Outside sales representative vs outside sales consultant

The differences between outside sales representatives and outside sales consultants 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 an outside sales consultant. Additionally, an outside sales consultant has an average salary of $76,601, which is higher than the $60,443 average annual salary of an outside sales representative.

The top three skills for an outside sales representative include customer service, work ethic and sales process. The most important skills for an outside sales consultant are customer service, in-home, and CRM.

Outside sales representative vs outside sales consultant overview

	Outside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Consultant
Yearly salary	$60,443	$76,601
Hourly rate	$29.06	$36.83
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	218,034	230,853
Job satisfaction	4.5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
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 an outside sales consultant do?

An outside sales consultant is responsible for conducting sales for both prospective and existing customers. Your duties may vary, but common tasks include traveling to meet potential and existing customers, organizing meetings with customers regularly, and educating customers on the benefits of products and services. As an outside sales representative, you are responsible for monitoring the new products, market conditions and competitors, and assisting in building the brand with the help of the marketing department.

Outside sales representative vs outside sales consultant salary

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Consultant
Average salary	$60,443	$76,601
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $87,000	Between $48,000 And $120,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Delaware
Best paying company	Microsoft	Current TV
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Energy

Differences between outside sales representative and outside sales consultant education

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	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 representative vs outside sales consultant demographics

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Outside Sales Consultant
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales representative and outside sales consultant 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.

Outside sales consultant example responsibilities.

Utilize CRM data to deliver critical insights into product trends and manage leads for new product offerings.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Perform data entry or require customer information into company CRM system in order to create and maintain an ongoing sales base.
Develop special reports, publications, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations.
Cultivate strategic relationships and maximize sales volume by identifying fast ROI projects, seizing market opportunities and aggressively pursuing new business.
Create a zip code analysis tool to identify Medicaid recipients' target areas for strategic marketing penetration.

Outside sales representative vs outside sales consultant 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 outside sales consultant skills

Customer Service, 14%
In-Home, 9%
CRM, 8%
Sales Presentations, 7%
Lead Generation, 6%
Excellent Presentation, 5%

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Outside Sales Representative
Outside Sales Representative vs Outside Sales Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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