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Sales internship vs outside sales

The differences between sales interns and outside sales can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a sales internship and an outside sales. Additionally, an outside sales has an average salary of $77,292, which is higher than the $34,460 average annual salary of a sales internship.

The top three skills for a sales internship include customer service, sales intern and powerpoint. The most important skills for an outside sales are customer service, product knowledge, and ongoing support.

Sales internship vs outside sales overview

Sales InternshipOutside Sales
Yearly salary$34,460$77,292
Hourly rate$16.57$37.16
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs341,195333,400
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4747
Years of experience44

What does a sales internship do?

Sales internship is a program that requires work in the business and sales development. Sales interns work as assistants to managers and senior staff. Their duties and responsibilities are administrative. They do research, send emails, update records, and make calls. It is their job to maintain good client relationships. They observe the process and other details related to sales. Also, they help in identifying and tracking sales leads, evaluating success, and generating sales reports.

What does an outside sales do?

An outside sales representative is responsible for generating the company's sales and revenues by offering goods and services to existing and potential clients, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, and researching on possible leads. Outside sales representatives monitor the current industry trends to identify new business opportunities that would help the business adjust to market changes to achieve profitability goals. An outside sales representative must have excellent communication and customer service skills, immediately resolving complaints and assisting on marketing promotions to gain sales prospects.

Sales internship vs outside sales salary

Sales interns and outside sales have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sales InternshipOutside Sales
Average salary$34,460$77,292
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $45,000Between $56,000 And $104,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MAArlington, VA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsNew Hampshire
Best paying companyIBMMorgan Stanley
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between sales internship and outside sales education

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

Sales InternshipOutside Sales
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 82%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaSUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Sales internship vs outside sales demographics

Here are the differences between sales interns' and outside sales' demographics:

Sales InternshipOutside Sales
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 52.2% Female, 47.8%Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between sales internship and outside sales duties and responsibilities

Sales internship example responsibilities.

  • Track leads and manage accounts with SalesForce.
  • Produce press releases and distribute via multiple platforms such as the company website, email, twitter, etc.
  • Generate content for YouTube videos and penned the channel s description.
  • Redesign the public website with a focus on SEO, CRM, usability, and social media.
  • Create value proposition presentation decks that outline return-on-investment (ROI) models, competitive analysis and case studies.
  • Audit and categorize their website's incoming links on excel, for search engine optimization purposes (SEO).
  • Show more

Outside sales example responsibilities.

  • Plan logistical outside sales route, planned/schedule sales calls with web-base CRM program, manage various sales cycles.
  • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
  • Perfect the craft of upselling customers.
  • Prepare material estimates/bids for houses, windows, doors, trusses, etc.
  • Increase existing customer base and generate new dealer and customer relationships within the HVAC equipment and sales.
  • Estimate, price, bid and follow up to all mechanical HVAC and plumbing plan and spec projects.
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Sales internship vs outside sales skills

Common sales internship skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Sales Intern, 15%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • CRM, 4%
  • Work Ethic, 3%
  • Salesforce, 3%
Common outside sales skills
  • Customer Service, 30%
  • Product Knowledge, 9%
  • Ongoing Support, 4%
  • Work Ethic, 4%
  • CRM, 4%
  • Flyers, 4%