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The differences between commercial specialists and product specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a commercial specialist, becoming a product specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, 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 product specialist are customer service, product knowledge, and sales floor.
| Commercial Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $55,619 | $85,932 |
| Hourly rate | $26.74 | $41.31 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 48,979 | 103,863 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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 product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.
Commercial specialists and product specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Average salary | $55,619 | $85,932 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $97,000 | Between $56,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Bain & Company | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between a commercial specialist and a product specialist in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between commercial specialists' and product specialists' demographics:
| Commercial Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% |
| 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, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |