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The differences between client partners and account directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a client partner and an account director. Additionally, a client partner has an average salary of $136,496, which is higher than the $114,728 average annual salary of an account director.
The top three skills for a client partner include portfolio, cloud and CRM. The most important skills for an account director are account management, project management, and work ethic.
| Client Partner | Account Director | |
| Yearly salary | $136,496 | $114,728 |
| Hourly rate | $65.62 | $55.16 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 89,838 | 132,260 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A client partner specializes in assisting and building positive relationships with customers, ensuring satisfaction that will translate to sales. They are primarily responsible for reaching out to customers through calls and correspondence, arranging appointments and meetings, discussing the extent of opportunities with customers, resolving issues and concerns, and reporting progress to managers and supervisors. Moreover, a client partner may create specific programs and payment plans for clients, provide consultations, negotiate contracts, and assess risks, all while adhering to the policies and standards of the company.
An account director is responsible for managing client accounts, monitoring budgets, and sales forecasting. Their goal is to maintain stable account management strategies, meet clients' demands, develop healthy professional partnerships that would generate revenues, increase profitability, and achieve the organization's long-term goals objectives. Account directors supervise the account management staff, ensuring the project's successful completion with the highest efficiency and accuracy. An account director also plans training programs to maximize their performance and productivity, especially when dealing with deadlines and clients' requests.
Client partners and account directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Client Partner | Account Director | |
| Average salary | $136,496 | $114,728 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $212,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | Harrisburg, PA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Dechert | BuzzFeed |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a client partner and an account director in terms of educational background:
| Client Partner | Account Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between client partners' and account directors' demographics:
| Client Partner | Account Director | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |