indicates that widespread operational failures are impacting motivation, trust, and, ultimately, the company's bottom line:

• Delayed target setting. While "flying blind" at the beginning of the fiscal year, 29% of salespeople receive their targets or quotas within the first week, but another 42% say they don't receive them for a month or more. Since 55% say their targets change at least quarterly, if not monthly, those lost hours, days, or weeks can be detrimental. Worse, nearly one-quarter (23%) do not have specific sales goals or quotas at all.
  
  
• Organizations are rewarding the wrong behaviors. One in nine sales professionals (11%) is still measured on outdated metrics like emails sent or calls made, which are becoming irrelevant in the age of AI.
  
  
• AI usage does not always translate to gains: A majority (71%) of sales professionals who use AI say it has increased their productivity; however, they indicate that AI has actually hindered productivity when:
  • The tools are too basic (26%)
  • They do not trust the accuracy (22%)
  • They have not received proper training (20%)
• Commission payouts are error-prone. A majority (77%) of sales professionals have experienced commission payout errors.
  
  
• Payout mistrust has lasting impacts. Nearly one-third (31%) of commissionable salespeople say they have either left or considered leaving a sales role due to recurring errors with their incentive compensation. Another 21% say they have not considered leaving, but errors or issues with payouts have impacted their day-to-day motivation and trust in their employer.
  
  
• Shadow accounting costs organizations time and money. The average commissionable salesperson spends 1.6 hours per week manually calculating their own payouts. For an organization with 500 sellers, this translates to over 40,000 hours of lost selling time per year.

"Efforts to modernize mean nothing if reps have no clear direction when it comes time to sell, or if they are spending all their time calculating payouts instead of closing deals," said Mark Schopmeyer, co-founder and CEO of CaptivateIQ. "Companies that can deliver timely, transparent, and realistic goals, incentivize accordingly and accurately, and encourage strategic use of AI will do more than just hit targets; they will build a resilient, productive, and motivated salesforce."

To read the full 2026 State of Sales Report, please visit here.

Methodology

CaptivateIQ surveyed 500 full-time, U.S.-based sales professionals across industries, including software, technology/IT, manufacturing, automotive, and financial services, to understand how market shifts are impacting sales cycles, planning, and compensation. The survey was conducted in December 2025 via Pollfish, an online survey platform.

About CaptivateIQ

CaptivateIQ is the leading Sales Performance Management solution trusted by industry leaders, including Boston Scientific, Affirm, and Datadog. By unifying sales planning and incentives in a single, AI-infused platform, CaptivateIQ gives teams the agility they need to navigate today's market volatility. Join the over 800 teams building a path to resilient revenue with CaptivateIQ. For more information, visit www.captivateiq.com.

SOURCE CaptivateIQ