Telephone sales representative vs outbound sales representative

The differences between telephone sales representatives and outbound sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outbound sales representative has an average salary of $45,723, which is higher than the $28,512 average annual salary of a telephone sales representative.

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

Telephone sales representative vs outbound sales representative overview

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$28,512	$45,723
Hourly rate	$13.71	$21.98
Growth rate	-4%	4%
Number of jobs	214,765	240,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	37	47
Years of experience	-	4

What does a telephone sales representative do?

The primary job of telephone sales representatives is to sell products and services to prospective customers through telephone. They typically answer phone calls and answer inquiries from customers. Their duties and responsibilities include updating database and backup data regularly, completing forms and recording logs, and following organizational standards in order to maintain quality and exceptional customer service. Qualifications required for this role may include previous work experience in sales or a related field, customer service skills, and strong attention to detail.

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.

Telephone sales representative vs outbound sales representative salary

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Average salary	$28,512	$45,723
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $47,000	Between $24,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	UnitedHealth Group	Altice USA
Best paying industry	Media	-

Differences between telephone sales representative and outbound sales representative education

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Telephone sales representative vs outbound sales representative demographics

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 17.8% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.9% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	11%	6%

Differences between telephone sales representative and outbound sales representative duties and responsibilities

Telephone sales representative example responsibilities.

Conduct telephone sales and interviews, compile and enter information into database, manage documents and insure customer satisfaction.
Maintain HIPAA regulations and standards.
Build, setup, troubleshoot and maintain computer hardware and software needs as necessary.
Place out bound sales calls to current DIRECTV customers and try to get them to upgrade their current channel package.
Follow governmental regulations and HIPAA guidelines.
Locate and troubleshoot items that customers have purchased

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.

Telephone sales representative vs outbound sales representative skills

Common telephone sales representative skills

Outbound Calls, 18%
Telephone Sales, 11%
Life Insurance, 11%
Product Knowledge, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
Inbound Calls, 6%

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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Telephone Sales Representative
Telephone Sales Representative vs Outbound Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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