Outside sales consultant vs business sales representative

The differences between outside sales consultants and business sales 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 outside sales consultant and a business sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales consultant has an average salary of $76,601, which is higher than the $58,288 average annual salary of a business sales representative.

The top three skills for an outside sales consultant include customer service, in-home and CRM. The most important skills for a business sales representative are business sales, customer accounts, and customer service.

Outside sales consultant vs business sales representative overview

	Outside Sales Consultant	Business Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$76,601	$58,288
Hourly rate	$36.83	$28.02
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	230,853	226,438
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an outside sales consultant do?

An outside sales consultant is responsible for conducting sales for both prospective and existing customers. Your duties may vary, but common tasks include traveling to meet potential and existing customers, organizing meetings with customers regularly, and educating customers on the benefits of products and services. As an outside sales representative, you are responsible for monitoring the new products, market conditions and competitors, and assisting in building the brand with the help of the marketing department.

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 sales consultant vs business sales representative salary

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

	Outside Sales Consultant	Business Sales Representative
Average salary	$76,601	$58,288
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $120,000	Between $31,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Bothell, WA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Washington
Best paying company	Current TV	Amazon
Best paying industry	Energy	-

Differences between outside sales consultant and business sales representative education

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

	Outside Sales Consultant	Business Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	Stanford University

Outside sales consultant vs business sales representative demographics

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

	Outside Sales Consultant	Business Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6%
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, 3.8% 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 consultant and business sales representative duties and responsibilities

Outside sales consultant example responsibilities.

Utilize CRM data to deliver critical insights into product trends and manage leads for new product offerings.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Perform data entry or require customer information into company CRM system in order to create and maintain an ongoing sales base.
Develop special reports, publications, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
Cultivate strategic relationships and maximize sales volume by identifying fast ROI projects, seizing market opportunities and aggressively pursuing new business.
Create a zip code analysis tool to identify Medicaid recipients' target areas for strategic marketing penetration.

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 sales consultant vs business sales representative skills

Common outside sales consultant skills

Customer Service, 14%
In-Home, 9%
CRM, 8%
Sales Presentations, 7%
Lead Generation, 6%
Excellent Presentation, 5%

Common business sales representative skills

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

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Outside Sales Consultant
Outside Sales Consultant vs Business Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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