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Business representative vs sales representative

The differences between business representatives and sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a business representative, becoming a sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a sales representative has an average salary of $56,591, which is higher than the $51,604 average annual salary of a business representative.

The top three skills for a business representative include customer service, patients and powerpoint. The most important skills for a sales representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.

Business representative vs sales representative overview

Business RepresentativeSales Representative
Yearly salary$51,604$56,591
Hourly rate$24.81$27.21
Growth rate-4%4%
Number of jobs197,264205,456
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4047
Years of experience124

What does a business representative do?

Typically working as a member of a company's sales team, a business representative offers products and services to customers through appointments or calls and correspondence, securing sales and customer satisfaction. Among their responsibilities include answering inquiries, processing payments, assisting clients in filling out forms, negotiating contracts, developing sales strategies, researching new business and client opportunities, and producing sales reports. Furthermore, as a business representative, it is essential to have a great understanding of the company's vision and mission, including its policies and regulations.

What does a sales representative do?

Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.

Business representative vs sales representative salary

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

Business RepresentativeSales Representative
Average salary$51,604$56,591
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $73,000Between $33,000 And $94,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CABoston, MA
Highest paying stateWashingtonMassachusetts
Best paying companyMarathon OilGoogle
Best paying industryFinancePharmaceutical

Differences between business representative and sales representative education

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

Business RepresentativeSales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Business representative vs sales representative demographics

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

Business RepresentativeSales Representative
Average age4047
Gender ratioMale, 45.5% Female, 54.5%Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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 Percentage7%6%

Differences between business representative and sales representative duties and responsibilities

Business representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage customer relations with internal personnel, group administrators, brokers and members as related to Medicare insurance.
  • Verify ICD-9 to physician's diagnosis; insure correct CPT codes and level of service are going out on claims.
  • Handle incoming calls to investigate and troubleshoot network and hardware concerns that align with company expectations of quality.
  • Utilize multiple internal information systems and applications to troubleshoot hardware issues.
  • Verify all new and returning patients' insurance coverage and eligibility when reviewing patient registration.
  • Obtain and verify accurate and complete patient demographic information, appropriately schedule patients according to center and insurance guidelines.
  • Show more

Sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage prospective leads and existing accounts through a CRM platform to accurately forecast revenue and develop long-term business partnerships.
  • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
  • Search for procurement contracts, attend trade shows, design flyers, postcards, etc.
  • Utilize POS sales software to maintain monetary sales information produce reports for organizational review.
  • Develop and maintain business relationships with businesses and policyholders using establish methods such as customer relationship management CRM.
  • Handle administrative and sales duties as Jr.
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Business representative vs sales representative skills

Common business representative skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Patients, 12%
  • PowerPoint, 8%
  • Business Development, 7%
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Inbound Calls, 5%
Common sales representative skills
  • Sales Process, 9%
  • Product Knowledge, 9%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • CRM, 6%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Sales REP, 5%

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