Direct sales agent vs sales consultant

The differences between direct sales agents and sales consultants 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 sales consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a sales consultant has an average salary of $60,135, 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 sales consultant are sales process, product knowledge, and POS.

Direct sales agent vs sales consultant overview

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Consultant
Yearly salary	$57,712	$60,135
Hourly rate	$27.75	$28.91
Growth rate	10%	4%
Number of jobs	225,552	227,636
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
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 sales consultant do?

Sales consultants are employees who work in the sales department of a company. They are usually more skilled than usual sales employees. As such, they are usually given more complicated products or services to sell because they will be able to explain the product or service to the customers better. Sales consultants have in-depth knowledge of the offerings of the company. They talk to customers, understand what the customers need, and match the customers' needs with company products that can address the needs. They should also be updated on trends in the market and what is currently popular with the masses.

Direct sales agent vs sales consultant salary

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

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Consultant
Average salary	$57,712	$60,135
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $107,000	Between $37,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	TechnipFMC	Google
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between direct sales agent and sales consultant education

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

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Direct sales agent vs sales consultant demographics

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

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Consultant
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 58.0% Female, 42.0%	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
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, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between direct sales agent and sales consultant 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.

Sales consultant example responsibilities.

Achieve monthly sales goals through new business and upselling current clients.
Utilize CRM systems to effectively manage accounts; leverage competitor and market intelligence to drive offer posture and capture competitor accounts.
Create print ads design and create ad word campaign for SEO and SEM products.
Deliver effective sales presentations to individuals and groups while cross-selling additional vehicle products and services.
Handle incoming calls from Medicare recipients.
Hire and train employees teach effective upselling strategies.

Direct sales agent vs sales consultant skills

Common direct sales agent skills

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

Common sales consultant skills

Sales Process, 13%
Product Knowledge, 11%
POS, 11%
Pre Sales, 7%
Work Ethic, 5%
Cross-Selling, 5%

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Sales Industry
Direct Sales Agent
Direct Sales Agent vs Sales Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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