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The differences between inside sales engineers and sales development representatives 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 a sales development representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, 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 a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Development Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $50,487 | $51,504 |
| Hourly rate | $24.27 | $24.76 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 156,700 | 199,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| 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.
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 engineers and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average salary | $50,487 | $51,504 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $76,000 | Between $34,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Fluid Components International | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an inside sales engineer and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Development Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between inside sales engineers' and sales development representatives' demographics:
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |