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The differences between customer sales associates and associate sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a customer sales associate, becoming an associate sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an associate sales representative has an average salary of $51,007, which is higher than the $37,024 average annual salary of a customer sales associate.
The top three skills for a customer sales associate include sales floor, customer satisfaction and customer service. The most important skills for an associate sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.
| Customer Sales Associate | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $37,024 | $51,007 |
| Hourly rate | $17.80 | $24.52 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 415,981 | 333,049 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A customer sales associate specializes in handling and communicating with customers to secure sales in a retail store. Their primary responsibilities revolve around greeting clients, responding to inquiries, providing assistance, and even offering suggestions when necessary. Aside from ensuring customer satisfaction, it is also their responsibility to maintain the cleanliness and order on the sales floor by re-stocking shelves and arranging them to look presentable. Furthermore, a customer sales associate must coordinate with other sales floor members and report to a manager or supervisor.
The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.
Customer sales associates and associate sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Customer Sales Associate | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $37,024 | $51,007 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $37,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Odenton, MD | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Johnson Controls | Verint |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a customer sales associate and an associate sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Customer Sales Associate | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between customer sales associates' and associate sales representatives' demographics:
| Customer Sales Associate | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4% | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |