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The differences between solution sales representatives and inside sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a solution sales representative and an inside sales representative. Additionally, a solution sales representative has an average salary of $78,463, which is higher than the $44,413 average annual salary of an inside sales representative.
The top three skills for a solution sales representative include marketing campaigns, customer satisfaction and sales process. The most important skills for an inside sales representative are customer service, CRM, and outbound calls.
| Solution Sales Representative | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $78,463 | $44,413 |
| Hourly rate | $37.72 | $21.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 198,547 | 244,168 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A solution sales representative is responsible for selling and promoting the company's goods and services to clients and customers, recommending appropriate merchandise solutions depending on the customers' needs and budget limitations. Solution sales representatives identify leads through directories research and customer referrals, developing effective sales pitch to attract potential clients by discussing everything about the services. A solution sales representative must have excellent communication skills, especially in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, processing orders, and resolving complaints.
An inside sales representative is responsible for selling services and products to clients, driving the company's revenues and increase sales profitability. Duties of an inside sales representative include developing strategic sales pitches, responding to customer's inquiries and requests, offering promotional products and discounts, researching potential clients, creating sales reports, and managing customer's possible complaints. An inside sales representative also provides strategic solutions to share with the sales team to improve their sales performance. Inside sales representatives must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to deal with customers' needs.
Solution sales representatives and inside sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solution Sales Representative | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $78,463 | $44,413 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $120,000 | Between $28,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between a solution sales representative and an inside sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Solution Sales Representative | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between solution sales representatives' and inside sales representatives' demographics:
| Solution Sales Representative | Inside Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 54.7% Female, 45.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% 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% |