Outside sales executive vs medical sales representative

The differences between outside sales executives and medical sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an outside sales executive, becoming a medical sales representative takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical sales representative has an average salary of $74,079, which is higher than the $71,981 average annual salary of an outside sales executive.

The top three skills for an outside sales executive include customer service, CRM and account management. The most important skills for a medical sales representative are patients, medical sales, and customer service.

Outside sales executive vs medical sales representative overview

	Outside Sales Executive	Medical Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$71,981	$74,079
Hourly rate	$34.61	$35.61
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	249,969	206,149
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	2

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 a medical sales representative do?

A medical sales representative, also known as a pharmaceutical sales representative, is an individual who is responsible for selling and promoting medications and medical equipment. Medical sales representatives set appointments with doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals so that they can promote their company's medical supplies. They are required to build and maintain relationships with their customers so that they can encourage repeat purchases. Medical sales representatives should obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing, pharmacy, life sciences, or a related field.

Outside sales executive vs medical sales representative salary

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Medical Sales Representative
Average salary	$71,981	$74,079
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $104,000	Between $45,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Marshberry	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	Technology	Pharmaceutical

Differences between outside sales executive and medical sales representative education

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Medical Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	University of Pennsylvania

Outside sales executive vs medical sales representative demographics

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

	Outside Sales Executive	Medical Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%	Male, 51.3% Female, 48.7%
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, 73.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales executive and medical 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.

Medical sales representative example responsibilities.

Lead the sales team in number of CPAP's sell monthly.
Work closely with manage care plans, Medicare and Medicaid to ensure full coverage of all products in portfolio
Follow policies and procedures to accomplish responsibilities including following HIPAA regulations.
Develop customer relationships and achieve sales objectives for product portfolio consisting of CNS products.
Present clinical information and lead discussions on various types of treatment for hypertension and acute coronary syndrome.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.

Outside sales executive vs medical 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 medical sales representative skills

Patients, 17%
Medical Sales, 16%
Customer Service, 9%
Sales Territory, 6%
Product Knowledge, 6%
Ventilation, 5%

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Outside Sales Executive
Outside Sales Executive vs Medical Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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