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The differences between account planners and sales account managers 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 planner, becoming a sales account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an account planner has an average salary of $71,823, which is higher than the $58,630 average annual salary of a sales account manager.
The top three skills for an account planner include digital marketing, media sales and nielsen. The most important skills for a sales account manager are customer service, CRM, and customer satisfaction.
| Account Planner | Sales Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $71,823 | $58,630 |
| Hourly rate | $34.53 | $28.19 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 82,798 | 163,697 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
An account planner is someone who works primarily with clients on how to improve their accounts, sales strategy, and marketing. The account planner creates, develops, and maintains clients' accounts to increase sales and make them profitable. Included in an account planner's task is to monitor competition, determine problems in the actual marketing campaign, provide insight into the market's status, and offer suggestions on how to improve. The account planner also communicates directly with the client and actively works with them to achieve success.
The account sales manager is in charge of the retention of their customer relationship. They have to supervise the portfolio of existing clients, develop new business with them, and seek new sales opportunities. Account sales managers act as liaisons between the company and customer as well as build strong, long-lasting relationships by providing an improved customer experience. It is their responsibility to negotiate contracts and close deals to maximize sales profits. Also, they forecast track sales results and prepare reports on account status.
Account planners and sales account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Account Planner | Sales Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $71,823 | $58,630 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $107,000 | Between $33,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | Harrison, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between an account planner and a sales account manager in terms of educational background:
| Account Planner | Sales Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between account planners' and sales account managers' demographics:
| Account Planner | Sales Account Manager | |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% | Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 13.2% White, 64.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |