Inside sales manager vs outside sales manager

The differences between inside sales managers and outside sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an inside sales manager and an outside sales manager. Additionally, an outside sales manager has an average salary of $84,408, which is higher than the $78,425 average annual salary of an inside sales manager.

The top three skills for an inside sales manager include customer service, CRM and salesforce. The most important skills for an outside sales manager are product knowledge, CRM, and customer service.

Inside sales manager vs outside sales manager overview

	Inside Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$78,425	$84,408
Hourly rate	$37.70	$40.58
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	129,882	138,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does an inside sales manager do?

An inside sales manager is the one who leads the sales team to meet the organization's sales targets. The sales managers recruit, handle, and train the professional development of the sales team. It is their duty to set the goals of the company, provide sales reports, set departmental budgets, and track sales. They collaborate with the marketing department to make sure that the sales staff receives quality leads. Also, they address and resolve complaints from customers.

What does an outside sales manager do?

An outside sales manager is responsible for monitoring the sales staff performance in selling goods and services to existing and potential clients and ensuring that the team meets sales objectives. Outside sales managers set reasonable sales targets and establish techniques to maximize the staff's efficiency and productivity. They regularly connect with the clients to determine their needs and make any adjustments to business plans as needed. An outside sales manager should have excellent knowledge of the current market trends to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and resources.

Inside sales manager vs outside sales manager salary

Inside sales managers and outside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inside Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average salary	$78,425	$84,408
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $123,000	Between $51,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Albany, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Hawaii
Best paying company	Accenture	Dominion Enterprises
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between inside sales manager and outside sales manager education

There are a few differences between an inside sales manager and an outside sales manager in terms of educational background:

	Inside Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Inside sales manager vs outside sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between inside sales managers' and outside sales managers' demographics:

	Inside Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between inside sales manager and outside sales manager duties and responsibilities

Inside sales manager example responsibilities.

Implement and enforce SalesForce usage for entering leads and using the system through the customer sales cycle.
Achieve proficiency in all aspects of international business from documentation to freight logistics to pricing negotiations.
Leverage other sales office resources and administrative/support staff to achieve personal and team relate revenue goals.
Account management of detail information into CRM regarding all sales call activity and new business initiatives.
Conduct PowerPoint presentations to potential clients as well as new and existing businesses.
Focus on software upgrades and migrations to current software products (SAAS environment).

Outside sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
Plan and schedule work perform by HVAC technicians.
Educate and present new approach to facility managers and plant managers including ROI analysis.

Inside sales manager vs outside sales manager skills

Common inside sales manager skills

Customer Service, 13%
CRM, 10%
Salesforce, 6%
Customer Satisfaction, 5%
Product Knowledge, 5%
Sales Process, 4%

Common outside sales manager skills

Product Knowledge, 12%
CRM, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Sales Territory, 7%
Sales Strategies, 4%
Sales Growth, 3%

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Executive Management Industry
Inside Sales Manager
Inside Sales Manager vs Outside Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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