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The differences between commercial representatives and outside sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a commercial representative and an outside sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, which is higher than the $53,767 average annual salary of a commercial representative.
The top three skills for a commercial representative include business development, technical support and financial statements. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.
| Commercial Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $53,767 | $60,443 |
| Hourly rate | $25.85 | $29.06 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 109,743 | 218,034 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Commercial Representatives are in demand in the business development industry. They coordinate with all aspects of business development, including client and branding management. Commercial Representatives deliver district sales goals, prepare contracts and resolve concerns, and analyze financial statements referring to commercial loan customers' potential. They manage the implementation of inventory management, technical support, and customer satisfaction projects.
An Outside Sales Representative specializes in customer service and relations, focusing on reaching sales targets through selling and networking with clients. Among the duties revolve around reaching out to customers through calls, email, or even arranging appointments, monitoring and keeping an organized record of sales, communicating with managers or supervisors, adhering to the company's policies and regulations, and keeping extensive knowledge about the brand and the trends. Besides building rapport with customers, it is also essential for an Outside Sales Representative to be proactive and create strategies to help meet the sales target.
Commercial representatives and outside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $53,767 | $60,443 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $95,000 | Between $41,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a commercial representative and an outside sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 commercial representatives' and outside sales representatives' demographics:
| Commercial Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8% | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |