Direct sales agent vs sales representative

The differences between direct sales agents and 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 sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a direct sales agent has an average salary of $57,712, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.

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

Direct sales agent vs sales representative overview

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$57,712	$56,591
Hourly rate	$27.75	$27.21
Growth rate	10%	4%
Number of jobs	225,552	205,456
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
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 representative do?

Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.

Direct sales agent vs sales representative salary

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

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Representative
Average salary	$57,712	$56,591
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $107,000	Between $33,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New York	Massachusetts
Best paying company	TechnipFMC	Google
Best paying industry	-	Pharmaceutical

Differences between direct sales agent and sales representative education

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

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Direct sales agent vs sales representative demographics

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

	Direct Sales Agent	Sales Representative
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 58.0% Female, 42.0%	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between direct sales agent and 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.

Sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage prospective leads and existing accounts through a CRM platform to accurately forecast revenue and develop long-term business partnerships.
Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
Search for procurement contracts, attend trade shows, design flyers, postcards, etc.
Utilize POS sales software to maintain monetary sales information produce reports for organizational review.
Develop and maintain business relationships with businesses and policyholders using establish methods such as customer relationship management CRM.
Handle administrative and sales duties as Jr.

Direct sales agent vs 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 sales representative skills

Sales Process, 9%
Product Knowledge, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
CRM, 6%
Business Development, 6%
Sales REP, 5%

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Direct Sales Agent
Direct Sales Agent vs Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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