Outside sales executive vs associate sales representative

The differences between outside sales executives and associate 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 executive and an associate sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales executive has an average salary of $71,981, which is higher than the $51,007 average annual salary of an associate sales representative.

The top three skills for an outside sales executive include customer service, CRM and account management. The most important skills for an associate sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.

Outside sales executive vs associate sales representative overview

	Outside Sales Executive	Associate Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$71,981	$51,007
Hourly rate	$34.61	$24.52
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	249,969	333,049
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an outside sales executive do?

An outside sales executive is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing the sales procedures in an organization. Their responsibilities typically revolve around setting goals and objectives, establishing guidelines, liaising with key clients, and developing strategies to develop strong business relationships with customers and other external parties. Furthermore, as an outside sales executive, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.

What does an associate sales representative do?

The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.

Outside sales executive vs associate sales representative salary

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Associate Sales Representative
Average salary	$71,981	$51,007
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $104,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Marshberry	Verint
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between outside sales executive and associate sales representative education

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Associate Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Outside sales executive vs associate sales representative demographics

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Associate Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales executive and associate sales representative duties and responsibilities

Outside sales executive example responsibilities.

Manage a team of 15-25 ISE's through effective sales coaching, call monitoring and creating sales spiff programs.
Sell SaaS B2B for leading cloud-base expense management provider.
Track all sales activity within the company database and SalesLogix, a CRM software program.
Maintain CRM and provide assistance in customer's needs, including engine, chassis and transmission parts.
Perform regular sales visits throughout assign territory to develop relationship with independent grocery and convenient stores.
Assist MRO organizations in composite shop design and organization.

Associate sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

Outside sales executive vs associate sales representative skills

Common outside sales executive skills

Customer Service, 16%
CRM, 12%
Account Management, 7%
Business Sales, 6%
Cold Calls, 6%
Business Solutions, 4%

Common associate sales representative skills

Work Ethic, 16%
Patients, 13%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Sales Techniques, 4%

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Outside Sales Executive
Outside Sales Executive vs Associate Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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