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The differences between commercial specialists and commercial 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 commercial specialist and a commercial sales associate. Additionally, a commercial sales associate has an average salary of $55,859, which is higher than the $55,619 average annual salary of a commercial specialist.
The top three skills for a commercial specialist include customer service, portfolio and commercial loans. The most important skills for a commercial sales associate are cash handling, financial statements, and treasury.
| Commercial Specialist | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $55,619 | $55,859 |
| Hourly rate | $26.74 | $26.86 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 48,979 | 261,436 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Commercial specialists are professional analysts who assist their firms by developing marketing strategies, identifying business opportunities to provide data for reporting, planning, and executing trade events. These specialists investigate and write recommendations to match businesses and resolve sensitive trade complaints. Their list of responsibilities includes organizing events or meetings, supervising contractors, preparing promotional and briefing materials, and a lot more. When the events, products, and services are assigned, they follow up with their clients about them to determine their success accurately.
A commercial sales associate specializes in representing a company to offer products and services to businesses and organizations, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to identify business and client opportunities, pursuing leads, reaching out through calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, explaining or demonstrating products, and negotiating contracts. Aside from securing sales with businesses, a commercial sales associate must also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, arranging schedules, and maintaining records of all transactions, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Commercial specialists and commercial sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Specialist | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $55,619 | $55,859 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $97,000 | Between $28,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Glen Cove, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Maine |
| Best paying company | Bain & Company | AstraZeneca |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | - |
There are a few differences between a commercial specialist and a commercial sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Specialist | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between commercial specialists' and commercial sales associates' demographics:
| Commercial Specialist | Commercial Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | Male, 71.0% Female, 29.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 9.8% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 6% |