Inside sales account executive vs outside sales consultant

The differences between inside sales account executives and outside sales consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an inside sales account executive and an outside sales consultant. Additionally, an outside sales consultant has an average salary of $76,601, which is higher than the $63,049 average annual salary of an inside sales account executive.

The top three skills for an inside sales account executive include strong work ethic, customer service and CRM. The most important skills for an outside sales consultant are customer service, in-home, and CRM.

Inside sales account executive vs outside sales consultant overview

	Inside Sales Account Executive	Outside Sales Consultant
Yearly salary	$63,049	$76,601
Hourly rate	$30.31	$36.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	262,582	230,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an inside sales account executive do?

An inside sales account executive is responsible for handling the sales performance of multiple client accounts, ensuring that the project management processes reach target sales goals and business objectives. Inside sales account executives work with the sales and marketing team to develop effective marketing strategies and promotional techniques to boost brand awareness to the market and target audience. They also analyze the current industry trends, identifying business opportunities to generate resources for revenues, and improve project plans according to clients' specifications and budget limitations.

What does an outside sales consultant do?

An outside sales consultant is responsible for conducting sales for both prospective and existing customers. Your duties may vary, but common tasks include traveling to meet potential and existing customers, organizing meetings with customers regularly, and educating customers on the benefits of products and services. As an outside sales representative, you are responsible for monitoring the new products, market conditions and competitors, and assisting in building the brand with the help of the marketing department.

Inside sales account executive vs outside sales consultant salary

Inside sales account executives and outside sales consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inside Sales Account Executive	Outside Sales Consultant
Average salary	$63,049	$76,601
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $104,000	Between $48,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Delaware
Best paying company	Google	Current TV
Best paying industry	Technology	Energy

Differences between inside sales account executive and outside sales consultant education

There are a few differences between an inside sales account executive and an outside sales consultant in terms of educational background:

	Inside Sales Account Executive	Outside Sales Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Inside sales account executive vs outside sales consultant demographics

Here are the differences between inside sales account executives' and outside sales consultants' demographics:

	Inside Sales Account Executive	Outside Sales Consultant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
Race ratio	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%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between inside sales account executive and outside sales consultant duties and responsibilities

Inside sales account executive example responsibilities.

Manage CRM and POS software as well as proficient in various product software.
Operate Salesforce and manage opportunities accordingly.
Ensure all target prospect/client contacts and engagement opportunities are record in the ZOHO CRM.
Execute daily customer meetings via phone, WebEx and coordinate onsite meetings with outside counterpart.
Qualify new business opportunities and set WebEx meetings for review and demonstration of products and services.
Facilitate broker training utilizing PowerPoint.

Outside sales consultant example responsibilities.

Utilize CRM data to deliver critical insights into product trends and manage leads for new product offerings.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Perform data entry or require customer information into company CRM system in order to create and maintain an ongoing sales base.
Develop special reports, publications, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
Cultivate strategic relationships and maximize sales volume by identifying fast ROI projects, seizing market opportunities and aggressively pursuing new business.
Create a zip code analysis tool to identify Medicaid recipients' target areas for strategic marketing penetration.

Inside sales account executive vs outside sales consultant skills

Common inside sales account executive skills

Strong Work Ethic, 13%
Customer Service, 8%
CRM, 7%
Inbound Calls, 7%
Salesforce, 6%
Outbound Calls, 4%

Common outside sales consultant skills

Customer Service, 14%
In-Home, 9%
CRM, 8%
Sales Presentations, 7%
Lead Generation, 6%
Excellent Presentation, 5%

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Inside Sales Account Executive
Inside Sales Account Executive vs Outside Sales Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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