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The differences between business development representatives and direct sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a business development representative has an average salary of $47,240, which is higher than the $43,527 average annual salary of a direct sales representative.
The top three skills for a business development representative include business development, work ethic and customer service. The most important skills for a direct sales representative are customer service, direct sales, and TV.
| Business Development Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $47,240 | $43,527 |
| Hourly rate | $22.71 | $20.93 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 269,704 | 159,668 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A business development representative's role is to find new business and client opportunities through market research and networking. They are primarily responsible for participating in creating strategies to enhance client relations, improve sales, and reach out to potential clients through calls, correspondence, and meetings. Moreover, it is also their responsibility to perform follow-up calls, offer recommendations, and even build rapport to strengthen client base. As a representative, it is essential to coordinate with managers and supervisors and adhere to policies and regulations.
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.
Business development representatives and direct sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Development Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $47,240 | $43,527 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $82,000 | Between $27,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Salem, OR |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Maine |
| Best paying company | Wipro Limited | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a business development representative and a direct sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Business Development Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between business development representatives' and direct sales representatives' demographics:
| Business Development Representative | Direct Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 5% | 6% |