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The differences between inside sales associates and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inside sales associate has an average salary of $40,687, which is higher than the $32,167 average annual salary of a 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 sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $40,687 | $32,167 |
| Hourly rate | $19.56 | $15.46 |
| Growth rate | 4% | - |
| Number of jobs | 320,863 | 579,849 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 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.
Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.
Inside sales associates and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $40,687 | $32,167 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $21,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | MSCI | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an inside sales associate and a sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | - |
Here are the differences between inside sales associates' and sales associates' demographics:
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |