Outside sales representative vs business sales representative

The differences between outside sales representatives 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 representative and a business sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, which is higher than the $58,288 average annual salary of a business sales representative.

The top three skills for an outside sales representative include customer service, work ethic and sales process. The most important skills for a business sales representative are business sales, customer accounts, and customer service.

Outside sales representative vs business sales representative overview

	Outside Sales Representative	Business Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$60,443	$58,288
Hourly rate	$29.06	$28.02
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	218,034	226,438
Job satisfaction	4.5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does an outside sales representative do?

An Outside Sales Representative specializes in customer service and relations, focusing on reaching sales targets through selling and networking with clients. Among the duties revolve around reaching out to customers through calls, email, or even arranging appointments, monitoring and keeping an organized record of sales, communicating with managers or supervisors, adhering to the company's policies and regulations, and keeping extensive knowledge about the brand and the trends. Besides building rapport with customers, it is also essential for an Outside Sales Representative to be proactive and create strategies to help meet the sales target.

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 representative vs business sales representative salary

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Business Sales Representative
Average salary	$60,443	$58,288
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $87,000	Between $31,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Bothell, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	Microsoft	Amazon
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between outside sales representative and business sales representative education

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Business Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	Stanford University

Outside sales representative vs business sales representative demographics

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Business Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%	Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% 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 representative and business sales representative duties and responsibilities

Outside sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain a weekly quota for broadband, and other wireless products.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.
Web dev, SEO, PPC etc . )
Participate in the launching and marketing of broadband internet in Orlando with great success.
Provide care, materials, and essential tools for doctors and nurses working on patients in the E.R.
Create and maintain successful business partnerships with customers by analyzing, meeting and understanding their needs and patients needs.

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 representative vs business sales representative skills

Common outside sales representative skills

Customer Service, 17%
Work Ethic, 8%
Sales Process, 4%
Business Sales, 4%
Cold Calls, 4%
Product Knowledge, 4%

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 Representative
Outside Sales Representative vs Business Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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