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The differences between telesales representatives and business sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a telesales representative, becoming a business sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a telesales representative has an average salary of $65,894, which is higher than the $58,288 average annual salary of a business sales representative.
The top three skills for a telesales representative include customer service, inbound calls and lead generation. The most important skills for a business sales representative are business sales, customer accounts, and customer service.
A telesales representative, also known as a telemarketer, is a salesperson whose duties focus on communicating with potential and existing clients through calls, aiming to secure sales and build positive customer relationships. They offer products and services, set appointments, answer inquiries, discuss product and service specifications, process orders and payments, and even assist customers in issues and concerns. Moreover, a telesales representative also conducts research and assessments to find leads for potential sales opportunities, contacts existing customers, keep records, and provides optimal services to ensure client satisfaction.
A business sales representative's role is to develop strategies in identifying leads and opportunities to secure sales. Their responsibilities revolve around reaching out to clients to offer products and services, discussing the pricing and specifications of products, processing payments, and gathering necessary client information. They may also arrange appointments with clients to negotiate and sign contracts. Furthermore, as a business sales representative, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, handle issues and complaints, maintain records of all transactions, and regularly update databases.
Telesales representatives and business sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Telesales Representative | Business Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $65,894 | $58,288 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $93,000 | Between $31,000 And $108,000 |
| Highest paying City | Iowa City, IA | Bothell, WA |
| Highest paying state | Iowa | Washington |
| Best paying company | Oracle | Amazon |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a telesales representative and a business sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Telesales Representative | Business Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between telesales representatives' and business sales representatives' demographics:
| Telesales Representative | Business Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.1% Female, 53.9% | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |