National sales manager vs outside sales manager

The differences between national sales managers and outside sales 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 national sales manager and an outside sales manager. Additionally, a national sales manager has an average salary of $102,742, which is higher than the $84,408 average annual salary of an outside sales manager.

The top three skills for a national sales manager include customer service, product development and trade shows. The most important skills for an outside sales manager are product knowledge, CRM, and customer service.

National sales manager vs outside sales manager overview

	National Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$102,742	$84,408
Hourly rate	$49.40	$40.58
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	94,554	138,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a national sales manager do?

A national sales manager is responsible for leading a large group of sales teams, monitoring sales performance, and implementing strategic sales procedures to drive revenues and achieve the organization's profitability goals. National sales managers identify business opportunities by analyzing current market trends and closing business partnerships to boost the company's brand popularity and attract more customers. They also monitor marketing strategies and negotiate continuous agreements with existing customers to keep them purchasing the company's services. A national sales manager creates sales forecasts, ensuring that the services provided by the organization align with the standard budget goals.

What does an outside sales manager do?

An outside sales manager is responsible for monitoring the sales staff performance in selling goods and services to existing and potential clients and ensuring that the team meets sales objectives. Outside sales managers set reasonable sales targets and establish techniques to maximize the staff's efficiency and productivity. They regularly connect with the clients to determine their needs and make any adjustments to business plans as needed. An outside sales manager should have excellent knowledge of the current market trends to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and resources.

National sales manager vs outside sales manager salary

National sales managers and outside sales managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	National Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average salary	$102,742	$84,408
Salary range	Between $67,000 And $155,000	Between $51,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	Albany, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	NetApp	Dominion Enterprises
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between national sales manager and outside sales manager education

There are a few differences between a national sales manager and an outside sales manager in terms of educational background:

	National Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

National sales manager vs outside sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between national sales managers' and outside sales managers' demographics:

	National Sales Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 80.4% Female, 19.6%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
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 national sales manager and outside sales manager duties and responsibilities

National sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage nationwide SAAS sales team, train, hire, develop territories, create budgets, marketing and sales development.
Manage relationships with clients via CRM, conducted/coordinate city wide site visits, craft creative presentations, proposals and bid packets.
Lead team on product redesign to web-base SaaS infrastructure and generate feature content base on customer need and marketability.
Introduce a foreign manufacture into a dominant domestic automotive and aerospace markets while achieving business goals and domestic tool production plans.
Experience with on-line, call center, recruitment with the use of Salesforce software.
Implement CRM tool tailor specifically for the collegiate market, creating equity and accountability in the inside and outside sales force.

Outside sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
Plan and schedule work perform by HVAC technicians.
Educate and present new approach to facility managers and plant managers including ROI analysis.

National sales manager vs outside sales manager skills

Common national sales manager skills

Customer Service, 10%
Product Development, 10%
Trade Shows, 7%
Sales Growth, 6%
Sales Strategies, 5%
Business Development, 4%

Common outside sales manager skills

Product Knowledge, 12%
CRM, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Sales Territory, 7%
Sales Strategies, 4%
Sales Growth, 3%

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National Sales Manager
National Sales Manager vs Outside Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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