Outside sales associate vs commercial sales associate

The differences between outside sales associates and commercial sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an outside sales associate and a commercial sales associate. Additionally, a commercial sales associate has an average salary of $55,859, which is higher than the $38,705 average annual salary of an outside sales associate.

The top three skills for an outside sales associate include customer service, roofing and sales. The most important skills for a commercial sales associate are cash handling, financial statements, and treasury.

Outside sales associate vs commercial sales associate overview

	Outside Sales Associate	Commercial Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$38,705	$55,859
Hourly rate	$18.61	$26.86
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	347,423	261,436
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an outside sales associate do?

Outside sales associates are professionals who conduct sales at various locations by performing face-to-face interactions with both potential and existing customers about their organization's new or updated products. These associates are required to travel within their sales territory to meet customers as well as maintain relationships with them. They must educate their customers about the benefits they can achieve both financially and professionally from their products and then sell them to their customers. Outside sales associates must also collaborate with the marketing department to assist in building their organization's brand.

What does a commercial sales associate do?

A commercial sales associate specializes in representing a company to offer products and services to businesses and organizations, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify business and client opportunities, pursuing leads, reaching out through calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, explaining or demonstrating products, and negotiating contracts. Aside from securing sales with businesses, a commercial sales associate must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, arranging schedules, and maintaining records of all transactions, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Outside sales associate vs commercial sales associate salary

Outside sales associates and commercial sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Outside Sales Associate	Commercial Sales Associate
Average salary	$38,705	$55,859
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $54,000	Between $28,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	-	Glen Cove, NY
Highest paying state	-	Maine
Best paying company	-	AstraZeneca
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between outside sales associate and commercial sales associate education

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

	Outside Sales Associate	Commercial Sales Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Outside sales associate vs commercial sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between outside sales associates' and commercial sales associates' demographics:

	Outside Sales Associate	Commercial Sales Associate
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6%	Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales associate and commercial sales associate duties and responsibilities

Outside sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
Prospect for new HVAC accounts or non-traditional accounts such as industrial, commercial, governmental, etc.
Provide merchandising assistance to customers by building displays, negotiating placement, replenishing permanent secondary displays and using POS materials effectively.
Research and locate hard-to-find equipment and materials for MRO and OEM clients.
Create a zip code analysis tool to identify Medicaid recipients' target areas for strategic marketing penetration.

Commercial sales associate example responsibilities.

Accomplish tasks in a timely manner.Skills UsedComputer, math, reading wiring schematics.
Assist patients with Critical/Triage calls; document necessary symptoms for medical assistants to determine what medical intervention is necessary.
Survey and record HVAC equipment to provide repair and maintenance estimates for facility owners and managers.
Prospect for new customers for a new technology in Michigan that involves HVAC and commercial refrigeration systems.
Communicate ongoing contact activity utilizing Salesforce.com.

Outside sales associate vs commercial sales associate skills

Common outside sales associate skills

Customer Service, 32%
Roofing, 11%
Sales, 10%
Sales Floor, 8%
Sales Support, 6%
Customer Issues, 5%

Common commercial sales associate skills

Cash Handling, 13%
Financial Statements, 9%
Treasury, 9%
Client Relationships, 9%
Data Entry, 6%
Business Development, 5%

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Outside Sales Associate
Outside Sales Associate vs Commercial Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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