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The differences between commercial sales specialists and outside sales 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 outside sales. Additionally, an outside sales has an average salary of $77,292, which is higher than the $73,492 average annual salary of a commercial sales specialist.
The top three skills for a commercial sales specialist include customer accounts, customer complaints and inventory control. The most important skills for an outside sales are customer service, product knowledge, and ongoing support.
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Outside Sales | |
| Yearly salary | $73,492 | $77,292 |
| Hourly rate | $35.33 | $37.16 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 124,771 | 333,400 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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 outside sales representative is responsible for generating the company's sales and revenues by offering goods and services to existing and potential clients, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, and researching on possible leads. Outside sales representatives monitor the current industry trends to identify new business opportunities that would help the business adjust to market changes to achieve profitability goals. An outside sales representative must have excellent communication and customer service skills, immediately resolving complaints and assisting on marketing promotions to gain sales prospects.
Commercial sales specialists and outside sales have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Outside Sales | |
| Average salary | $73,492 | $77,292 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $112,000 | Between $56,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Arlington, VA |
| Highest paying state | - | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | - | Morgan Stanley |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a commercial sales specialist and an outside sales in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Outside Sales | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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 outside sales' demographics:
| Commercial Sales Specialist | Outside Sales | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.1% Female, 22.9% | Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7% |
| 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, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |