Telephone sales representative vs retail sales representative

The differences between telephone sales representatives and retail sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a retail sales representative has an average salary of $37,907, 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 a retail sales representative are retail sales, retail store, and POS.

Telephone sales representative vs retail sales representative overview

	Telephone Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$28,512	$37,907
Hourly rate	$13.71	$18.22
Growth rate	-4%	-
Number of jobs	214,765	391,763
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	37	41
Years of experience	-	-

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 a retail sales representative do?

A retail salesperson's responsibility is to sell products and provide necessary information to the consumers to convince them of availing items. Retail salesperson's duties include coordinating with promotional programs, recommending strategies to increase sales, answering customer's inquiries, and escalating any concerns to the management that might affect the company's sales performance. A retail salesperson must have excellent communication skills to build a good rapport with the customers and assist them with their needs. A retail salesperson also helps with inventories and documenting a customer's suggestion for service improvement.

Telephone sales representative vs retail sales representative salary

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Average salary	$28,512	$37,907
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $47,000	Between $28,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Maine
Best paying company	UnitedHealth Group	Pella
Best paying industry	Media	Manufacturing

Differences between telephone sales representative and retail sales representative education

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Telephone sales representative vs retail sales representative demographics

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Retail Sales Representative
Average age	37	41
Gender ratio	Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5%	Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between telephone sales representative and retail 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

Retail sales representative example responsibilities.

Track leads, manage business opportunity, and initiate sales promotions using Siebel CRM.
Achieve quarterly and yearly bonus goals by controlling business expenses and effectively managing payroll costs.
Train new RSC members on sales techniques.
Complete daily office visit entries through CRM.
Conduct WebEx & PowerPoint presentations over the phone.
Used passion for technology and resourcefulness to generate sales.

Telephone sales representative vs retail 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 retail sales representative skills

Retail Sales, 30%
Retail Store, 17%
POS, 12%
Store Management, 7%
Customer Relationships, 4%
Broadband, 3%

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Telephone Sales Representative
Telephone Sales Representative vs Retail Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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