Outside sales associate vs inside sales specialist

The differences between outside sales associates and inside sales specialists 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 an inside sales specialist. Additionally, an inside sales specialist has an average salary of $50,944, 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 an inside sales specialist are customer service, CRM, and sales process.

Outside sales associate vs inside sales specialist overview

	Outside Sales Associate	Inside Sales Specialist
Yearly salary	$38,705	$50,944
Hourly rate	$18.61	$24.49
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	347,423	251,423
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
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 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 sales associate vs inside sales specialist salary

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

	Outside Sales Associate	Inside Sales Specialist
Average salary	$38,705	$50,944
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $54,000	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 sales associate and inside sales specialist education

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

	Outside Sales Associate	Inside Sales Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Outside sales associate vs inside sales specialist demographics

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

	Outside Sales Associate	Inside Sales Specialist
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6%	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales associate and inside sales specialist 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.

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 sales associate vs inside sales specialist skills

Common outside sales associate skills

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

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 Sales Associate
Outside Sales Associate vs Inside Sales Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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