Direct sales representative vs sales development representative

The differences between direct sales representatives and sales development 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 direct sales representative and a sales development representative. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, which is higher than the $43,527 average annual salary of a direct sales representative.

The top three skills for a direct sales representative include customer service, direct sales and TV. The most important skills for a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.

Direct sales representative vs sales development representative overview

	Direct Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Yearly salary	$43,527	$51,504
Hourly rate	$20.93	$24.76
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	159,668	199,588
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a direct sales representative do?

As a direct sales representative, you are responsible for creating customer awareness of a company's products and services and closing sales. You will perform varied tasks that include assisting in developing and executing marketing and sales plans, conducting research on competing products, and identifying opportunities to improve sales. Additionally, you are expected to answer inquiries about product features, availability, benefits, and pricing. Other tasks that you are likely to perform include attending trade shows, preparing sales proposals for prospective buyers, and preparing sales reports.

What does a sales development representative do?

A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.

Direct sales representative vs sales development representative salary

Direct sales representatives and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Average salary	$43,527	$51,504
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $69,000	Between $34,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Salem, OR	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Maine	Alaska
Best paying company	Google	PitchBook Data
Best paying industry	-	Start-up

Differences between direct sales representative and sales development representative education

There are a few differences between a direct sales representative and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:

	Direct Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	University of Pennsylvania

Direct sales representative vs sales development representative demographics

Here are the differences between direct sales representatives' and sales development representatives' demographics:

	Direct Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6%	Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between direct sales representative and sales development representative duties and responsibilities

Direct sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage accounts and create invoices via QuickBooks.
Achieve and maintain high-volume sales output, for cell phones and broadband products to stay employ with company.
Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
Canvass assigned sales territory and solicit orders for new or upgrade cable, broadband and digital phone services.
Generate revenue by selling and upselling services while developing client base throughout territory.
Prospect and generate sales revenue by adding new program residential customers and cross selling and upselling current residential customers.

Sales development representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Develop social media strategies for Facebook, LinkedIn, and emerging social networks, generating leads.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
supply chain management and procurement software (SaaS).
Handle customer service inquiries, returns, and RMA exchanges.
Develop a strong knowledge of SaaS sales techniques and lead management/generation.

Direct sales representative vs sales development representative skills

Common direct sales representative skills

Customer Service, 33%
Direct Sales, 20%
TV, 15%
Work Ethic, 4%
Technical Troubleshooting, 3%
Door-To-Door Sales, 3%

Common sales development representative skills

SDR, 11%
Lead Generation, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Account Executives, 5%
Linkedin, 5%
Outbound Calls, 4%

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Direct Sales Representative
Direct Sales Representative vs Sales Development Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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