1. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,570
Enrollment
3,721
What is an Outside Sales Representative?
Outside sales representatives are responsible for increasing sales by maintaining and developing relationships with clients and customers. To do this, you will need to identify potential clients, follow up on the potential clients, and also maintain relationships with the existing clients. After identifying potential clients, you are expected to meet their sales needs to ensure a lasting relationship. You will also sometimes need to travel to meet clients and inform them of new products and their features so you can negotiate sales contracts.
In the process of identifying potential clients, you will have to schedule and perform product demonstrations to the new clients in a convincing manner. Other duties involve generating and submitting sales reports to management and recommending a marketing strategy for specific regions. One of the major secrets to succeeding as a sales representative is to learn to sustain relationships.
Excellent communication skills, outstanding marketing strategy skills, and consumer psychology are crucial to succeeding as an outside sales representative. Apart from this, you must enjoy traveling and must be proficient with presentation software, spreadsheet, and word processing. The annual salary of an outside sales representative is $71,145, and the educational background is a bachelor's degree in business management or other related disciplines.
What Does an Outside Sales Representative Do
Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain product features, answer any questions that their customers may have, and negotiate prices.
How To Become an Outside Sales Representative
Educational requirements vary, depending on the type of product sold. If the products are not scientific or technical, a high school diploma is generally enough for entry into the occupation. If the products are scientific or technical, sales representatives typically need at least a bachelor's degree.
Outside Sales Representative Job Description
Outside sales representatives are in charge of conducting sales calls and face-to-face sales pitches with both potential and existing clients and managing relationships with existing clients. They should be able to understand all features of the company's products and services, come up with effective sales and marketing tactics, and close deals.
Learn more about Outside Sales Representative Job DescriptionOutside Sales Representative Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of account executive you might progress to a role such as senior sales executive eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title senior sales executive.
Outside Sales Representative
Senior Sales Executive
8 Years
Director, Inside Sales
6 Years
Manager, Account Executive
5 Years
Senior Territory Manager
8 Years
National Sales Director
11 Years
Major Account Manager
7 Years
Show More
Average Salary for an Outside Sales Representative
Outside Sales Representatives in America make an average salary of $60,443 per year or $29 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $87,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $41,000 per year.
Average Outside Sales Representative Salary
$60,443 Yearly$29.06 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Outside Sales Representative
The role of an outside sales representative includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general outside sales representative responsibilities:
- Increase sales and branch revenue establishing new rental
- Selling commercial waste removal and disposal services in our louisiana territory preparing bids, weekly call reports
- 1. Make site visits to existing customers to assess their needs
There are several types of outside sales representative, including:
Sales Representative
Role:
As the sole point of contact, sales representatives are responsible for all business matters when it comes to their clients. They ensure the right products are delivered, follow customer leads, and pitch prospective customers.
Probably the most important aspect of a sales representative's job is closing on sales. That's what keeps the business running and your paycheck coming. There are some times when you'll have to deal with tough situations, like customer complaints, and you'll have to know how to fix the situation.
The majority of sales representatives spend about 47 hours a week at work. From travel time to breaks and interacting with customers, you've got some long days ahead. Although, it's not a bad gig, especially since you only need a high school diploma. The majority of your education in your career will come from on-the-job training - nothing beats hands-on experience.
Probably the most important aspect of a sales representative's job is closing on sales. That's what keeps the business running and your paycheck coming. There are some times when you'll have to deal with tough situations, like customer complaints, and you'll have to know how to fix the situation.
The majority of sales representatives spend about 47 hours a week at work. From travel time to breaks and interacting with customers, you've got some long days ahead. Although, it's not a bad gig, especially since you only need a high school diploma. The majority of your education in your career will come from on-the-job training - nothing beats hands-on experience.
- Average Salary: $56,591
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Inside Sales Representative
Role:
An inside sales representative is responsible for generating sales. As opposed to outside salespeople, who travel to broker sales on location and face-to-face, an inside sales rep works remotely.
Inside sales reps typically communicate with potential clients over the phone or via email. They research and identify leads and do their best to create hype for a product, all while building fruitful relations with customers. They also contribute to creating marketing strategies.
Inside sales reps generally work for commission, so the more you work, the more you make, and working hours are pretty much up to you. This is a job that can be done from home, which may or may not result in higher productivity.
