Sales support manager vs outside sales manager

The differences between sales support managers and outside sales managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a sales support manager and an outside sales manager. Additionally, a sales support manager has an average salary of $94,946, which is higher than the $84,408 average annual salary of an outside sales manager.

The top three skills for a sales support manager include project management, CRM and salesforce. The most important skills for an outside sales manager are product knowledge, CRM, and customer service.

Sales support manager vs outside sales manager overview

	Sales Support Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Yearly salary	$94,946	$84,408
Hourly rate	$45.65	$40.58
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	166,510	138,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a sales support manager do?

A sales support manager is responsible for monitoring the sales operations of an organization, evaluating the sales performance, and conducting data analysis and research to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability. Sales support managers also meet with existing potential clients to discuss services and negotiate contracts, responding to their inquiries and concerns, and addressing their requests. They also handle the training and programs for the sales staff to maximize efficiency and productivity to meet target goals and increase sales volume.

What does an outside sales manager do?

An outside sales manager is responsible for monitoring the sales staff performance in selling goods and services to existing and potential clients and ensuring that the team meets sales objectives. Outside sales managers set reasonable sales targets and establish techniques to maximize the staff's efficiency and productivity. They regularly connect with the clients to determine their needs and make any adjustments to business plans as needed. An outside sales manager should have excellent knowledge of the current market trends to identify business opportunities that would generate more revenues and resources.

Sales support manager vs outside sales manager salary

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

	Sales Support Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average salary	$94,946	$84,408
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $144,000	Between $51,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	Portland, OR	Albany, NY
Highest paying state	Oregon	Hawaii
Best paying company	Accenture	Dominion Enterprises
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between sales support manager and outside sales manager education

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

	Sales Support Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Sales support manager vs outside sales manager demographics

Here are the differences between sales support managers' and outside sales managers' demographics:

	Sales Support Manager	Outside Sales Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between sales support manager and outside sales manager duties and responsibilities

Sales support manager example responsibilities.

Develop specifications, samples, and product metrics to achieve production readiness for all POS material.
Leverage other sales office resources and administrative/support staff to achieve personal and team relate revenue goals.
Improve sales order checklist and re-evaluat assigned duties; ensure sales order fulfillment and logistics process improvement.
Coordinate daily workload within team using SalesForce and GP metrics to ensure that assign tasks are complete expeditiously.
Direct proposal development activities including RFP review and bid determination.
Coordinate with legal and contracting departments to obtain information to fulfill RFP requirements.

Outside sales manager example responsibilities.

Manage a team of sales executives to establish and maintain professional relationships with healthcare professionals in their prospective territories.
Develop a complete marketing program where none previously exist, now serves as CRM base for company.
Used CRM tools in order to provide current and detail information relate to activities, opportunity pipeline, and close business.
Channele marketing through the establishment of international distributors servicing Mexico (Hermosillo, Mexicali, and Tijuana) and Korea.
Plan and schedule work perform by HVAC technicians.
Educate and present new approach to facility managers and plant managers including ROI analysis.

Sales support manager vs outside sales manager skills

Common sales support manager skills

Project Management, 12%
CRM, 7%
Salesforce, 7%
Sales Training, 6%
Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
Direct Reports, 5%

Common outside sales manager skills

Product Knowledge, 12%
CRM, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Sales Territory, 7%
Sales Strategies, 4%
Sales Growth, 3%

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Sales Support Manager
Sales Support Manager vs Outside Sales Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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