Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between agricultural sales representatives and direct sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an agricultural sales representative, becoming a direct sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an agricultural sales representative has an average salary of $90,792, which is higher than the $43,527 average annual salary of a direct sales representative.
The top three skills for an agricultural sales representative include sales territory, AG and client relationships. The most important skills for a direct sales representative are customer service, direct sales, and TV.
| Agricultural Sales Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $90,792 | $43,527 |
| Hourly rate | $43.65 | $20.93 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 164,297 | 159,668 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
An agricultural sales representative sells agricultural equipment to the rural sector. Their primary responsibilities are selling heavy agricultural equipment, providing ways for farmers to purchase equipment, and guiding farmers through purchase paperwork. An agricultural sales representative's primary goals are to increase sales of farming equipment and to provide quality products for those in the farming sector. This position requires good communication skills, adequate knowledge of agricultural equipment, and a deep desire to improve the rural sector of society.
As a direct sales representative, you are responsible for creating customer awareness of a company's products and services and closing sales. You will perform varied tasks that include assisting in developing and executing marketing and sales plans, conducting research on competing products, and identifying opportunities to improve sales. Additionally, you are expected to answer inquiries about product features, availability, benefits, and pricing. Other tasks that you are likely to perform include attending trade shows, preparing sales proposals for prospective buyers, and preparing sales reports.
Agricultural sales representatives and direct sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Agricultural Sales Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $90,792 | $43,527 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $114,000 | Between $27,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | Flint, MI | Salem, OR |
| Highest paying state | California | Maine |
| Best paying company | TJM Investment | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between an agricultural sales representative and a direct sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Agricultural Sales Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between agricultural sales representatives' and direct sales representatives' demographics:
| Agricultural Sales Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 5.2% White, 73.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 6% | 6% |