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The differences between inside sales associates and commercial sales associates 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 associate and a commercial sales associate. Additionally, a commercial sales associate has an average salary of $55,859, which is higher than the $40,687 average annual salary of an inside sales associate.
The top three skills for an inside sales associate include inside sales, sales associates and strong customer service. The most important skills for a commercial sales associate are cash handling, financial statements, and treasury.
| Inside Sales Associate | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $40,687 | $55,859 |
| Hourly rate | $19.56 | $26.86 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 320,863 | 261,436 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An inside sales associate is responsible for selling the company's goods and services through remote communication. Inside sales associates make calls to potential customers, demonstrate the products' features, take orders, process payments, and inform the customers of the delivery details. They strategize the most effective sales pitches to attract the customers on purchasing more services that would generate revenues and increase the company's profitability and brand image. An inside sales associate also supports the marketing team in developing marketing campaigns and promotional offers depending on customer demands and requests.
A commercial sales associate specializes in representing a company to offer products and services to businesses and organizations, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify business and client opportunities, pursuing leads, reaching out through calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, explaining or demonstrating products, and negotiating contracts. Aside from securing sales with businesses, a commercial sales associate must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, arranging schedules, and maintaining records of all transactions, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Inside sales associates and commercial sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Sales Associate | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $40,687 | $55,859 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $28,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Glen Cove, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Maine |
| Best paying company | MSCI | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between an inside sales associate and a commercial sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Inside Sales Associate | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between inside sales associates' and commercial sales associates' demographics:
| Inside Sales Associate | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |