Residential sales representative vs outside sales representative

The differences between residential sales representatives and outside 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 a residential sales representative and an outside sales representative. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, which is higher than the $54,919 average annual salary of a residential sales representative.

The top three skills for a residential sales representative include data entry, customer relationships and weed control. The most important skills for an outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.

Residential sales representative vs outside sales representative overview

	Residential Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$54,919	$60,443
Hourly rate	$26.40	$29.06
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	148,137	218,034
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a residential sales representative do?

The job of a residential sales representative is to sell the products and services to potential customers. Residential sales representatives design effective strategies to generate leads, establish a plan of action, and execute it. They manage all the leads and determine their prospective clients. It is part of their job to take part in different home shows and present the products and services their company offers. Marketing, communications, leadership, and business management are some of the skills they need to develop.

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.

Residential sales representative vs outside sales representative salary

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

	Residential Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average salary	$54,919	$60,443
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $75,000	Between $41,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	Columbia, MD	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	American Residential Services	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between residential sales representative and outside sales representative education

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

	Residential Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Residential sales representative vs outside sales representative demographics

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

	Residential Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7%	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between residential sales representative and outside sales representative duties and responsibilities

Residential sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage a sales team of 8 DSR's, performing as a supervisor and leading role.
Follow leads, complete bids, close sales and act as job foreman on all residential and commercial HVAC replacements.
Conduct follow-up of leads through means of telemarketing and person-to-person contact to identify customer needs.
Sell newspaper subscriptions to designate potential customers in order to achieve circulation sales department goals.
Generate sales appointments and insides sales opportunities through outbound telemarketing campaigns, including manual internet leads.
Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.

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.

Residential sales representative vs outside sales representative skills

Common residential sales representative skills

Data Entry, 19%
Customer Relationships, 17%
Weed Control, 12%
Telemarketing, 11%
Lawn Care, 11%
Cross-Selling, 11%

Common outside sales representative skills

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

Residential Sales Representative vs. similar jobs

Residential Sales Representative related careers

Residential Sales Representative related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Sales Industry
Residential Sales Representative
Residential Sales Representative vs Outside Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse sales jobs