Telephone sales representative vs sales development representative

The differences between telephone sales representatives and sales development representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, 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 sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.

Telephone sales representative vs sales development representative overview

	Telephone Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Yearly salary	$28,512	$51,504
Hourly rate	$13.71	$24.76
Growth rate	-4%	4%
Number of jobs	214,765	199,588
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
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 a sales development representative do?

A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.

Telephone sales representative vs sales development representative salary

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Average salary	$28,512	$51,504
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $47,000	Between $34,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	UnitedHealth Group	PitchBook Data
Best paying industry	Media	Start-up

Differences between telephone sales representative and sales development representative education

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 32%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	University of Pennsylvania

Telephone sales representative vs sales development representative demographics

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

	Telephone Sales Representative	Sales Development Representative
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5%	Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9%
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, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	6%

Differences between telephone sales representative and sales development 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

Sales development representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Develop social media strategies for Facebook, LinkedIn, and emerging social networks, generating leads.
Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
supply chain management and procurement software (SaaS).
Handle customer service inquiries, returns, and RMA exchanges.
Develop a strong knowledge of SaaS sales techniques and lead management/generation.

Telephone sales representative vs sales development 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 sales development representative skills

SDR, 11%
Lead Generation, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Account Executives, 5%
Linkedin, 5%
Outbound Calls, 4%

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Telephone Sales Representative
Telephone Sales Representative vs Sales Development Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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