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The differences between business sales associates and customer sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a business sales associate, becoming a customer sales associate takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a business sales associate has an average salary of $59,485, which is higher than the $37,024 average annual salary of a customer sales associate.
The top three skills for a business sales associate include business sales, product knowledge and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a customer sales associate are sales floor, customer satisfaction, and customer service.
| Business Sales Associate | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $59,485 | $37,024 |
| Hourly rate | $28.60 | $17.80 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 359,630 | 415,981 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A business sales associate's primary goal is to secure sales and reach sales targets. To make this possible, a business sales associate conducts market research and analyses to identify new business and client opportunities, generates leads, and develops sales strategies. They usually reach out to potential clients or representatives through calls or correspondence, arrange appointments, discuss product or service specifications, organize payment plans, and negotiate contracts, building positive business relationships along the way. Moreover, they produce progress reports and coordinate with managers regularly.
A customer sales associate specializes in handling and communicating with customers to secure sales in a retail store. Their primary responsibilities revolve around greeting clients, responding to inquiries, providing assistance, and even offering suggestions when necessary. Aside from ensuring customer satisfaction, it is also their responsibility to maintain the cleanliness and order on the sales floor by re-stocking shelves and arranging them to look presentable. Furthermore, a customer sales associate must coordinate with other sales floor members and report to a manager or supervisor.
Business sales associates and customer sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Sales Associate | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $59,485 | $37,024 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $84,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Odenton, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | Maryland |
| Best paying company | - | Johnson Controls |
| Best paying industry | - | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a business sales associate and a customer sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Business Sales Associate | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | - |
Here are the differences between business sales associates' and customer sales associates' demographics:
| Business Sales Associate | Customer Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |