Inside sales specialist vs outside sales consultant

The differences between inside sales specialists and outside sales consultants 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 outside sales consultant. Additionally, an outside sales consultant has an average salary of $76,601, 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 outside sales consultant are customer service, in-home, and CRM.

Inside sales specialist vs outside sales consultant overview

	Inside Sales Specialist	Outside Sales Consultant
Yearly salary	$50,944	$76,601
Hourly rate	$24.49	$36.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	251,423	230,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
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 outside sales consultant do?

An outside sales consultant is responsible for conducting sales for both prospective and existing customers. Your duties may vary, but common tasks include traveling to meet potential and existing customers, organizing meetings with customers regularly, and educating customers on the benefits of products and services. As an outside sales representative, you are responsible for monitoring the new products, market conditions and competitors, and assisting in building the brand with the help of the marketing department.

Inside sales specialist vs outside sales consultant salary

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

	Inside Sales Specialist	Outside Sales Consultant
Average salary	$50,944	$76,601
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $75,000	Between $48,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Delaware
Best paying company	Keller Williams Greater Seattle	Current TV
Best paying industry	Real Estate	Energy

Differences between inside sales specialist and outside sales consultant education

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

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

Inside sales specialist vs outside sales consultant demographics

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

	Inside Sales Specialist	Outside Sales Consultant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
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 outside sales consultant 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.

Outside sales consultant example responsibilities.

Utilize CRM data to deliver critical insights into product trends and manage leads for new product offerings.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Perform data entry or require customer information into company CRM system in order to create and maintain an ongoing sales base.
Develop special reports, publications, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
Cultivate strategic relationships and maximize sales volume by identifying fast ROI projects, seizing market opportunities and aggressively pursuing new business.
Create a zip code analysis tool to identify Medicaid recipients' target areas for strategic marketing penetration.

Inside sales specialist vs outside sales consultant skills

Common inside sales specialist skills

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

Common outside sales consultant skills

Customer Service, 14%
In-Home, 9%
CRM, 8%
Sales Presentations, 7%
Lead Generation, 6%
Excellent Presentation, 5%

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Inside Sales Specialist
Inside Sales Specialist vs Outside Sales Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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