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What is an outbound sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted Experts
Frederik Beuk,
John Cicala Ph.D.
introduction image

An outbound sales representative is an individual who works to generate new business by making cold calls or reaching out to potential clients via email or social media. They are responsible for researching potential customers, pitching products or services, and closing deals. They work for a variety of industries, such as technology, finance, or retail. Typically, they receive commissions on sales made. They must possess strong communication skills and be persistent in their approach.

What general advice would you give to an Outbound Sales Representative?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.
ScoreOutbound Sales RepresentativeUS Average
Salary
3.6

Avg. Salary $45,723

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.1

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.8
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.14%

Black or African American 3.83%

Hispanic or Latino 14.18%

Unknown 3.71%

White 72.91%

Gender

female 54.09%

male 45.91%

Age - 48
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48
Stress Level
7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
4.9

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an Outbound Sales Representative?

Pros

  • Opportunity for high earning potential through commission

  • Ability to work independently and manage your own schedule

  • Chance to develop strong communication and negotiation skills

  • Potential for flexible work hours

  • Development of resilience and persistence through handling rejection

Cons

  • High-pressure environment with daily, weekly, and monthly targets to meet

  • Cold calling can be challenging and stressful

  • Rejection can be demotivating and impact self-esteem

  • Limited control over the quality of leads provided by the company

  • Some clients may be difficult to work with or unresponsive

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Outbound Sales Representative career paths

Key steps to become an outbound sales representative

  1. Explore outbound sales representative education requirements

    Most common outbound sales representative degrees

    High School Diploma

    32.7 %

    Bachelor's

    31.9 %

    Associate

    19.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific outbound sales representative skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Outbound Sales25.24%
    Customer Service11.44%
    Excellent Interpersonal8.83%
    Excellent Organizational8.33%
    CRM6.75%
  3. Complete relevant outbound sales representative training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New outbound sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an outbound sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real outbound sales representative resumes.
  4. Research outbound sales representative duties and responsibilities

    • Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
    • Build rapport while selling customers solar panels, porches, and double glaze windows.
    • Assist customers with there questions and concerns, telemarketing, distribute flyers within neighborhood.
    • Require multitasking, responding appropriately to customer questions and concerns, and negotiating sales for additional products and services.
  5. Prepare your outbound sales representative resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your outbound sales representative resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an outbound sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Outbound Sales Representative Resume templates

    Build a professional Outbound Sales Representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Outbound Sales Representative resume.
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    Outbound Sales Representative Resume
  6. Apply for outbound sales representative jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an outbound sales representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Outbound Sales Representative Job

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Average outbound sales representative salary

The average Outbound Sales Representative salary in the United States is $45,723 per year or $22 per hour. Outbound sales representative salaries range between $24,000 and $84,000 per year.

Average Outbound Sales Representative Salary
$45,723 Yearly
$21.98 hourly

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How do outbound sales representatives rate their job?

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Outbound Sales Representative reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Cons

Felt like I was chained to the table, changes were made on a daily basis, and work became a race against the clock for 9 hours. Managers look down at you as a number on their chart and not a human being, good workers became poor workers, great workers were barely good, and the robots working exactly as needed were the only ones lucky enough to escape the cubicle prison.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

i enjoy the interaction with people, listen the customer in order to convert him/her into your friend, detect and help customer with his/her needs.

Cons

People without vision, dreams and selfishness.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.