Your salary will vary significantly, though, depending on where you work, what industry you work for, and whether you have that sales DNA or not. Or call it skills. It is up to your temperament, whichever makes you feel more comfortable.
Inside sales reps typically communicate with potential clients over the phone or via email. They research and identify leads and do their best to create hype for a product, all while building fruitful relations with customers. They also contribute to creating marketing strategies.
Inside sales reps generally work for commission, so the more you work, the more you make, and working hours are pretty much up to you. This is a job that can be done from home, which may or may not result in higher productivity.
Your salary will vary significantly, though, depending on where you work, what industry you work for, and whether you have that sales DNA or not. Or call it skills. It is up to your temperament, whichever makes you feel more comfortable.
- Average Salary: $44,413
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Outside Sales
Role:
If you're looking for a job that may persistently have you doing something new, then an outside sales representative may be just the right job for you. In this position, you would have the opportunity to develop your own sales territory by maintaining relationships with current customers and bringing in new ones to drive business. You may work as an ambassador and get a remarkable opportunity to foster strong relationships with customers and prospects.
Becoming an outside sales rep brings you an outstanding opportunity to work independently. Unlike a typical office job, here you get the power to work as often or as seldom as you want. Not only that, but a career as an outside sales brings you the flexibility of working from home, which makes it easier to achieve a work-life balance. As an outside sales representative, your day consists of few calls in the morning, either to potential customers or repeat customers. In this job, you may travel to meet clients within your sales territory, usually to sell your products or build a relationship with a current client.
To become an outside sales rep, generally, you may be required to earn a high school diploma or equivalent. Furthermore, experience in sales, preferably in outside sales, could help boost your resume. Being an independent sales agent also opens up your income potential. Generally, working as outside sales, you're likely to make an average annual amount of $61,000. What's more, if you've got qualities of a good sales representative, such as strong interpersonal and organizational skills and the power of in-person interaction, there will be no limit to the amount of money you can earn.
Becoming an outside sales rep brings you an outstanding opportunity to work independently. Unlike a typical office job, here you get the power to work as often or as seldom as you want. Not only that, but a career as an outside sales brings you the flexibility of working from home, which makes it easier to achieve a work-life balance. As an outside sales representative, your day consists of few calls in the morning, either to potential customers or repeat customers. In this job, you may travel to meet clients within your sales territory, usually to sell your products or build a relationship with a current client.
To become an outside sales rep, generally, you may be required to earn a high school diploma or equivalent. Furthermore, experience in sales, preferably in outside sales, could help boost your resume. Being an independent sales agent also opens up your income potential. Generally, working as outside sales, you're likely to make an average annual amount of $61,000. What's more, if you've got qualities of a good sales representative, such as strong interpersonal and organizational skills and the power of in-person interaction, there will be no limit to the amount of money you can earn.
- Average Salary: $77,292
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Outside Sales Representative Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active outside sales representative jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where outside sales representatives earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Outside Sales Representative Jobs By State
Top Colleges for Outside Sales Representatives
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-State Tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
6. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-State Tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
7. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
10. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177
Top Skills For an Outside Sales Representative
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.3% of outside sales representatives listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and interpersonal skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Outside Sales Representative Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Outside Sales Representative templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Outside Sales Representative resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Outside Sales Representative Demographics
Outside Sales Representative Gender Distribution
Male
72%
Female
29%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among outside sales representatives, 28.5% of them are women, while 71.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among outside sales representatives is White, which makes up 72.6% of all outside sales representatives.
- The most common foreign language among outside sales representatives is Spanish at 68.3%.
Online Courses For Outside Sales Representative That You May Like
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Internship
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Best States For an Outside Sales Representative
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an outside sales representative. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Massachusetts. Outside sales representatives make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $69,256. Whereas in Minnesota and North Dakota, they would average $68,770 and $67,722, respectively. While outside sales representatives would only make an average of $67,477 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New Jersey
Total Outside Sales Representative Jobs: 3,212
Highest 10% Earn:
$103,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
$69,256
Avg. Salary
2. Vermont
Total Outside Sales Representative Jobs: 245
Highest 10% Earn:
$95,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
$65,333
Avg. Salary
3. Pennsylvania
Total Outside Sales Representative Jobs: 4,487
Highest 10% Earn:
$94,000
Location Quotient:
1.31
$63,391
Avg. Salary
How Do Outside Sales Representative Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
Construction sales representatives • September 2019
5.0
Construction sales representatives • September 2019What do you like the most about working as Outside Sales Representative?
