Outside sales representative vs field sales representative

The differences between outside sales representatives and field 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 field sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, which is higher than the $48,460 average annual salary of a field 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 field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.

Outside sales representative vs field sales representative overview

	Outside Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$60,443	$48,460
Hourly rate	$29.06	$23.30
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	218,034	228,254
Job satisfaction	4.5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
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 field sales representative do?

A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.

Outside sales representative vs field sales representative salary

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average salary	$60,443	$48,460
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $87,000	Between $26,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	Microsoft	VMware
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between outside sales representative and field sales representative education

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Outside sales representative vs field sales representative demographics

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%	Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales representative and field 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.

Field sales representative example responsibilities.

Train and manage new DSR's.
Lead seminars for the CPA community for CPE credits.
Develop and manage sales in major retail accounts in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Manage and assist a vast customer base in the market for new roofing needs after a large hail storm in Lubbock.
Manage merchandising and POS materials at the retail store level ensuring meticulous compliance with all current corporate initiative regulations.
Conduct effective group Medicare HMO/PPO presentations/seminars, as well as one-on-one field sales presentations.

Outside sales representative vs field 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 field sales representative skills

Excellent Time Management, 17%
Customer Service, 8%
PowerPoint, 6%
Medicare, 6%
Account Management, 6%
Sales Presentations, 5%

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Outside Sales Representative
Outside Sales Representative vs Field Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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