Inside sales representative vs sales development representative

The differences between inside sales representatives and sales development 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 a sales development representative. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, 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 a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.

Inside sales representative vs sales development representative overview

	Inside Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Yearly salary	$44,413	$51,504
Hourly rate	$21.35	$24.76
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	244,168	199,588
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
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 a sales development representative do?

A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.

Inside sales representative vs sales development representative salary

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Average salary	$44,413	$51,504
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $69,000	Between $34,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Wyoming	Alaska
Best paying company	Berkshire Hathaway	PitchBook Data
Best paying industry	Technology	Start-up

Differences between inside sales representative and sales development representative education

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	University of Pennsylvania

Inside sales representative vs sales development representative demographics

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

	Inside Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3%	Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9%
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, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between inside sales representative and sales development 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.

Sales development representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Develop social media strategies for Facebook, LinkedIn, and emerging social networks, generating leads.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
supply chain management and procurement software (SaaS).
Handle customer service inquiries, returns, and RMA exchanges.
Develop a strong knowledge of SaaS sales techniques and lead management/generation.

Inside sales representative vs sales development 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 sales development representative skills

SDR, 11%
Lead Generation, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Account Executives, 5%
Linkedin, 5%
Outbound Calls, 4%

Inside Sales Representative vs. similar jobs

Inside Sales Representative related careers

Inside Sales Representative related jobs

Inside Sales Representative jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
Inside Sales Representative
Inside Sales Representative vs Sales Development Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs