Both inside and outside sales are important components of any sales strategy. However, companies don’t always need both for a thriving business.
To be sure you’re not missing out on potential opportunities, it’s crucial to fully understand how both roles work.
In this guide, we’re diving deep into inside sales vs. outside sales and why one might be more valuable for your company’s specific goals over the other. We also cover hiring both types of reps, structuring your sales team and much more.
Key takeaways for inside sales vs. outside sales
Inside sales reps sell remotely through video, calls and emails, while outside sales reps sell in person through meetings, site visits and events.
Outside sales reps typically earn more than inside sales reps because they often manage longer sales cycles and higher-value accounts.
Both teams need a CRM, lead generation tools, call tracking, email automation and mobile sales tools to manage leads, track activity and close deals efficiently.
Pipedrive helps inside, outside and hybrid sales teams manage their pipelines, automate follow-ups and focus on the right deals.
What is outside sales?
Outside sales involves selling products and services in person through face-to-face meetings.
These meetings often take place at industry events, trade shows, the sales prospect’s office, a restaurant or simply going from door to door.
The location depends on what reps are selling, industry norms and each company’s strategy.
You can also refer to outside sales as meaning field sales. Although these types of sales reps do sometimes have an office as their base, they spend most of their time in the field.
While inside sales representatives may close hundreds of sales without seeing their prospect’s face, the success of outside salespeople depends on their ability to build and maintain in-person relationships.
Note: Even though outside sales reps mainly meet people face-to-face, they still rely on technology, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, to virtually track leads and deal status.
A solid outside sales strategy can lead to:
Deeper customer relationships thanks to the primary focus on building connections
Higher close rates (as reps focus on a smaller number of leads and spend more time in person with each)
Greater awareness of industry trends and new sales opportunities, thanks to more candid insights from face-to-face interactions
More motivated sales reps due to higher commissions or compensation plans
Outside sales aims to build trust through the power of in-person interactions, body language and a deeper human connection. Reps’ proximity to the client means hiring the right people is crucial (we’ll touch on that more later).
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What is inside sales?
Inside sales is the process of selling products and services remotely using phone calls, cold emails, video conferencing and more to maintain relationships with their leads, prospects and customers.
You can also define inside sales as virtual sales or remote sales. It usually takes place from behind a desk, so inside sales representatives can sell to anyone, regardless of how far away they are.
Thanks to its virtual nature, it’s common for software as a service (SaaS) companies with digital products and business-to-business (B2B) companies that sell to multiple decision-makers to use an inside sales model.
In the 1980s, “inside sales” differentiated telemarketing from high-value phone sales typical of B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) practices.
By the early 2000s, the term “inside sales” came to mean sales conducted from an office or fully remotely, rather than in the field or a territory.
When it comes to outside vs. inside sales, an inside sales strategy offers significant efficiencies. For instance:
Reps follow a well-defined, strategic sales process
Not having to travel for in-person meetings can mean a shorter sales cycle. Reps have more time to focus on selling (instead of meeting admin and travel)
With less travel, inside sales reps can quickly switch focus from one sales funnel stage to another.
When a lead goes cold, a rep can immediately pick up the next one rather than spending time and resources to meet in person.
Automated outreach (e.g., outbound emails and social media messages) poses an opportunity to scale. It allows reps to communicate with dozens of leads daily.
What does an outside sales representative do?
An outside sales job description would start by mentioning that a rep will often be on the go, meeting potential customers out in the field or at events (e.g., conferences and trade shows).
In most cases, an outside representative will have a sales territory in which they meet clients in their own offices or places of business. Account managers or account executives usually work as outside reps to build personal connections with customers.
Other opportunities for a sale might be outside of a work setting, such as at a golf course or restaurant. Outside sales could also involve visiting businesses in a target market that matches current buyer personas or ideal customer profiles (ICPs).
Unlike inside sales, outside sales reps often set their own schedules (depending on the industry) and work more autonomously. Their working hours may differ from the standard 9 to 5, depending on the types of meetings they arrange.
Like inside sales, outside sales reps follow set processes and thrive on activity-based selling.
On top of standard sales tools (e.g., CRM software and a calendar) and channels (e.g., email, phone calls and text messages), reps also use tools to map their physical sales territories and routes.
For example, here’s what the Nearby feature in Pipedrive’s mobile CRM app looks like for reps on the go:
The technology maps all of a rep’s nearby contacts, making it easier to personalize sales. They may use it to coordinate planned meetings or just drop by when they’re in the area.
Outside sales reps invest a lot of time in each lead they choose to meet, especially when several decision-makers are involved.
Correctly qualifying leads (and breaking up with prospects who aren’t a fit for their offer) helps reps make the most of their time in the field. In other words, they focus on quality deals over quantity.
What does an inside sales representative do?
Inside sales reps work from their home or office, spending most of their day cold calling, emailing or reaching out in various ways to generate new leads for their team.
Since inside salespeople don’t meet with their prospects in person (thanks to remote selling), they need reliable tools to connect with potential customers.
They have to be able to take a cold lead and turn it into a paying customer without leaving their desk. To do so, they need a stable internet connection and a way to conduct phone calls with quality audio.
The remote and digital channels reps use for inside sales processes are similar to those used by outside sales. However, inside sales teams can typically handle activities in these channels at a much higher volume. Channels include:
Phone calls
Emails
Video conferencing
Live chat
Text messages
Inside sales reps also need specific soft skills, such as picking up verbal and audible cues in sales conversations, because they usually don’t meet clients face-to-face. Without these types of communication skills, reps will struggle to move their deals forward.
Jaakko Paalanen, former Chief Revenue Officer at Leadfeeder, says:
Inside sales also offer a more predictable schedule. Based on conversations, reps can quickly identify their prospect’s position in the sales funnel and plan their day-to-day and weekly activities accordingly.
Let’s say a rep’s goal is to close 10 sales this month. The ideal pipeline might include 200 incoming leads for this period.
The rep knows they qualify about half of all leads, which brings them 100 good leads to work with. If they usually close 10% of all their qualified leads, there’s a good chance they’ll hit their goal.
Understanding these benchmarks and what a qualified lead looks like can help them stay on track to meet sales quotas. If leaders empower reps with CRM software to measure their efforts, they’ll tip the scales in their favor.
Inside vs. outside sales reps: duties and responsibilities
Inside sales rep duties | Outside sales rep duties |
Find and qualify leads through email, phone, social media and CRM tools | Find and qualify leads through networking, referrals, events and in-person outreach |
Run discovery calls to understand customer needs, goals and pain points | Meet prospects face-to-face to understand their business, challenges and needs |
Present products or services through virtual demos and calls | Present products or services through in-person meetings and product demonstrations |
Follow up with leads through email sequences, calls and digital touchpoints | Build and maintain long-term relationships through regular visits and personal follow-ups |
Manage a high volume of leads and opportunities in the sales pipeline | Manage fewer but often higher-value accounts and opportunities |
Handle objections and move prospects toward a buying decision remotely | Handle objections in real time during meetings and negotiations |
Update CRM records, track interactions and report on pipeline activity | Update CRM records, log field activity and report on account progress |
Close deals through phone, video call, email or digital contracts | Close deals through in-person negotiations, proposals and relationship-led conversations |
What is the salary of inside and outside sales reps?
In the United States, inside sales representatives earn an average salary of around $58,000 to $79,000 per year, while outside sales representatives earn around $71,000 to $103,000 per year, according to Glassdoor.
If you’re building a team of inside or outside sales reps, make sure you’re offering compensation that will attract top performers. If you’re looking for a sales career in such a team or are already in a similar sales role, make sure you get what you’re worth.
Let’s look at the average salaries for sales jobs in several countries ( as of May 2026).
Note: Salaries listed below are rep averages. Outside and inside sales executive salaries will be much higher.
Inside sales vs. outside sales salary: United States
Role | Average salary |
Inside sales representative (US, Glassdoor) | $68,000 per year |
Inside sales representative (US, PayScale) | $53,133 per year |
Outside sales representative (US, Glassdoor) | $85,000 per year |
Outside sales representative (US, PayScale) | $62,272 per year |
Inside sales vs. outside sales salary: United Kingdom
Role | Average salary |
Inside sales representative (UK, PayScale) | £27,094 per year |
Outside sales representative (UK, PayScale) | £26,714 per year |
Inside sales vs. outside sales salary: Ireland
Role | Average salary |
Inside sales representative (Ireland, PayScale) | €33,189 per year |
Outside sales representative (Ireland, PayScale) | €39,381 per year |
Inside sales vs. outside sales salary: Australia
Role | Average salary |
Inside sales representative (Australia, PayScale) | AU$62,159 per year |
Outside sales representative (Australia, PayScale) | AU$67,498 per year |
Territory sales representative (Australia, PayScale) | AU$72,526 per year |
Inside sales vs. outside sales salary: Canada
Role | Average salary |
Inside sales representative (Canada, PayScale) | C$53,728 per year |
Outside sales representative (Canada, PayScale) | C$58,552 per year |
Inside sales vs. outside sales salary: South Africa
Role | Average salary |
Inside sales representative (South Africa, PayScale) | R143,670 per year |
Outside sales representative (South Africa, PayScale) | R193,499 per year |
General salary differences between inside and outside sales
Salaries of inside and outside sales reps depend on the specific country, its standard of living and market fluctuations.
