Key account manager vs inside sales account manager

The differences between key account managers and inside sales account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a key account manager and an inside sales account manager. Additionally, a key account manager has an average salary of $102,315, which is higher than the $60,413 average annual salary of an inside sales account manager.

The top three skills for a key account manager include account management, customer service and patients. The most important skills for an inside sales account manager are customer service, account management, and CRM.

Key account manager vs inside sales account manager overview

	Key Account Manager	Inside Sales Account Manager
Yearly salary	$102,315	$60,413
Hourly rate	$49.19	$29.04
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	160,992	157,914
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a key account manager do?

A key account manager is primarily in charge of handling key clients that produce the most profit for a company or business, ensuring that they remain with them. They are mainly responsible for understanding their clients' needs and long-term goals, ensuring that the key clients get to receive all the necessary services and products in time, and promptly address and resolve any issues and concerns. Furthermore, a key account manager may prepare reports and proposals to team members, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.

What does an inside sales account manager do?

An inside sales account manager oversees the operations and workforce performance within an inside sales team, ensuring efficiency and profit growth. Their duties revolve around monitoring sales progress, devising new strategies to identify new business and marketing opportunities, maintaining records of all transactions, identifying inconsistencies and errors, performing corrective measures, producing sales forecasts, and supervising accounts. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach sales targets, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Key account manager vs inside sales account manager salary

Key account managers and inside sales account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Key Account Manager	Inside Sales Account Manager
Average salary	$102,315	$60,413
Salary range	Between $75,000 And $138,000	Between $40,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Oregon
Best paying company	Quidel	Apple
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Technology

Differences between key account manager and inside sales account manager education

There are a few differences between a key account manager and an inside sales account manager in terms of educational background:

	Key Account Manager	Inside Sales Account Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 78%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Key account manager vs inside sales account manager demographics

Here are the differences between key account managers' and inside sales account managers' demographics:

	Key Account Manager	Inside Sales Account Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 68.1% Female, 31.9%	Male, 56.6% Female, 43.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between key account manager and inside sales account manager duties and responsibilities

Key account manager example responsibilities.

Lead the KAM division in market share expansion and activation for SWS portfolio.
Develop and manage GPO partnerships and new relationships in preparation of new product launch.
Utilize IRI reporting (CPGN) to deliver key category insights to customer base in order to effectively manage category decisions.
Manage company CRM implementation leading to increase sales profitability and customer satisfaction.
Provide managed care expertise to industry leading system developers to create web-base solutions for healthcare revenue cycle.
Manage services including contract logistics, distribution, and inbound logistics and shipping brokerage along with various additional transportation solutions.

Inside sales account manager example responsibilities.

Utilize SalesForce to manage customer activity.
Manage CRM sales pipeline for management forecasting and proper account and opportunity management.
Utilize CRM to track all pertinent information relate to the opportunity and effectively manage territory
Evaluate monthly budgets and territory saturation levels quarterly while managing lease renewals through needs analysis and ROI presentations
Manage accounts while providing excellent customer service, help build financial relationships, redirecting calls in upselling credit per customer needs
Construct custom dashboards and sales reports within SalesForce showing real time status.

Key account manager vs inside sales account manager skills

Common key account manager skills

Account Management, 10%
Customer Service, 7%
Patients, 6%
CRM, 6%
Customer Relationships, 5%
Excellent Interpersonal, 5%

Common inside sales account manager skills

Customer Service, 16%
Account Management, 9%
CRM, 9%
PowerPoint, 5%
Salesforce, 4%
Outbound Calls, 4%

Key Account Manager vs. similar jobs

Key Account Manager related careers

Key Account Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Key Account Manager
Key Account Manager vs Inside Sales Account Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs