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The differences between account associates and business development executives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an account associate, becoming a business development executive takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business development executive has an average salary of $97,871, which is higher than the $48,927 average annual salary of an account associate.
The top three skills for an account associate include customer service, work ethic and develop leads. The most important skills for a business development executive are business development, digital transformation, and customer service.
| Account Associate | Business Development Executive | |
| Yearly salary | $48,927 | $97,871 |
| Hourly rate | $23.52 | $47.05 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 98,235 | 189,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 51 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
An account associate is responsible for supporting the accounting and finance department in performing accounting operations, bookkeeping functions, and other related clerical tasks. Account associates analyze and sort financial statements accordingly, assist on payroll processing, evaluate account reconciliations and receivables, create financial reports, and updating recent account information on the database. They also handle clients' inquiries and concerns, routing calls to the appropriate accounting staff or department. An account associate must have excellent analytical and communication skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of the accounting principles.
A business development executive serves as a senior manager who drives company sales. Business development executives convince existing clients to buy more offerings and also source new clients. The focus of their job is on lead generation, prospect management, and customer acquisition. They collaborate with management in terms of sales objectives, planning, and prediction. The skills necessary for this job include customer service and relations, time management, strong written communication, and sales process experience.
Account associates and business development executives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Account Associate | Business Development Executive | |
| Average salary | $48,927 | $97,871 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $67,000 | Between $64,000 And $149,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Phoenix, AZ |
| Highest paying state | California | Arizona |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | Clifford Chance |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between an account associate and a business development executive in terms of educational background:
| Account Associate | Business Development Executive | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between account associates' and business development executives' demographics:
| Account Associate | Business Development Executive | |
| Average age | 51 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1% | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 10% |