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The differences between business sales associates and sales consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a business sales associate and a sales consultant. Additionally, a sales consultant has an average salary of $60,135, which is higher than the $59,485 average annual salary of a business 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 sales consultant are sales process, product knowledge, and POS.
| Business Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $59,485 | $60,135 |
| Hourly rate | $28.60 | $28.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 359,630 | 227,636 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Sales consultants are employees who work in the sales department of a company. They are usually more skilled than usual sales employees. As such, they are usually given more complicated products or services to sell because they will be able to explain the product or service to the customers better. Sales consultants have in-depth knowledge of the offerings of the company. They talk to customers, understand what the customers need, and match the customers' needs with company products that can address the needs. They should also be updated on trends in the market and what is currently popular with the masses.
Business sales associates and sales consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Average salary | $59,485 | $60,135 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $84,000 | Between $37,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a business sales associate and a sales consultant in terms of educational background:
| Business Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between business sales associates' and sales consultants' demographics:
| Business Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |