Key account representative vs outside sales representative

The differences between key account representatives and outside 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 a key account representative and an outside sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, which is higher than the $48,841 average annual salary of a key account representative.

The top three skills for a key account representative include business development, account management and product knowledge. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.

Key account representative vs outside sales representative overview

	Key Account Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$48,841	$60,443
Hourly rate	$23.48	$29.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	236,207	218,034
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a key account representative do?

A key account representative identifies opportunities for increasing sales and defines outreach strategies. Key account representatives find, develop, and maintain customer accounts. The account representatives serve as the main point of contact between an organization and its clients. They make regular communication with the clients, address their concerns, and track their transactions and payments. Part of their job is to present expanded and new opportunities to the clients. They have to be adaptable and have empathy in performing their job. Among the skills they need to develop include people or communication skills, relationship building, and time management.

What does an outside sales representative do?

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.

Key account representative vs outside sales representative salary

Key account representatives and outside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Key Account Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average salary	$48,841	$60,443
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $69,000	Between $41,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between key account representative and outside sales representative education

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

	Key Account Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Key account representative vs outside sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between key account representatives' and outside sales representatives' demographics:

	Key Account Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7%	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% 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%

Differences between key account representative and outside sales representative duties and responsibilities

Key account representative example responsibilities.

Evaluate monthly budgets and territory saturation levels quarterly while managing lease renewals through needs analysis and ROI presentations
Prepare catalogs, PowerPoint presentations, and cost spreadsheets in accordance with client product requests and within budgetary parameters.
Develop concepts and procedures, analyze and resolve general ledger interfaces with computerize payroll, time tracking and project accounting system.
Install and maintain software, hardware and networking and troubleshoot computer systems for problems ranging from software incompatibilities to electrical problems.

Outside sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain a weekly quota for broadband, and other wireless products.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.
Web dev, SEO, PPC etc . )
Participate in the launching and marketing of broadband internet in Orlando with great success.
Provide care, materials, and essential tools for doctors and nurses working on patients in the E.R.
Create and maintain successful business partnerships with customers by analyzing, meeting and understanding their needs and patients needs.

Key account representative vs outside sales representative skills

Common key account representative skills

Business Development, 15%
Account Management, 12%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Post Sales, 10%
Customer Complaints, 7%
CRM, 5%

Common outside sales representative skills

Customer Service, 17%
Work Ethic, 8%
Sales Process, 4%
Business Sales, 4%
Cold Calls, 4%
Product Knowledge, 4%

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Key Account Representative
Key Account Representative vs Outside Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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