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The differences between outbound sales representatives and sales development 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 outbound sales representative and a sales development representative. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, which is higher than the $45,723 average annual salary of an outbound sales representative.
The top three skills for an outbound sales representative include outbound sales, customer service and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.
| Outbound Sales Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $45,723 | $51,504 |
| Hourly rate | $21.98 | $24.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 240,781 | 199,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An outbound sales representative focuses on securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or face-to-face interactions. They primarily offer products and services, assisting customers every step of the way to ensure client satisfaction. To carry out their duties, they must perform research and analysis to identify business opportunities, develop sales strategies, generate leads, discuss product specifications with customers, introduce payment plans, and negotiate contracts. Moreover, an outbound sales representative must build positive relationships with clients while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.
Outbound sales representatives and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Outbound Sales Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average salary | $45,723 | $51,504 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $84,000 | Between $34,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hoboken, NJ | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Altice USA | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between an outbound sales representative and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:
| Outbound Sales Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between outbound sales representatives' and sales development representatives' demographics:
| Outbound Sales Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% 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, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |