Direct sales agent vs business sales representative

The differences between direct sales agents and business sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a direct sales agent, becoming a business sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a business sales representative has an average salary of $58,288, which is higher than the $57,712 average annual salary of a direct sales agent.

The top three skills for a direct sales agent include customer service, medicare and health insurance. The most important skills for a business sales representative are business sales, customer accounts, and customer service.

Direct sales agent vs business sales representative overview

	Direct Sales Agent	Business Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$57,712	$58,288
Hourly rate	$27.75	$28.02
Growth rate	10%	4%
Number of jobs	225,552	226,438
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	6	4

What does a direct sales agent do?

A direct sales agent is primarily responsible for introducing and selling products or services to clients in a particular area. Aiming to reach sales quotas, they typically conduct market research and analysis, generate leads, and develop sales strategies to build positive client relationships. They reach out directly to clients through calls or face-to-face interactions, discuss product specifications or promos, negotiate contracts, and demonstrate products when necessary. They are also responsible for processing client orders and payments, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction.

What does a business sales representative do?

A business sales representative's role is to develop strategies in identifying leads and opportunities to secure sales. Their responsibilities revolve around reaching out to clients to offer products and services, discussing the pricing and specifications of products, processing payments, and gathering necessary client information. They may also arrange appointments with clients to negotiate and sign contracts. Furthermore, as a business sales representative, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, handle issues and complaints, maintain records of all transactions, and regularly update databases.

Direct sales agent vs business sales representative salary

Direct sales agents and business sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Direct Sales Agent	Business Sales Representative
Average salary	$57,712	$58,288
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $107,000	Between $31,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Bothell, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Washington
Best paying company	TechnipFMC	Amazon
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between direct sales agent and business sales representative education

There are a few differences between a direct sales agent and a business sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Direct Sales Agent	Business Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Direct sales agent vs business sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between direct sales agents' and business sales representatives' demographics:

	Direct Sales Agent	Business Sales Representative
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 58.0% Female, 42.0%	Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between direct sales agent and business sales representative duties and responsibilities

Direct sales agent example responsibilities.

Increase customer understanding of Comcast products and pricing models as well as competitive advantage over other service providers.
Produce call reports and CRM dashboards.
Demonstrate strong understanding of Comcast products, promoting and selling offerings to individual customers by knocking every door within assign territories.
Contact new and existing customers to discuss how TWC products can meet their needs.
Maintain a professional, respectful, and helpful demeanor as a representative of TWC.
Communicate ongoing contact activity utilizing Salesforce.com.

Business sales representative example responsibilities.

Lead recruitment and marketing efforts via social media channels such as LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, etc.
Generate qualify leads through B2B telemarketing services specialize in identifying and nurturing prospects for computer hardware, software and technology services.
Assist with coordinating and organizing marketing projects such as direct mail and team telemarketing initiatives.
Generate qualify leads through B2B telemarketing services specialize in identifying and nurturing prospects for computer hardware, software and technology services.
Assist in the training of newly hire salespeople on technical aspects of CCTV camera systems.
Maintain a neat display kiosk that are up to par with Costco's standards

Direct sales agent vs business sales representative skills

Common direct sales agent skills

Customer Service, 25%
Medicare, 15%
Health Insurance, 12%
Direct Sales, 11%
Underwriting Process, 6%
Product Knowledge, 5%

Common business sales representative skills

Business Sales, 13%
Customer Accounts, 12%
Customer Service, 11%
Business Relationships, 11%
Lead Generation, 11%
Security Industry, 6%

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Direct Sales Agent
Direct Sales Agent vs Business Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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