Inside sales representative vs account manager

The differences between inside sales representatives and account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an inside sales representative, becoming an account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an account manager has an average salary of $68,535, which is higher than the $44,413 average annual salary of an inside sales representative.

The top three skills for an inside sales representative include customer service, CRM and outbound calls. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.

Inside sales representative vs account manager overview

	Inside Sales Representative	Account Manager
Yearly salary	$44,413	$68,535
Hourly rate	$21.35	$32.95
Growth rate	4%	5%
Number of jobs	244,168	152,261
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	47	46
Years of experience	4	8

What does an inside sales representative do?

An inside sales representative is responsible for selling services and products to clients, driving the company's revenues and increase sales profitability. Duties of an inside sales representative include developing strategic sales pitches, responding to customer's inquiries and requests, offering promotional products and discounts, researching potential clients, creating sales reports, and managing customer's possible complaints. An inside sales representative also provides strategic solutions to share with the sales team to improve their sales performance. Inside sales representatives must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to deal with customers' needs.

What does an account manager do?

Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.

Inside sales representative vs account manager salary

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Account Manager
Average salary	$44,413	$68,535
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $42,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Washington
Best paying company	Berkshire Hathaway	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between inside sales representative and account manager education

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Account Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	University of Southern California

Inside sales representative vs account manager demographics

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Account Manager
Average age	47	46
Gender ratio	Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3%	Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% 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	6%	7%

Differences between inside sales representative and account manager duties and responsibilities

Inside sales representative example responsibilities.

Coordinate commercial sales and manage projects with HVAC contractors for Georgia district.
Accomplish tasks in a timely manner.Skills UsedComputer, math, reading wiring schematics.
Generate leads through the use of Linkedin, firm websites and legal magazines.
Manage and develop a nationwide territory through cold calling utilizing LinkedIn?, DiscoverOrg.
Manage help desk support for company ERP system as well as employee hardware and software issues.
Manage a team of 15-25 ISE's through effective sales coaching, call monitoring and creating sales spiff programs.

Account manager example responsibilities.

Manage financial departments with responsibility for managing payroll, bank re-consolidations, bank deposits, budgeting and cost control.
Manage $4 million territory encompassing three Mid-Atlantic states.
Manage new business and renewals for leading Saas legal solution.
Manage an inside sales territory of multiple states with Avaya technology solutions.
Negotiate and manage all contracts and pricing for IDN's in the territory.
Manage customers' accounts utilizing laptop and internet base CMS reporting software and ADM field guide.

Inside sales representative vs account manager skills

Common inside sales representative skills

Customer Service, 22%
CRM, 6%
Outbound Calls, 5%
Product Knowledge, 4%
Work Ethic, 4%
Sales Process, 3%

Common account manager skills

Customer Service, 19%
Account Management, 8%
Healthcare, 6%
CRM, 6%
Product Knowledge, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

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Inside Sales Representative
Inside Sales Representative vs Account Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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