Direct sales manager vs outside sales manager

The differences between direct sales managers and outside 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 outside sales manager. Additionally, a direct sales manager has an average salary of $120,139, which is higher than the $84,408 average annual salary of an outside 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 outside sales manager are product knowledge, CRM, and customer service.

Direct sales manager vs outside sales manager overview

	Direct Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$120,139	$84,408
Hourly rate	$57.76	$40.58
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	140,506	138,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a direct sales manager do?

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.

What does an outside sales manager do?

An outside sales manager is responsible for monitoring the sales staff performance in selling goods and services to existing and potential clients and ensuring that the team meets sales objectives. Outside sales managers set reasonable sales targets and establish techniques to maximize the staff's efficiency and productivity. They regularly connect with the clients to determine their needs and make any adjustments to business plans as needed. An outside sales manager should have excellent knowledge of the current market trends to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and resources.

Direct sales manager vs outside sales manager salary

Direct sales managers and outside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average salary	$120,139	$84,408
Salary range	Between $80,000 And $178,000	Between $51,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	-	Albany, NY
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Dominion Enterprises
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between direct sales manager and outside sales manager education

There are a few differences between a direct sales manager and an outside sales manager in terms of educational background:

	Direct Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Direct sales manager vs outside sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between direct sales managers' and outside sales managers' demographics:

	Direct Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 61.9% Female, 38.1%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
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%

Differences between direct sales manager and outside sales manager duties and responsibilities

Direct sales manager example responsibilities.

Lead the SEO team and direct all SEO strategies and initiatives.
Leverage other sales office resources and administrative/support staff to achieve personal and team relate revenue goals.
Conduct direct sales calls to all key accounts, both distributors and chains.
Utilize information technology expertise to develop and maintain web presence, create marketing opportunities, CRM management, and increase productivity.
Initiate resource selection, pricing, merchandising and promotion for online store utilizing email, SEO, and social media.
Develop ROI models to ensure profit hurdles are meet.

Outside sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
Plan and schedule work perform by HVAC technicians.
Educate and present new approach to facility managers and plant managers including ROI analysis.

Direct sales manager vs outside sales manager skills

Common direct sales manager skills

Sales Professionals, 17%
Account Executives, 14%
Customer Service, 8%
Sales Management, 7%
Payroll, 6%
Direct Reports, 4%

Common outside sales manager skills

Product Knowledge, 12%
CRM, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Sales Territory, 7%
Sales Strategies, 4%
Sales Growth, 3%

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Direct Sales Manager
Direct Sales Manager vs Outside Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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