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The differences between instruments sales representatives and outside sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an instruments sales representative, becoming an outside sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an instruments sales representative has an average salary of $129,809, which is higher than the $60,443 average annual salary of an outside sales representative.
The top three skills for an instruments sales representative include capital equipment, mixers and spine. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.
| Instruments Sales Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $129,809 | $60,443 |
| Hourly rate | $62.41 | $29.06 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 159,779 | 218,034 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
An Instruments Sales Representative is in charge of reaching out to potential clients and businesses, aiming to secure sales. They typically offer products and services to clients through calls, correspondence, or even face-to-face interactions, depending on their company of employment. They conduct market research and analysis to find business and client opportunities, identify and utilize marketing trends, generate leads, discuss product and payment details to clients, and develop sales strategies while adhering to its policies and regulations.
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.
Instruments sales representatives and outside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instruments Sales Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $129,809 | $60,443 |
| Salary range | Between $93,000 And $179,000 | Between $41,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an instruments sales representative and an outside sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Instruments Sales Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between instruments sales representatives' and outside sales representatives' demographics:
| Instruments Sales Representative | Outside Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.4% Female, 33.6% | Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% 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% |