These situations call for and value the two types of sales representatives differently.
Consider these differences when hiring for either outside or inside sales roles in specific countries. Use the above numbers as a baseline, noticing that outside sales professionals tend to be paid slightly more than inside reps.
Here’s the case for a higher salary for outside sales representatives:
Outside sales reps are likely to have a higher close rate (thanks to fewer leads and deeper relationships with each)
Deals closed through outside sales are often larger or of higher value than inside sales
Field reps often have more years of sales experience
Being out in the field also requires adaptability from a sales rep’s perspective. The more experienced they are, the easier it is to handle any curveballs and unforeseen circumstances.
Outside sales vs. inside sales commissions seem to reflect this, too. For example:
In the US, inside reps earn an average of $12,000 in yearly commission, while outside reps get an average of $22,560.
While benchmarks are helpful, salaries and commissions should reflect the value of each rep’s skill set, talent and the results they create for their team.
The cost and scalability of inside and outside sales
In addition to salaries for hiring inside and outside sales reps, you should also consider commission costs and growth potential for these roles.
The cost and scalability of an inside sales team
With an inside sales team, your budget can go a long way.
Reps simply need a computer, a solid internet connection and tools, including a CRM system, to help them stay on track.
As you add more inside reps to your team, the cost of running your sales operations doesn’t skyrocket. New costs include a new hire’s salary, an additional CRM seat and sales training.
Potential for growth offsets those costs. With a larger team operating from your office (or even their own homes if they work remotely), you can now reach more prospects and upscale your sales.
On top of that, with a great CRM tool like Pipedrive, your inside sales team will be able to:
Streamline lead generation and scoring
Automate reminders to check in and follow up with leads
Visualize their sales pipeline
Focus on the right deals at the right time
For instance, Pipedrive’s customizable Leads Inbox can help focus efforts as reps move deals through the pipeline.
This separate inbox can help them track prequalified leads before they become deals. Tools like these can help your inside sales team multiply results at a lower cost and with minimal risk.
The cost and scalability of an outside sales team
Growing your outside sales team will usually cost you more than salaries and CRM seats – it’ll include things like travel, lunch meetings and event tickets.
Your field reps rely on the quality of their in-person meetings. For every new rep, you must ensure you can meet the budget for flights, dinners, meeting rooms, accommodation, a company car and more.
On top of that, you can’t automate face-to-face conversations. Your rep can’t have the same discussion with more than one lead at the same time. These conversations also last longer than a typical phone call or an email exchange.
In other words, an outside sales representative may only be able to manage a single relationship and close one deal at a time. They also spend significantly more time switching (i.e., traveling) between two leads than an inside sales rep does.
However, if you’re selling high-ticket products or services, investing in outside sales reps can yield returns for many years to come.
Tip: Match your offering’s lifetime value to the customer acquisition cost and ensure it’s at least three times higher. If you can accomplish that ratio with a repeatable process, outside sales could work for you.
Deeper customer relationships are often behind higher customer lifetime value and loyalty.
Steven Benson, the founder and CEO of route-planner app Badger Maps, describes a trick to maximize outside sales performance despite the scalability challenge:
Investing in more in-person customer relationships is a smart approach when you’re aiming for slower, long-term growth. However, inside sales may be a cost-effective initial focus when you need to grow faster.
Investing in more in-person customer relationships is a smart approach when you’re aiming for slower, long-term growth. However, inside sales may be a cost-effective initial focus when you need to grow faster.
The sales experience requirements for outside sales vs. inside sales
Inside and outside sales roles require different types of sales experience, so hiring for the right skills helps you build a team that can sell effectively in its specific environment.
So what should you look for in inside and outside salespeople? Keep in mind that all high-performing sales reps are great communicators, deeply understand their prospects and are focused on results.
That said, the way they’ll need to use these sales skills in an inside sales model versus an outside environment is quite different. Let’s look into both.
Inside sales experience requirements
When reviewing CVs for inside sales representative jobs, here’s what you’ll want to look for and ask about in your interviews:
Process-driven selling skills. Inside sales’ well-defined funnel and clear sales activities move deals quickly from one stage to the next. A sales rep who can show you how and why a CRM drives their daily and weekly action items is a valuable one.
Genuine excitement about working in a team. Unless it’s a remote role, inside sales jobs involve spending 40 hours a week in an office. The more comfortable, driven and energized your reps are around a team, the better their results will be.
The ability to communicate clearly in writing and over the phone. Inside reps have a limited window to deliver their message to the decision-maker, so they must articulate it clearly.
Readiness for fast-paced selling and openness to change. A shorter sales cycle can mean frequent switching between funnel stages, leads and tools. As the team shifts priorities, reps need to be open to swift changes in quotas or strategies.
Outside sales experience requirements
Here’s what to look for when hiring a high-performing field sales rep:
A self-starter who enjoys solo work on the go. A great field sales rep will thrive working independently, focusing on one relationship at a time.
Efficient time management and appointment setting. Outside reps arrange their own meetings, routes and goals for the day in the field. Look for candidates with confident prospecting skills who optimize their time and energy.
Openness to new environments, people and challenges. No two days are the same in outside sales. Every person, meeting and location is unique, so look for a rep who will make the most out of every situation (e.g., a delayed flight or last-minute cancellation).
Charisma and confidence building in-person rapport. Look for a candidate who makes instant connections easily. They should also be proficient in active listening and reading non-verbal cues, facial expressions and tone of voice.
Inside sales vs. outside sales: key differences between roles
Inside sales is faster, more scalable and more cost-efficient, while outside sales is better suited to longer, relationship-led deals that need in-person selling.
Throughout their sales process, both inside and outside sales reps:
Establish a personal connection with their leads
Listen to their challenges and pain points
Present solutions relevant to these pain points
Address objections
Close deals by asking for business
So, what’s the difference between inside sales and outside sales?
The difference between outside sales and inside sales is that outside sales representatives often combine all these steps during meetings with their prospective clients. Inside sales reps usually split these activities between dozens of email, text and phone call touchpoints.
Thanks to a hands-on process, outside sales naturally result in a longer sales cycle that’s built around standing relationships with clients.
These in-person relationships can’t be scaled or automated. However, by working with fewer leads at once and focusing on each person’s individual needs, outside sales reps are likely to close a higher percentage of deals in their pipeline.
If you’re looking for long-term, large-scale growth and can afford it, outside sales representatives might be the way to go. If you need fast results on a smaller budget, you may need to focus on inside sales only.
Here’s a high-level look at the key differences between the two types of sales teams:
Inside sales | Outside sales | |
Sales conversations | Remote | In person |
Sales cycle | Shorter | Longer |
Scalability | Easy | Difficult |
Close rate | Lower | Higher |
Average salary (US) | $68,000/year | $85,000/year |
Average commission (US) | $12,000/year | $22,560/year |
Different types of sales organizations also choose to prioritize inside or outside sales at different times. Jonathon Ilett, VP of Global Sales at Cognism, details his approach:
Structuring an inside and outside sales team
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to structuring your sales team; it will always depend on your market, company goals, industry and many other factors.
However, you can start with some common practices as a baseline. Here are three popular ways to structure your team.
1. Separate inside and outside sales reps
In this setup, there’s no real overlap between your inside and field reps. Everyone works on their own leads, and each team has separate daily, weekly and monthly quotas.
Sales managers enable everyone to do their best work without depending on the other team. You can assign leads to inside or outside reps based on company size, which is a typical approach in B2B sales.
For example, small and medium-sized companies may be better leads for the inside sales team. These deals tend to move through the pipeline faster and fit the nature of remote sales processes.
On the other hand, you can hand over large companies (with potentially more complex deals) to field reps who can invest more time into building relationships that require face-to-face interactions.
2. Encourage inside and outside sales teams to work together
In this approach, all reps focus on either inside or outside sales, but they collaborate and help each other move leads forward and close deals.
Each group still focuses on its specialty. For example, your inside team can work with leads located far from your office before outside reps visit them for an in-person sales pitch.
Inside sales reps have refined processes to identify specific pain points and potential objections, which can help your field reps prepare – or save them a trip – if the lead turns out to be unqualified.
3. Hire hybrid sales reps who work on both inside and outside sales
You may choose to employ a hybrid sales team that sells from their desk part-time and in the field for the rest.
When they’re in the office, hybrid sales reps make the most of their time by:
Keeping an eye on their pipeline and following up promptly
Monitoring inbound sales leads and prioritizing reaching out to the hottest ones
Automating repetitive sales tasks and streamlining their process to free up time for outside sales
When reps head out, they focus on the highest-value leads. They’re well prepared based on the pain points they identified during lead qualification and have a plan for approaching them.
Successful hybrid reps also track their field activities using the same CRM they use in the office – a dependable one.
Here’s what a customizable tracking process looks like using Pipedrive:
Reps use it to represent any scheduled action they take on the journey to closing deals (e.g., phone calls, meetings or emails).
Brian Forrester, the co-founder of SEO and digital marketing agency Workshop Digital, describes the company’s hybrid approach to inside and outside sales:
"We don’t need dedicated inside sales reps and we don’t need dedicated outside sales reps, so consolidating the responsibilities allows us to operate a very lean sales team and still hit our sales goals.
For our small business, this hybrid model is more cost-effective. Our internal sales are scalable as we close them entirely over the phone or via web conferencing, and we do this for about 80% of our new business prospects.
However, certain key accounts, as well as local businesses near Richmond, VA, require outside sales functions, including more in-depth and personalized strategies and face-to-face meetings.
While we aren’t ‘pounding the pavement’ and knocking on doors to generate prospects, some of the prospects do require an outside sales approach. We’ve become more adept at assessing those needs and layering on the right approach over time."
The tools to empower your inside and outside sales reps
Whichever team structure you choose, you need tools and sales technology that enable your reps to work at their optimal level and collaborate efficiently.
As Stan Masseueras, former VP of Business Development and Partnerships at Intercom, explains:
"The democratization of productivity and communication tools has been extraordinary over the past five to seven years. It has never been easier and cheaper to sell to, manage and support your customers wherever they are and connect with them at a deeper level.
We’ve evolved toward a world where inside sales reps travel to meet customers strategically and field reps are boosting their productivity by making the most out of modern communication solutions."
Here’s a list of tool suggestions that cover four crucial elements of sales:
CRM. With Pipedrive’s sales software, teams can work from a visual sales dashboard that enables everyone to keep track of their work, metrics and goals. (There’s even a mobile CRM for offline use.)
Lead generation. LeadBooster enables sales reps to react quickly to the warmest prospects (those who visit key pages on your website) and make the most of their outreach.
Sales calls. Reps can streamline call workflows easily with JustCall and Pipedrive’s CRM email tracking and communications feature. It helps them avoid busywork and focus on engaging with customers.
Email marketing and automation. Pipedrive’s email marketing software lets reps design and build customizable templates and layouts to win prospects’ attention, deliver personalized messages and close more deals.
Inside and outside sales teams often rely on the same tools but use them differently. For example, both teams might use a CRM to track leads and deal progress.
An inside sales rep may use it to manage dozens of follow-up tasks, email sequences and call notes in a day. An outside sales rep may use the same CRM to check account history before a meeting, log field activity afterward and plan the next in-person visit.
Pipedrive in action: UK marketing agency CreativeRace needed a better way to organize its lead generation process and visualize how prospects move through the pipeline.
With Pipedrive, the team built separate pipelines, added custom fields and used reporting dashboards to see exactly where each opportunity stood. As a result, CreativeRace increased YoY client acquisition by 600% and improved lead-to-opportunity conversion speed by 42%.
Final thoughts
Use this guide to identify the budget and skills you need to build a high-performing sales team that fits your current business needs.
If you’re on a tight budget and want to scale or have a shorter sales cycle, consider hiring inside salespeople. On the other hand, if you sell a product or service that would benefit from face-to-face engagement with prospects, consider hiring outside sales representatives.
Perhaps you would benefit from the best of both worlds, with a hybrid sales team able to charm equally over cold calls or with potential clients in person.
The important thing is that you focus on the most valuable goals for your company, choose a sales strategy to support them and track it all with a user-friendly CRM like Pipedrive, which you can try for free for 14 days.
