Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between business sales associates and inside sales specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a business sales associate and an inside sales specialist. Additionally, a business sales associate has an average salary of $59,485, which is higher than the $50,944 average annual salary of an inside sales specialist.
The top three skills for a business sales associate include business sales, product knowledge and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an inside sales specialist are customer service, CRM, and sales process.
| Business Sales Associate | Inside Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $59,485 | $50,944 |
| Hourly rate | $28.60 | $24.49 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 359,630 | 251,423 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A business sales associate's primary goal is to secure sales and reach sales targets. To make this possible, a business sales associate conducts market research and analyses to identify new business and client opportunities, generates leads, and develops sales strategies. They usually reach out to potential clients or representatives through calls or correspondence, arrange appointments, discuss product or service specifications, organize payment plans, and negotiate contracts, building positive business relationships along the way. Moreover, they produce progress reports and coordinate with managers regularly.
An inside sales specialist is primarily responsible for securing sales by reaching out to clients to sell products and services. They may communicate with customers through calls and correspondence or personally recommend products in a retail store setting. Moreover, they are also responsible for responding to inquiries or concerns, identifying the customers' needs, devising strategies to find sales opportunities, and discussing products to customers. An inside sales specialist is often required to meet sales goals and report to managers should there be any issues or problems.
Business sales associates and inside sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Sales Associate | Inside Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $59,485 | $50,944 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $84,000 | Between $34,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Keller Williams Greater Seattle |
| Best paying industry | - | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a business sales associate and an inside sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Business Sales Associate | Inside Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between business sales associates' and inside sales specialists' demographics:
| Business Sales Associate | Inside Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% | Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |