Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between account specialists and business development account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an account specialist, becoming a business development account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a business development account manager has an average salary of $99,209, which is higher than the $42,586 average annual salary of an account specialist.
The top three skills for an account specialist include customer service, patients and account management. The most important skills for a business development account manager are business development, customer service, and customer relationships.
| Account Specialist | Business Development Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $42,586 | $99,209 |
| Hourly rate | $20.47 | $47.70 |
| Growth rate | -8% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 116,010 | 222,573 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 8 |
An account specialist is responsible for reaching out to customers or potential clients through calls, emails, and other forms of correspondence to secure sales and strengthen business relations. An account specialist may also perform other tasks such as arranging appointment schedules with clients, providing price quotes and responding to further inquiries, process orders, generating sales leads, and handling complaints and resolving issues. Furthermore, an account specialist may also be involved in developing strategies, finding new opportunities, producing and completing necessary documents, and preparing reports, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
A business development account manager is in charge of developing strategies to identify new business and client opportunities, ensuring sales growth and customer satisfaction. They typically perform research and analysis to gather data, coordinate with analysts and experts, produce sales and progress reports, and maintain records of all transactions. Furthermore, a business development account manager must build positive relationships with clients and secure sales by reaching out to customers through calls, correspondence, or appointments. They may offer products and services, process payments, and handle inquiries or concerns.
Account specialists and business development account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Account Specialist | Business Development Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $42,586 | $99,209 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $62,000 | Between $57,000 And $170,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between an account specialist and a business development account manager in terms of educational background:
| Account Specialist | Business Development Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between account specialists' and business development account managers' demographics:
| Account Specialist | Business Development Account Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 8% | 7% |