Inside sales representative vs outside sales representative

The differences between inside sales representatives 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 representative and an outside sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, 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 outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.

Inside sales representative vs outside sales representative overview

	Inside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$44,413	$60,443
Hourly rate	$21.35	$29.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	244,168	218,034
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

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 outside sales representative do?

An Outside Sales Representative specializes in customer service and relations, focusing on reaching sales targets through selling and networking with clients. Among the duties revolve around reaching out to customers through calls, email, or even arranging appointments, monitoring and keeping an organized record of sales, communicating with managers or supervisors, adhering to the company's policies and regulations, and keeping extensive knowledge about the brand and the trends. Besides building rapport with customers, it is also essential for an Outside Sales Representative to be proactive and create strategies to help meet the sales target.

Inside sales representative vs outside sales representative salary

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average salary	$44,413	$60,443
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $41,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Wyoming	New Jersey
Best paying company	Berkshire Hathaway	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between inside sales representative and outside sales representative education

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	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 representative vs outside sales representative demographics

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3%	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%
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, 3.9% 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 representative and outside sales representative 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.

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 representative vs outside sales representative skills

Common inside sales representative skills

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

Common outside sales representative skills

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

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Inside Sales Representative
Inside Sales Representative vs Outside Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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