Corporate sales executive vs outside sales representative

The differences between corporate sales executives and outside sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a corporate sales executive, becoming an outside sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a corporate sales executive has an average salary of $117,447, which is higher than the $60,443 average annual salary of an outside sales representative.

The top three skills for a corporate sales executive include healthcare, sales process and CRM. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.

Corporate sales executive vs outside sales representative overview

	Corporate Sales Executive	Outside Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$117,447	$60,443
Hourly rate	$56.46	$29.06
Growth rate	5%	4%
Number of jobs	199,322	218,034
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	8	4

What does a corporate sales executive do?

A Corporate Sales Executive reaches out to clients to offer products and services, building positive relationships in the process. Their responsibilities typically include performing market research and analysis to find client or business opportunities, identifying and utilizing trends, generating leads, handling calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, and negotiating contracts. Aside from securing sales, a corporate sales executive may also perform various administrative support tasks such as preparing and processing documentation, developing sales strategies, and leading staff to reach goals while implementing company standards and regulations.

What does an outside sales representative do?

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.

Corporate sales executive vs outside sales representative salary

Corporate sales executives and outside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Corporate Sales Executive	Outside Sales Representative
Average salary	$117,447	$60,443
Salary range	Between $87,000 And $157,000	Between $41,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between corporate sales executive and outside sales representative education

There are a few differences between a corporate sales executive and an outside sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Corporate Sales Executive	Outside Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Corporate sales executive vs outside sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between corporate sales executives' and outside sales representatives' demographics:

	Corporate Sales Executive	Outside Sales Representative
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% 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	7%	6%

Differences between corporate sales executive and outside sales representative duties and responsibilities

Corporate sales executive example responsibilities.

Generate leads through internet research, marketing, trade show participation, internal department cross-selling, and referrals.
Create the vision to expand traditional training models and introduce new educational methodologies for sales force automation and web-base training.
Demonstrate software to decision makers over GoToMeeting and Join.me.

Outside sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain a weekly quota for broadband, and other wireless products.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.
Web dev, SEO, PPC etc . )
Participate in the launching and marketing of broadband internet in Orlando with great success.
Provide care, materials, and essential tools for doctors and nurses working on patients in the E.R.
Create and maintain successful business partnerships with customers by analyzing, meeting and understanding their needs and patients needs.

Corporate sales executive vs outside sales representative skills

Common corporate sales executive skills

Healthcare, 18%
Sales Process, 11%
CRM, 11%
Account Management, 11%
Business Relationships, 9%
Saas, 7%

Common outside sales representative skills

Customer Service, 17%
Work Ethic, 8%
Sales Process, 4%
Business Sales, 4%
Cold Calls, 4%
Product Knowledge, 4%

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Executive Management Industry
Corporate Sales Executive
Corporate Sales Executive vs Outside Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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