Outside account executive vs business sales representative

The differences between outside account executives and business sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outside account executive has an average salary of $81,372, which is higher than the $58,288 average annual salary of a business sales representative.

The top three skills for an outside account executive include marketing campaigns, salesforce and sales presentations. The most important skills for a business sales representative are business sales, customer accounts, and customer service.

Outside account executive vs business sales representative overview

	Outside Account Executive	Business Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$81,372	$58,288
Hourly rate	$39.12	$28.02
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	185,399	226,438
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	-	4

What does an outside account executive do?

An outside account executive is in charge of developing strategies to secure sales in the field, aiming to reach sales targets and client satisfaction. To carry out their duties, they must research client and business opportunities, reach out to clients through face to face interactions, offer products and services, explain product specifications, and process payments. They may also perform product demonstrations, arrange payment plans, and negotiate contracts, building positive relationships with clients along the way. Moreover, an outside account executive must produce regular sales and account reports, updating managers as required.

What does a business sales representative do?

A business sales representative's role is to develop strategies in identifying leads and opportunities to secure sales. Their responsibilities revolve around reaching out to clients to offer products and services, discussing the pricing and specifications of products, processing payments, and gathering necessary client information. They may also arrange appointments with clients to negotiate and sign contracts. Furthermore, as a business sales representative, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, handle issues and complaints, maintain records of all transactions, and regularly update databases.

Outside account executive vs business sales representative salary

Outside account executives and business sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Outside Account Executive	Business Sales Representative
Average salary	$81,372	$58,288
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $127,000	Between $31,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	-	Bothell, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Amazon
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between outside account executive and business sales representative education

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

	Outside Account Executive	Business Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Outside account executive vs business sales representative demographics

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

	Outside Account Executive	Business Sales Representative
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3%	Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 5.7% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	6%

Differences between outside account executive and business sales representative duties and responsibilities

Outside account executive example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of tactical implementations, including creative and technical development, measurement, reporting and ROI analysis.
Account analysis and preparation, assessing customer needs, and preparation of professional sales recommendations tailor to each customer s business.
Supervise and coordinate the daily activities of manufacturers representatives engage in promoting and selling roofing products.

Business sales representative example responsibilities.

Lead recruitment and marketing efforts via social media channels such as LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, etc.
Generate qualify leads through B2B telemarketing services specialize in identifying and nurturing prospects for computer hardware, software and technology services.
Assist with coordinating and organizing marketing projects such as direct mail and team telemarketing initiatives.
Generate qualify leads through B2B telemarketing services specialize in identifying and nurturing prospects for computer hardware, software and technology services.
Assist in the training of newly hire salespeople on technical aspects of CCTV camera systems.
Maintain a neat display kiosk that are up to par with Costco's standards

Outside account executive vs business sales representative skills

Common outside account executive skills

Marketing Campaigns, 24%
Salesforce, 22%
Sales Presentations, 19%
Client Relationships, 17%
Cold Calls, 4%
SEO, 3%

Common business sales representative skills

Business Sales, 13%
Customer Accounts, 12%
Customer Service, 11%
Business Relationships, 11%
Lead Generation, 11%
Security Industry, 6%

Outside Account Executive vs. similar jobs

Outside Account Executive related careers

Outside Account Executive related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
Outside Account Executive
Outside Account Executive vs Business Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs