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The differences between business sales representatives and business sales associates 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 representative and a business sales associate. Additionally, a business sales associate has an average salary of $59,485, which is higher than the $58,288 average annual salary of a business sales representative.
The top three skills for a business sales representative include business sales, customer accounts and customer service. The most important skills for a business sales associate are business sales, product knowledge, and customer satisfaction.
| Business Sales Representative | Business Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $58,288 | $59,485 |
| Hourly rate | $28.02 | $28.60 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 226,438 | 359,630 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A business sales representative's role is to develop strategies in identifying leads and opportunities to secure sales. Their responsibilities revolve around reaching out to clients to offer products and services, discussing the pricing and specifications of products, processing payments, and gathering necessary client information. They may also arrange appointments with clients to negotiate and sign contracts. Furthermore, as a business sales representative, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, handle issues and complaints, maintain records of all transactions, and regularly update databases.
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.
Business sales representatives and business sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Sales Representative | Business Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $58,288 | $59,485 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $108,000 | Between $42,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bothell, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Amazon | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a business sales representative and a business sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Business Sales Representative | Business Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between business sales representatives' and business sales associates' demographics:
| Business Sales Representative | Business Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% | Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |