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.
Inside sales executive responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real inside sales executive resumes:
- 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.
Inside sales executive skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Inside Sales Executives are proficient in Customer Service, Outbound Sales, and Healthcare. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Interpersonal skills, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Inside Sales Executives that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 12%
Established dollar value customer groups through one-on-one customer service emphasizing aggressive sales initiatives and execution of VIP contract strategy within SalesForce.
- Outbound Sales, 8%
Implemented consistently successful outbound sales development campaigns for technology clients including Adobe, KANA, YouSendIt.
- Healthcare, 6%
Create and identify Leads for BI services* focused on HealthCare - through Phone (Cold Calling) and Email.
- Outbound Calls, 6%
Make outbound calls to prospecting and existing customers to see if they would be interested in a business to business directory.
- Digital Marketing, 5%
Collaborated with local businesses to establish brand awareness and generate ROI through digital marketing campaigns.
- Lead Generation, 4%
Supported Account Executives through lead generation and uncovered new opportunities nationally.
Most inside sales executives use their skills in "customer service," "outbound sales," and "healthcare" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential inside sales executive responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for an inside sales executive to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale." Additionally, an inside sales executive resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "closed new customers in conjunction with outside sales reps and our director. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform inside sales executive duties is interpersonal skills. Inside sales executives responsibilities require that "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be able to work well with many types of people." Inside sales executives also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills combined with an intuitive and professional approach contributed to an above average conversion rate. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of inside sales executives is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday inside sales executive duties, as "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are often on their feet for a long time and may carry heavy sample products." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "inventory management via computer system and physical count. "
Self-confidence. inside sales executive responsibilities often require "self-confidence." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations." This resume example shows what inside sales executives do with self-confidence on a typical day: "work with inside/outside sales and operations to protect client and company confidentiality throughout our sales process. "
The three companies that hire the most inside sales executives are:
- Change Healthcare95 inside sales executives jobs
- The Independent Traveler65 inside sales executives jobs
- VantagePoint HealthCare Advisors19 inside sales executives jobs
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Compare different inside sales executives
Inside sales executive vs. Sales development representative
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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an inside sales executive are more likely to require skills like "healthcare," "account management," "customer issues," and "inbound calls." On the other hand, a job as a sales development representative requires skills like "sdr," "account executives," "excellent time management," and "marketing campaigns." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Sales development representatives really shine in the start-up industry with an average salary of $54,512. Comparatively, inside sales executives tend to make the most money in the professional industry with an average salary of $79,511.The education levels that sales development representatives earn slightly differ from inside sales executives. In particular, sales development representatives are 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an inside sales executive. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Inside sales executive vs. Sales/account representative
A sales account representative is responsible for managing and responding promptly to customer complaints and queries of clients. They focus on customer concerns and contact prospects. They work on upselling or cross-selling products and services, collaborating with account executives, and prepare reports to upper management. This job requires you to be a goal-driven person, energetic, and have excellent communication skills. Moreover, this is a challenging job; at times, it requires being extra polite and calm in handling customer complaints and other related situations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that inside sales executive responsibilities requires skills like "outbound sales," "healthcare," "digital marketing," and "cloud." But a sales/account representative might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "crm," "work ethic," "indirect sales," and "sales support."
Sales/account representatives earn a lower average salary than inside sales executives. But sales/account representatives earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $72,531. Additionally, inside sales executives earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $79,511 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Sales/account representatives tend to reach similar levels of education than inside sales executives. In fact, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Inside sales executive vs. Marketing/sales representative
The job of marketing/sales representatives is to pitch a company's products and services to potential customers. They work to drive brand awareness through face-to-face consumer interaction. They are often considered as a liaison between sellers and buyers, providing information about products and services. They promote human relationships through marketing collateral distribution and communication. Other responsibilities include planning and implementing marketing campaigns, maintaining good relationships with vendors and venues, and promoting business expansion opportunities. This role requires a bachelor's degree in business administration, communications and marketing experience, excellent communication skills, and time management skills.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from inside sales executive resumes include skills like "outbound sales," "healthcare," "digital marketing," and "lead generation," whereas a marketing/sales representative is more likely to list skills in "business relationships," "sales rep," "sales territory," and "powerpoint. "
Marketing/sales representatives make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $83,700. On the other hand, inside sales executives are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $79,511.Most marketing/sales representatives achieve a similar degree level compared to inside sales executives. For example, they're 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Inside sales executive vs. Sales agent
A sales representative is responsible for offering goods and services to potential and existing clients. Sales representatives must display a strong knowledge of the company's products to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. A sales representative should have exceptional communication skills and extensive knowledge of the sales industry to deliver sales pitches and negotiate pricing offers with the clients. Sales representatives must also keep themselves updated with the current market trends to provide service recommendations, improving their sales to increase revenues.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between inside sales executives and sales agents, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an inside sales executive might have more use for skills like "healthcare," "digital marketing," "lead generation," and "business development." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of sales agents require skills like "life insurance," "insurance products," "work ethic," and "business relationships. "
The average resume of sales agents showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to inside sales executives. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.Types of inside sales executive
Updated January 8, 2025
