Inside sales executive vs field sales representative

The differences between inside sales executives and field sales 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 executive and a field sales representative. Additionally, an inside sales executive has an average salary of $77,590, which is higher than the $48,460 average annual salary of a field sales representative.

The top three skills for an inside sales executive include customer service, outbound sales and healthcare. The most important skills for a field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.

Inside sales executive vs field sales representative overview

	Inside Sales Executive	Field Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$77,590	$48,460
Hourly rate	$37.30	$23.30
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	248,123	228,254
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an inside sales executive do?

An inside sales executive is responsible for reaching out to potential and existing customers to sell goods and services offered by the company. Inside sales executives should have excellent sales capabilities and pitches to persuade the customers in purchasing the products upon demonstrating its features and usage. They also respond to the inquiries and concerns the customers may have before proceeding with their orders and payment details. An inside sales executive supports the sales team in reaching sales targets by identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenues and profits for the company.

What does a field sales representative do?

A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.

Inside sales executive vs field sales representative salary

Inside sales executives and field sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inside Sales Executive	Field Sales Representative
Average salary	$77,590	$48,460
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $117,000	Between $26,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Annapolis, MD	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	Amd	VMware
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between inside sales executive and field sales representative education

There are a few differences between an inside sales executive and a field sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Inside Sales Executive	Field Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Inside sales executive vs field sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between inside sales executives' and field sales representatives' demographics:

	Inside Sales Executive	Field Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8%	Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% 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, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between inside sales executive and field sales representative duties and responsibilities

Inside sales executive example responsibilities.

Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Operate as inside sales consultant, primarily in areas of customer relations, sales/service support, coordinating production and transportation scheduling
Train new hire on SFDC and help him with messaging and solution description.
Master and utilize all sales relate tools including SFDC, SalesLoft, ZoomInfo, InsideView, and Engagio.
Present ADT security systems presentations to those businesses by reviewing their needs for security.

Field sales representative example responsibilities.

Train and manage new DSR's.
Lead seminars for the CPA community for CPE credits.
Develop and manage sales in major retail accounts in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Manage and assist a vast customer base in the market for new roofing needs after a large hail storm in Lubbock.
Manage merchandising and POS materials at the retail store level ensuring meticulous compliance with all current corporate initiative regulations.
Conduct effective group Medicare HMO/PPO presentations/seminars, as well as one-on-one field sales presentations.

Inside sales executive vs field sales representative skills

Common inside sales executive skills

Customer Service, 12%
Outbound Sales, 8%
Healthcare, 6%
Outbound Calls, 6%
Digital Marketing, 5%
Lead Generation, 4%

Common field sales representative skills

Excellent Time Management, 17%
Customer Service, 8%
PowerPoint, 6%
Medicare, 6%
Account Management, 6%
Sales Presentations, 5%

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Inside Sales Executive
Inside Sales Executive vs Field Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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