Internal sales representative vs field sales representative

The differences between internal sales representatives and field 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 internal sales representative and a field sales representative. Additionally, a field sales representative has an average salary of $48,460, which is higher than the $44,872 average annual salary of an internal sales representative.

The top three skills for an internal sales representative include phone calls, internal sales and product knowledge. The most important skills for a field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.

Internal sales representative vs field sales representative overview

	Internal Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$44,872	$48,460
Hourly rate	$21.57	$23.30
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	234,019	228,254
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an internal sales representative do?

An internal sales representative aims to promote and sell different products and services to a target client. This career significant for a successful business and the growth of revenue. Typically, they receive many queries and suggestions, which means they must communicate with clients quickly and efficiently to develop a concrete solution for each issue. They log each issue to a database for future reference.

What does a field sales representative do?

A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.

Internal sales representative vs field sales representative salary

Internal sales representatives and field sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Internal Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average salary	$44,872	$48,460
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $68,000	Between $26,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	VMware
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between internal sales representative and field sales representative education

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

	Internal Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Internal sales representative vs field sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between internal sales representatives' and field sales representatives' demographics:

	Internal Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0%	Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% 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, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between internal sales representative and field sales representative duties and responsibilities

Internal sales representative example responsibilities.

Accomplish tasks in a timely manner.Skills UsedComputer, math, reading wiring schematics.
Provide merchandising assistance to customers by building displays, negotiating placement, replenishing permanent secondary displays and using POS materials effectively.
Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

Field sales representative example responsibilities.

Train and manage new DSR's.
Lead seminars for the CPA community for CPE credits.
Develop and manage sales in major retail accounts in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Manage and assist a vast customer base in the market for new roofing needs after a large hail storm in Lubbock.
Manage merchandising and POS materials at the retail store level ensuring meticulous compliance with all current corporate initiative regulations.
Conduct effective group Medicare HMO/PPO presentations/seminars, as well as one-on-one field sales presentations.

Internal sales representative vs field sales representative skills

Common internal sales representative skills

Phone Calls, 12%
Internal Sales, 10%
Product Knowledge, 9%
CRM, 8%
Sales Process, 7%
Insurance Products, 7%

Common field sales representative skills

Excellent Time Management, 17%
Customer Service, 8%
PowerPoint, 6%
Medicare, 6%
Account Management, 6%
Sales Presentations, 5%

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Internal Sales Representative
Internal Sales Representative vs Field Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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