Outside sales representative vs sales support representative

The differences between outside sales representatives and sales support 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 sales support representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, which is higher than the $38,310 average annual salary of a sales support representative.

The top three skills for an outside sales representative include customer service, work ethic and sales process. The most important skills for a sales support representative are sales support, phone calls, and POS.

Outside sales representative vs sales support representative overview

	Outside Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Yearly salary	$60,443	$38,310
Hourly rate	$29.06	$18.42
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	218,034	319,292
Job satisfaction	4.5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
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 sales support representative do?

A sales support representative is responsible for assisting the complex operations of sales departments, performing administrative duties under the supervision of a direct manager. Sales support representatives' tasks include acknowledging and encoding customers' orders in the system, processing payments, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, writing sales reports, and updating the customer of the shipment details. They also support the sales representatives on selling goods and services to potential customers by creating marketing materials and communicating with customers over the phone and e-mail to generate revenues and increase profits.

Outside sales representative vs sales support representative salary

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Average salary	$60,443	$38,310
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $87,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	Microsoft	NetApp
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between outside sales representative and sales support representative education

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Outside sales representative vs sales support representative demographics

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

	Outside Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%	Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1%
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, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between outside sales representative and sales support 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.

Sales support representative example responsibilities.

Manage internal CRM and inventory software to track and input sales orders, account history, and stock allocation.
Facilitate the transition from AS400 to JDE operating system.
Utilize all programs, systems, and procedures of windows operating systems.
Help customers troubleshoot technical issues with their computers, process customer transactions and handle escalate issues.
Assist in setting up and checking EDI data from customers, brokers, carriers, and truckers.
Work collaboratively with sales representatives and regional vice presidents to produce cost proposals, problem solve and troubleshoot issues.

Outside sales representative vs sales support 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 sales support representative skills

Sales Support, 16%
Phone Calls, 10%
POS, 8%
Product Knowledge, 7%
Customer Complaints, 6%
Customer Inquiries, 6%

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Outside Sales Representative
Outside Sales Representative vs Sales Support Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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