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Business development representative vs field sales representative

The differences between business development representatives and field sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a field sales representative has an average salary of $48,460, which is higher than the $47,240 average annual salary of a business development representative.

The top three skills for a business development representative include business development, work ethic and customer service. The most important skills for a field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.

Business development representative vs field sales representative overview

Business Development RepresentativeField Sales Representative
Yearly salary$47,240$48,460
Hourly rate$22.71$23.30
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs269,704228,254
Job satisfaction55
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4447
Years of experience-4

What does a business development representative do?

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.

What does a field sales representative do?

A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.

Business development representative vs field sales representative salary

Business development representatives and field sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Business Development RepresentativeField Sales Representative
Average salary$47,240$48,460
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $82,000Between $26,000 And $88,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateAlaskaWashington
Best paying companyWipro LimitedVMware
Best paying industryManufacturingTechnology

Differences between business development representative and field sales representative education

There are a few differences between a business development representative and a field sales representative in terms of educational background:

Business Development RepresentativeField Sales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversitySUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Business development representative vs field sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between business development representatives' and field sales representatives' demographics:

Business Development RepresentativeField Sales Representative
Average age4447
Gender ratioMale, 50.9% Female, 49.1%Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage5%6%

Differences between business development representative and field sales representative duties and responsibilities

Business development representative example responsibilities.

  • Lead BDR team in overall net new leads and opportunities in 2013 , 2014 and to date 2015
  • Follow up on leads generate from web hits, public Webinar registrations and tradeshows.
  • Write content and manage marketing automation through Pardot, creating campaigns and analyzing results.
  • Create hold leads into SalesForce cloud system for further outbound call on possible sale.
  • Manage customer portfolios, service relationships and cross-selling of all company's products and services.
  • Lead firm s social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ and launch.
  • Show more

Field sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Train and manage new DSR's.
  • Lead seminars for the CPA community for CPE credits.
  • Develop and manage sales in major retail accounts in the Mid-Atlantic region.
  • Manage and assist a vast customer base in the market for new roofing needs after a large hail storm in Lubbock.
  • Manage merchandising and POS materials at the retail store level ensuring meticulous compliance with all current corporate initiative regulations.
  • Conduct effective group Medicare HMO/PPO presentations/seminars, as well as one-on-one field sales presentations.
  • Show more

Business development representative vs field sales representative skills

Common business development representative skills
  • Business Development, 19%
  • Work Ethic, 7%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • BDR, 6%
  • Sales Cycle, 4%
  • Lead Generation, 4%
Common field sales representative skills
  • Excellent Time Management, 17%
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Medicare, 6%
  • Account Management, 6%
  • Sales Presentations, 5%