Working with many different types of people. The outside adventure and communicating with the people Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Sales Managers that have been given the opportunity and not earning The title Show More4.0
Outside sales representative • June 2019
4.0
Outside sales representative • June 2019What do you like the most about working as Outside Sales Representative?
Meeting and getting new customers. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Being brushed off but liking the challenge of turning that person or company into a customer. Show MoreTop Outside Sales Representative Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ outside sales representatives and discovered their number of outside sales representative opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that National Federation of Independent was the best, especially with an average salary of $57,641. Fastenal follows up with an average salary of $57,176, and then comes UniFirst with an average of $74,617. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an outside sales representative. The employers include Csb, The Hartford, and UnitedHealth Group
Most Common Employers For Outside Sales Representative
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UniFirst | $74,617 | $35.87 | 469 |
| 2 | Rollins | $70,396 | $33.84 | 196 |
| 3 | Window Nation | $69,183 | $33.26 | 131 |
| 4 | Sunbelt Rentals | $68,835 | $33.09 | 129 |
| 5 | Graybar | $66,467 | $31.96 | 123 |
| 6 | Terraboost Media | $65,139 | $31.32 | 113 |
| 7 | Liberty Mutual Insurance | $64,852 | $31.18 | 175 |
| 8 | Cintas | $63,916 | $30.73 | 151 |
| 9 | Waste Management | $63,692 | $30.62 | 116 |
| 10 | ABC Supply Co | $59,556 | $28.63 | 94 |
Outside Sales Representative Videos
Ideal Traits for Outside Sales Rep
Job Description Video - Outside Sales
Outside Sales Rep
Becoming an Outside Sales Representative FAQs
Can I Be A Sales Rep Without A Degree?
Yes, you can be a sales representative without a college degree. There are no formal educational requirements for becoming a sales rep.
However, most employers require that potential sales representatives have a high school diploma. Once hired, representatives will typically undergo on-the-job training.
How Are Outside Sales Reps Paid?
Outside sales representatives are paid in a variety of ways, some of which involve salary, commission, or both.
Sales representatives that work on commission only can earn large amounts of money based on their sales. A typical commission is 20 to 40% of a salesman's gross sales. There are no limits on how much the representative can make, but there is pressure to sell as one's entire income is sales-dependent.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Sales Representative?
It takes no time to become a sales representative. An entry-level sales representative position is available to anyone with a high school diploma and several months of training.
While there are no formal requirements in place to become a sales rep, there are steps that sales representatives need to take to become more skilled in their position.
How Much Do Outside Sales Reps Make?
Outside sales reps make approximately $77,600 per year. This salary fluctuates with the experience of the sales representative as well as the pay structure of their company.
Experienced sales representatives are able to command a higher salary or better commission percentages, and their salaries can exceed $350,000 per year. The average tenure of a sales representative is one to three years.
What Are The Best Outside Sales Jobs?
The best outside sales jobs are associated with larger, high-profile companies. These jobs span industries from pharmaceutical companies to technology.
Outside sales positions with larger companies afford the sales representative the opportunity to service larger accounts. Over 72% of the sales force of companies doing over 500 million dollars in business are outside salespeople.
What Is Outside Sales Vs. Inside Sales?
The difference between outside sales and inside sales lies in the sales approach. Outside sales representatives travel and meet customers in person, whereas inside sales representatives largely use the phone and email to sell remotely.
What Is Your Role As A Sales Representative?
Your role as a sales representative is to promote and service a company's products. There are several specific responsibilities important to all sales representatives relating to customer contact and service.
What Qualifications Does A Sales Rep Need?
While there are no formal qualifications, a sales representative should be an individual who is highly motivated, organized, and is comfortable with meeting quotas.
Above all, a prospective sales representative should be a good communicator. Listening to customer needs and being able to clearly explain the benefits of a product are crucial to success.
Have more questions? See all answers to common sales questions.