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The differences between direct sales managers and inside sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a direct sales manager and an inside sales manager. Additionally, a direct sales manager has an average salary of $120,139, which is higher than the $78,425 average annual salary of an inside sales manager.
The top three skills for a direct sales manager include sales professionals, account executives and customer service. The most important skills for an inside sales manager are customer service, CRM, and salesforce.
| Direct Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $120,139 | $78,425 |
| Hourly rate | $57.76 | $37.70 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 140,506 | 129,882 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
Direct sales managers are individuals who take responsibility for leading and guiding sales people within an organization. It is the job of the sales managers to set the goals and quotas, create sales plans, and analyze data. They assign sales territories and conduct sales training. They serve as mentors for sales team members and involve in the recruitment and dismissal process. Also, they foresee sales and identify product and service profitability for the company.
An inside sales manager is the one who leads the sales team to meet the organization's sales targets. The sales managers recruit, handle, and train the professional development of the sales team. It is their duty to set the goals of the company, provide sales reports, set departmental budgets, and track sales. They collaborate with the marketing department to make sure that the sales staff receives quality leads. Also, they address and resolve complaints from customers.
Direct sales managers and inside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Average salary | $120,139 | $78,425 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $178,000 | Between $49,000 And $123,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a direct sales manager and an inside sales manager in terms of educational background:
| Direct Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between direct sales managers' and inside sales managers' demographics:
| Direct Sales Manager | Inside Sales Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.9% Female, 38.1% | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% |
| 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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |