Consumer sales associate vs business sales associate

The differences between consumer sales associates and business sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a consumer sales associate has an average salary of $79,429, which is higher than the $59,485 average annual salary of a business sales associate.

The top three skills for a consumer sales associate include product knowledge, customer service and outbound calls. The most important skills for a business sales associate are business sales, product knowledge, and customer satisfaction.

Consumer sales associate vs business sales associate overview

	Consumer Sales Associate	Business Sales Associate
Yearly salary	$79,429	$59,485
Hourly rate	$38.19	$28.60
Growth rate	-	4%
Number of jobs	350,686	359,630
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	41	47
Years of experience	-	4

What does a consumer sales associate do?

A Consumer Sales Associate works on the sales floor to assist customers so that they can have a positive shopping experience. Their responsibilities include greeting customers, identifying their needs and preferences, answering inquiries, helping locate items, and offering promotions. There are instances when they must discuss product specifications, conduct product demonstrations, and produce sales reports. There are instances when they may also participate in arranging products on shelves, resolving issues, and maintaining the cleanliness of the sales floor.

What does a business sales associate do?

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.

Consumer sales associate vs business sales associate salary

Consumer sales associates and business sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Consumer Sales Associate	Business Sales Associate
Average salary	$79,429	$59,485
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $128,000	Between $42,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	The Citadel	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between consumer sales associate and business sales associate education

There are a few differences between a consumer sales associate and a business sales associate in terms of educational background:

	Consumer Sales Associate	Business Sales Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Consumer sales associate vs business sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between consumer sales associates' and business sales associates' demographics:

	Consumer Sales Associate	Business Sales Associate
Average age	41	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.1% Female, 47.9%	Male, 60.0% Female, 40.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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	7%	6%

Differences between consumer sales associate and business sales associate duties and responsibilities

Consumer sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage call center productivity levels by maintaining CSR schedule adherence.
Require multitasking, responding appropriately to customer questions and concerns, and negotiating sales for additional products and services.
Recognize opportunities to up-sell and often take the opportunity to do so to create a better Marriott experience and event.

Business sales associate example responsibilities.

Manage individual sales activities by developing highly effective, communications focuse relationship with multiple sales channels.
Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
Top performer among peers in revenue and margin attainments, upselling extend warranties and converting credit card sales to leases.
Assist MRO organizations in composite shop design and organization.

Consumer sales associate vs business sales associate skills

Common consumer sales associate skills

Product Knowledge, 17%
Customer Service, 14%
Outbound Calls, 13%
Sales Floor, 8%
Inbound Calls, 7%
Technical Support, 7%

Common business sales associate skills

Business Sales, 14%
Product Knowledge, 14%
Customer Satisfaction, 10%
CRM, 10%
Sales Process, 6%
Customer Support, 5%

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Consumer Sales Associate
Consumer Sales Associate vs Business Sales Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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