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The differences between inside sales engineers and outside sales can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an inside sales engineer, becoming an outside sales takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an outside sales has an average salary of $77,292, which is higher than the $50,487 average annual salary of an inside sales engineer.
The top three skills for an inside sales engineer include customer service, product knowledge and CRM. The most important skills for an outside sales are customer service, product knowledge, and ongoing support.
| Inside Sales Engineer | Outside Sales | |
| Yearly salary | $50,487 | $77,292 |
| Hourly rate | $24.27 | $37.16 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 156,700 | 333,400 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An inside sales engineer is an individual who uses specialized technical knowledge to negotiate between sales units and clients to increase the profits and revenue of a company. Inside sales, engineers must seek clients who will benefit from their products or services and aim to maximize client potential in the different allocated regions. Inside sales engineers must also provide technical help and carry out training, if necessary, once a sale has been made.
An outside sales representative is responsible for generating the company's sales and revenues by offering goods and services to existing and potential clients, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, and researching on possible leads. Outside sales representatives monitor the current industry trends to identify new business opportunities that would help the business adjust to market changes to achieve profitability goals. An outside sales representative must have excellent communication and customer service skills, immediately resolving complaints and assisting on marketing promotions to gain sales prospects.
Inside sales engineers and outside sales have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Sales Engineer | Outside Sales | |
| Average salary | $50,487 | $77,292 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $76,000 | Between $56,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | Arlington, VA |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Fluid Components International | Morgan Stanley |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an inside sales engineer and an outside sales in terms of educational background:
| Inside Sales Engineer | Outside Sales | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between inside sales engineers' and outside sales' demographics:
| Inside Sales Engineer | Outside Sales | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% | Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 77.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |