Sales agent vs outbound sales representative

The differences between sales agents and outbound sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sales agent, becoming an outbound sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an outbound sales representative has an average salary of $45,723, which is higher than the $45,217 average annual salary of a sales agent.

The top three skills for a sales agent include customer service, customer satisfaction and life insurance. The most important skills for an outbound sales representative are outbound sales, customer service, and excellent interpersonal.

Sales agent vs outbound sales representative overview

	Sales Agent	Outbound Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$45,217	$45,723
Hourly rate	$21.74	$21.98
Growth rate	10%	4%
Number of jobs	391,987	240,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	6	4

What does a sales agent do?

A sales representative is responsible for offering goods and services to potential and existing clients. Sales representatives must display a strong knowledge of the company's products to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. A sales representative should have exceptional communication skills and extensive knowledge of the sales industry to deliver sales pitches and negotiate pricing offers with the clients. Sales representatives must also keep themselves updated with the current market trends to provide service recommendations, improving their sales to increase revenues.

What does an outbound sales representative do?

An outbound sales representative focuses on securing sales by reaching out to clients through calls, correspondence, or face-to-face interactions. They primarily offer products and services, assisting customers every step of the way to ensure client satisfaction. To carry out their duties, they must perform research and analysis to identify business opportunities, develop sales strategies, generate leads, discuss product specifications with customers, introduce payment plans, and negotiate contracts. Moreover, an outbound sales representative must build positive relationships with clients while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Sales agent vs outbound sales representative salary

Sales agents and outbound sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sales Agent	Outbound Sales Representative
Average salary	$45,217	$45,723
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $95,000	Between $24,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Goldman Sachs	Altice USA
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between sales agent and outbound sales representative education

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

	Sales Agent	Outbound Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Sales agent vs outbound sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between sales agents' and outbound sales representatives' demographics:

	Sales Agent	Outbound Sales Representative
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 9.3% White, 68.6% 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 sales agent and outbound sales representative duties and responsibilities

Sales agent example responsibilities.

Manage a CRM pipeline of hundreds of leads with different needs and qualifications.
Generate fresh leads through outbound telemarketing.
Achieve sales standards set for department by effectively communicating Humana campaigns to customers.
Increase customer understanding of Comcast products and pricing models as well as competitive advantage over other service providers.
Schedule and meet individuals\groups for assign or self-generate leads, assist and enroll eligible individuals in suitable Medicare product.
Adhere to all CMS, company, and carrier relate policies and procedures while growing sales.

Outbound sales representative example responsibilities.

Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
Build rapport while selling customers solar panels, porches, and double glaze windows.
Assist customers with there questions and concerns, telemarketing, distribute flyers within neighborhood.
Require multitasking, responding appropriately to customer questions and concerns, and negotiating sales for additional products and services.
Educate customers and are experts in all TWC products, services and packages along with competitor's offerings.
Serve as expert and educator to customers on all TWC products, services and packages along with competitor's offerings.

Sales agent vs outbound sales representative skills

Common sales agent skills

Customer Service, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 10%
Life Insurance, 10%
Insurance Products, 7%
Work Ethic, 6%
Cold Calls, 4%

Common outbound sales representative skills

Outbound Sales, 25%
Customer Service, 11%
Excellent Interpersonal, 9%
Excellent Organizational, 8%
CRM, 7%
Inbound Calls, 5%

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Sales Agent vs Outbound Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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