Route sales representative vs field sales representative

The differences between route sales representatives and field sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a field sales representative has an average salary of $48,460, which is higher than the $44,918 average annual salary of a route sales representative.

The top three skills for a route sales representative include CDL, DOT and strong customer service. The most important skills for a field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.

Route sales representative vs field sales representative overview

	Route Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$44,918	$48,460
Hourly rate	$21.60	$23.30
Growth rate	11%	4%
Number of jobs	108,194	228,254
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	48	47
Years of experience	-	4

What does a route sales representative do?

A route sales representative is responsible for offering goods and services to customers in a designated area. Route sales representatives work closely with the marketing team to develop effective sales strategies, create sales pitches, and release promotional offers to generate sales, increase revenues, and build the organization's profitability. They also research the latest industry trends to identify sales opportunities and communicate findings to the team for new service offerings. A route sales representative must have excellent customer service and communication skills to assist customers in their inquiries and concerns and negotiate sales contracts.

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.

Route sales representative vs field sales representative salary

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

	Route Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average salary	$44,918	$48,460
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $54,000	Between $26,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Johnson Controls	VMware
Best paying industry	Education	Technology

Differences between route sales representative and field sales representative education

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

	Route Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Route sales representative vs field sales representative demographics

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

	Route Sales Representative	Field Sales Representative
Average age	48	47
Gender ratio	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%	Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 3.8% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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	4%	6%

Differences between route sales representative and field sales representative duties and responsibilities

Route sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage invoice collection and customer issues.
Drive CDL rate truck over assign territory.
Complete route in timely manner via CDL truck.
Utilize math skills to process payments while on route.
Maintain cleanliness of truck and inspect truck for imperfections and safe operation.
Distribute daily newspapers to customers; acquire new business via effective sales and marketing techniques.

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.

Route sales representative vs field sales representative skills

Common route sales representative skills

CDL, 17%
DOT, 16%
Strong Customer Service, 12%
Customer Accounts, 8%
Work Ethic, 7%
Upselling, 5%

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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Route Sales Representative
Route Sales Representative vs Field Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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