Telesales representative vs outbound sales representative

The differences between telesales representatives and outbound 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 an outbound sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a telesales representative has an average salary of $65,894, which is higher than the $45,723 average annual salary of an outbound sales representative.

The top three skills for a telesales representative include customer service, inbound calls and lead generation. The most important skills for an outbound sales representative are outbound sales, customer service, and excellent interpersonal.

Telesales representative vs outbound sales representative overview

	Telesales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$65,894	$45,723
Hourly rate	$31.68	$21.98
Growth rate	-4%	4%
Number of jobs	221,315	240,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	40	47
Years of experience	12	4

What does a telesales representative do?

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.

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.

Telesales representative vs outbound sales representative salary

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

	Telesales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Average salary	$65,894	$45,723
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $93,000	Between $24,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	Iowa City, IA	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	Iowa	New Jersey
Best paying company	Oracle	Altice USA
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between telesales representative and outbound sales representative education

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

	Telesales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Telesales representative vs outbound sales representative demographics

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

	Telesales Representative	Outbound Sales Representative
Average age	40	47
Gender ratio	Male, 46.1% Female, 53.9%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
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, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between telesales representative and outbound sales representative duties and responsibilities

Telesales representative example responsibilities.

Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
Exceed expectations in cross-selling and upselling on all inbound and outbound calls.
Solicit cross-selling and upselling opportunities to new prospects and current customers.
Upgrade current customers who have Comcast services through outbound telephone solicitation.
Counter customer objections by remaining knowledgeable of Comcast and its competitor's services and initiatives.
Demonstrate superb organizational and multitasking abilities

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.

Telesales representative vs outbound sales representative skills

Common telesales representative skills

Customer Service, 17%
Inbound Calls, 9%
Lead Generation, 8%
Closes Sales, 7%
Customer Interaction, 7%
Telemarketing, 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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Telesales Representative
Telesales Representative vs Outbound Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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