Inside sales specialist vs associate sales representative

The differences between inside sales specialists and associate 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 specialist and an associate sales representative. Additionally, an associate sales representative has an average salary of $51,007, which is higher than the $50,944 average annual salary of an inside sales specialist.

The top three skills for an inside sales specialist include customer service, CRM and sales process. The most important skills for an associate sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.

Inside sales specialist vs associate sales representative overview

	Inside Sales Specialist	Associate Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$50,944	$51,007
Hourly rate	$24.49	$24.52
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	251,423	333,049
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an inside sales specialist do?

An inside sales specialist is primarily responsible for securing sales by reaching out to clients to sell products and services. They may communicate with customers through calls and correspondence or personally recommend products in a retail store setting. Moreover, they are also responsible for responding to inquiries or concerns, identifying the customers' needs, devising strategies to find sales opportunities, and discussing products to customers. An inside sales specialist is often required to meet sales goals and report to managers should there be any issues or problems.

What does an associate sales representative do?

The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.

Inside sales specialist vs associate sales representative salary

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

	Inside Sales Specialist	Associate Sales Representative
Average salary	$50,944	$51,007
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $75,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Keller Williams Greater Seattle	Verint
Best paying industry	Real Estate	Health Care

Differences between inside sales specialist and associate sales representative education

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

	Inside Sales Specialist	Associate Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Inside sales specialist vs associate sales representative demographics

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

	Inside Sales Specialist	Associate Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between inside sales specialist and associate sales representative duties and responsibilities

Inside sales specialist example responsibilities.

Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Present presentations to potential clients through Microsoft PowerPoint.
Maintain and update assigned territory through SalesLogix CRM program.
Revise and update CRM database to ensure accurate customer information.
Operate as inside sales consultant, primarily in areas of customer relations, sales/service support, coordinating production and transportation scheduling
Call on corporate counsel, c-level executives and law firms to sell solutions with traditional litigation support.

Associate sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

Inside sales specialist vs associate sales representative skills

Common inside sales specialist skills

Customer Service, 13%
CRM, 7%
Sales Process, 5%
Work Ethic, 5%
Product Knowledge, 5%
Outbound Calls, 4%

Common associate sales representative skills

Work Ethic, 16%
Patients, 13%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Sales Techniques, 4%

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Inside Sales Specialist
Inside Sales Specialist vs Associate Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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