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The differences between sales specialists and inside sales associates 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 specialist and an inside sales associate. Additionally, a sales specialist has an average salary of $53,004, which is higher than the $40,687 average annual salary of an inside sales associate.
The top three skills for a sales specialist include building relationships, customer complaints and customer orders. The most important skills for an inside sales associate are inside sales, sales associates, and strong customer service.
| Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $53,004 | $40,687 |
| Hourly rate | $25.48 | $19.56 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 324,069 | 320,863 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A sales specialist is responsible for offering the best goods and services to customers in order to boost the company's sales. Sales specialists also promote strategies and solutions to contribute to the company's growth and profitability. A sales specialist must have extensive knowledge of the current market trends and the best sales skills to perform marketing tasks. Sales specialists should have excellent communication and customer service skills to assist existing and potential clients with their inquiries and concerns.
An inside sales associate is responsible for selling the company's goods and services through remote communication. Inside sales associates make calls to potential customers, demonstrate the products' features, take orders, process payments, and inform the customers of the delivery details. They strategize the most effective sales pitches to attract the customers on purchasing more services that would generate revenues and increase the company's profitability and brand image. An inside sales associate also supports the marketing team in developing marketing campaigns and promotional offers depending on customer demands and requests.
Sales specialists and inside sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $53,004 | $40,687 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $91,000 | Between $30,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | VMware | MSCI |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a sales specialist and an inside sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between sales specialists' and inside sales associates' demographics:
| Sales Specialist | Inside Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |