Inside sales person vs outside sales representative

The differences between inside sales people and outside 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 person and an outside sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, which is higher than the $47,610 average annual salary of an inside sales person.

The top three skills for an inside sales person include customer inquiries, strong customer service and product knowledge. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.

Inside sales person vs outside sales representative overview

	Inside Sales Person	Outside Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$47,610	$60,443
Hourly rate	$22.89	$29.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	189,494	218,034
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

Inside sales person vs outside sales representative salary

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

	Inside Sales Person	Outside Sales Representative
Average salary	$47,610	$60,443
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $95,000	Between $41,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between inside sales person and outside sales representative education

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

	Inside Sales Person	Outside Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Inside sales person vs outside sales representative demographics

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

	Inside Sales Person	Outside Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between inside sales person and outside sales representative duties and responsibilities

Inside sales person example responsibilities.

Manage inbound domestic and international logistics and domestic shipping with respect to carrier selection, forwarding, brokering and expediting.
Process orders and handle customer service for wholesale commercial HVAC company.
Manage inbound domestic and international logistics and domestic shipping with respect to carrier selection, forwarding, brokering and expediting.
Communicate ongoing contact activity utilizing Salesforce.com.

Outside sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain a weekly quota for broadband, and other wireless products.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.
Web dev, SEO, PPC etc . )
Participate in the launching and marketing of broadband internet in Orlando with great success.
Provide care, materials, and essential tools for doctors and nurses working on patients in the E.R.
Create and maintain successful business partnerships with customers by analyzing, meeting and understanding their needs and patients needs.

Inside sales person vs outside sales representative skills

Common inside sales person skills

Customer Inquiries, 21%
Strong Customer Service, 10%
Product Knowledge, 10%
Customer Accounts, 7%
Delivery Dates, 7%
Inventory Control, 6%

Common outside sales representative skills

Customer Service, 17%
Work Ethic, 8%
Sales Process, 4%
Business Sales, 4%
Cold Calls, 4%
Product Knowledge, 4%

Inside Sales Person vs. similar jobs

Inside Sales Person related careers

Inside Sales Person related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
Inside Sales Person
Inside Sales Person vs Outside Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs