Outside account executive vs inside sales specialist

The differences between outside account executives and inside sales specialists 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 $50,944 average annual salary of an inside sales specialist.

The top three skills for an outside account executive include marketing campaigns, salesforce and sales presentations. The most important skills for an inside sales specialist are customer service, CRM, and sales process.

Outside account executive vs inside sales specialist overview

	Outside Account Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Yearly salary	$81,372	$50,944
Hourly rate	$39.12	$24.49
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	185,399	251,423
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
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 an inside sales specialist do?

An inside sales specialist is primarily responsible for securing sales by reaching out to clients to sell products and services. They may communicate with customers through calls and correspondence or personally recommend products in a retail store setting. Moreover, they are also responsible for responding to inquiries or concerns, identifying the customers' needs, devising strategies to find sales opportunities, and discussing products to customers. An inside sales specialist is often required to meet sales goals and report to managers should there be any issues or problems.

Outside account executive vs inside sales specialist salary

Outside account executives and inside sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Outside Account Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Average salary	$81,372	$50,944
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $127,000	Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Keller Williams Greater Seattle
Best paying industry	-	Real Estate

Differences between outside account executive and inside sales specialist education

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

	Outside Account Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Outside account executive vs inside sales specialist demographics

Here are the differences between outside account executives' and inside sales specialists' demographics:

	Outside Account Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3%	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
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, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	6%

Differences between outside account executive and inside sales specialist 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.

Inside sales specialist example responsibilities.

Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Present presentations to potential clients through Microsoft PowerPoint.
Maintain and update assigned territory through SalesLogix CRM program.
Revise and update CRM database to ensure accurate customer information.
Operate as inside sales consultant, primarily in areas of customer relations, sales/service support, coordinating production and transportation scheduling
Call on corporate counsel, c-level executives and law firms to sell solutions with traditional litigation support.

Outside account executive vs inside sales specialist skills

Common outside account executive skills

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

Common inside sales specialist skills

Customer Service, 13%
CRM, 7%
Sales Process, 5%
Work Ethic, 5%
Product Knowledge, 5%
Outbound Calls, 4%

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Outside Account Executive
Outside Account Executive vs Inside Sales Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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