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The differences between channel sales representatives and sales support representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a channel sales representative and a sales support representative. Additionally, a channel sales representative has an average salary of $66,190, which is higher than the $38,310 average annual salary of a sales support representative.
The top three skills for a channel sales representative include lead generation, direct sales and channel sales. The most important skills for a sales support representative are sales support, phone calls, and POS.
| Channel Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $66,190 | $38,310 |
| Hourly rate | $31.82 | $18.42 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 215,005 | 319,292 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A channel sales representative is typically in charge of securing sales with vendors and resellers. Their responsibilities often include performing research and analysis to identify new business and client opportunities, generating leads, and devising strategies to close deals. They must also liaise with clients through calls or correspondence, arrange appointments, offer products and services, recommend promotions, negotiate contracts, and even process payments. Furthermore, as a channel sales representative, it is essential to build positive relationships with clients, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
A sales support representative is responsible for assisting the complex operations of sales departments, performing administrative duties under the supervision of a direct manager. Sales support representatives' tasks include acknowledging and encoding customers' orders in the system, processing payments, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, writing sales reports, and updating the customer of the shipment details. They also support the sales representatives on selling goods and services to potential customers by creating marketing materials and communicating with customers over the phone and e-mail to generate revenues and increase profits.
Channel sales representatives and sales support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Channel Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $66,190 | $38,310 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $97,000 | Between $30,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Las Vegas, NV | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | NetApp |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a channel sales representative and a sales support representative in terms of educational background:
| Channel Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| 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 channel sales representatives' and sales support representatives' demographics:
| Channel Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |