Outside sales executive vs inside sales specialist

The differences between outside sales executives 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 executive and an inside sales specialist. Additionally, an outside sales executive has an average salary of $71,981, which is higher than the $50,944 average annual salary of an inside sales specialist.

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

Outside sales executive vs inside sales specialist overview

	Outside Sales Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Yearly salary	$71,981	$50,944
Hourly rate	$34.61	$24.49
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	249,969	251,423
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
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 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 executive vs inside sales specialist salary

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Average salary	$71,981	$50,944
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $104,000	Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	Marshberry	Keller Williams Greater Seattle
Best paying industry	Technology	Real Estate

Differences between outside sales executive and inside sales specialist education

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	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 executive vs inside sales specialist demographics

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Inside Sales Specialist
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%	Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0%
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, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales executive and inside sales specialist 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.

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 executive vs inside sales specialist skills

Common outside sales executive skills

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

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 Executive
Outside Sales Executive vs Inside Sales Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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