Telephone sales representative vs outside sales representative

The differences between telephone sales representatives and outside sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outside sales representative has an average salary of $60,443, 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 outside sales representative are customer service, work ethic, and sales process.

Telephone sales representative vs outside sales representative overview

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$28,512	$60,443
Hourly rate	$13.71	$29.06
Growth rate	-4%	4%
Number of jobs	214,765	218,034
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
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 outside sales representative do?

An Outside Sales Representative specializes in customer service and relations, focusing on reaching sales targets through selling and networking with clients. Among the duties revolve around reaching out to customers through calls, email, or even arranging appointments, monitoring and keeping an organized record of sales, communicating with managers or supervisors, adhering to the company's policies and regulations, and keeping extensive knowledge about the brand and the trends. Besides building rapport with customers, it is also essential for an Outside Sales Representative to be proactive and create strategies to help meet the sales target.

Telephone sales representative vs outside sales representative salary

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average salary	$28,512	$60,443
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $47,000	Between $41,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	UnitedHealth Group	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Media	Manufacturing

Differences between telephone sales representative and outside sales representative education

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Telephone sales representative vs outside sales representative demographics

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Outside Sales Representative
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5%	Male, 71.5% Female, 28.5%
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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between telephone sales representative and outside 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

Outside sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain a weekly quota for broadband, and other wireless products.
Utilize CRM database to manage and track prospect interaction to ensure accurate documentation of window requirements and ongoing communication.
Web dev, SEO, PPC etc . )
Participate in the launching and marketing of broadband internet in Orlando with great success.
Provide care, materials, and essential tools for doctors and nurses working on patients in the E.R.
Create and maintain successful business partnerships with customers by analyzing, meeting and understanding their needs and patients needs.

Telephone sales representative vs outside 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 outside sales representative skills

Customer Service, 17%
Work Ethic, 8%
Sales Process, 4%
Business Sales, 4%
Cold Calls, 4%
Product Knowledge, 4%

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Telephone Sales Representative
Telephone Sales Representative vs Outside Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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