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The differences between commercial sales specialists and inside 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 sales specialist and an inside sales representative. Additionally, a commercial sales specialist has an average salary of $73,492, which is higher than the $44,413 average annual salary of an inside sales representative.
The top three skills for a commercial sales specialist include customer accounts, customer complaints and inventory control. The most important skills for an inside sales representative are customer service, CRM, and outbound calls.
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $73,492 | $44,413 |
| Hourly rate | $35.33 | $21.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 124,771 | 244,168 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A commercial sales specialist is responsible for selling the company's goods and services to corporate organizations and identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase profits for the company. Commercial sales specialists determine the customers' needs and recommend product solutions by discussing and demonstrating product features and benefits, responding to their inquiries and concerns, and resolving complaints. They also work closely with the marketing team to enhance promotional efforts and media strategies to improve brand recognition in the market.
An inside sales representative is responsible for selling services and products to clients, driving the company's revenues and increase sales profitability. Duties of an inside sales representative include developing strategic sales pitches, responding to customer's inquiries and requests, offering promotional products and discounts, researching potential clients, creating sales reports, and managing customer's possible complaints. An inside sales representative also provides strategic solutions to share with the sales team to improve their sales performance. Inside sales representatives must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to deal with customers' needs.
Commercial sales specialists and inside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $73,492 | $44,413 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $112,000 | Between $28,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | - | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a commercial sales specialist and an inside sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| 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 sales specialists' and inside sales representatives' demographics:
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% | Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |