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The differences between inside sales associates 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 an inside sales associate and a sales development representative. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, 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 sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Development Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $40,687 | $51,504 |
| Hourly rate | $19.56 | $24.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 320,863 | 199,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| 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 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.
Inside sales associates and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average salary | $40,687 | $51,504 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $34,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | MSCI | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an inside sales associate and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Development Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between inside sales associates' and sales development representatives' demographics:
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| 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, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |