Inside sales representative vs retail sales representative

The differences between inside sales representatives and retail sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an inside sales representative has an average salary of $44,413, which is higher than the $37,907 average annual salary of a retail sales representative.

The top three skills for an inside sales representative include customer service, CRM and outbound calls. The most important skills for a retail sales representative are retail sales, retail store, and POS.

Inside sales representative vs retail sales representative overview

	Inside Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$44,413	$37,907
Hourly rate	$21.35	$18.22
Growth rate	4%	-
Number of jobs	244,168	391,763
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	47	41
Years of experience	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 a retail sales representative do?

A retail salesperson's responsibility is to sell products and provide necessary information to the consumers to convince them of availing items. Retail salesperson's duties include coordinating with promotional programs, recommending strategies to increase sales, answering customer's inquiries, and escalating any concerns to the management that might affect the company's sales performance. A retail salesperson must have excellent communication skills to build a good rapport with the customers and assist them with their needs. A retail salesperson also helps with inventories and documenting a customer's suggestion for service improvement.

Inside sales representative vs retail sales representative salary

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Average salary	$44,413	$37,907
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $28,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Maine
Best paying company	Berkshire Hathaway	Pella
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between inside sales representative and retail sales representative education

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	-

Inside sales representative vs retail sales representative demographics

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Average age	47	41
Gender ratio	Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3%	Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	6%	7%

Differences between inside sales representative and retail 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.

Retail sales representative example responsibilities.

Track leads, manage business opportunity, and initiate sales promotions using Siebel CRM.
Achieve quarterly and yearly bonus goals by controlling business expenses and effectively managing payroll costs.
Train new RSC members on sales techniques.
Complete daily office visit entries through CRM.
Conduct WebEx & PowerPoint presentations over the phone.
Used passion for technology and resourcefulness to generate sales.

Inside sales representative vs retail 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 retail sales representative skills

Retail Sales, 30%
Retail Store, 17%
POS, 12%
Store Management, 7%
Customer Relationships, 4%
Broadband, 3%

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Inside Sales Representative
Inside Sales Representative vs Retail Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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