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The differences between direct sales agents and sales specialists 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 specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a direct sales agent has an average salary of $57,712, which is higher than the $53,004 average annual salary of a sales specialist.
The top three skills for a direct sales agent include customer service, medicare and health insurance. The most important skills for a sales specialist are building relationships, customer complaints, and customer orders.
| Direct Sales Agent | Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $57,712 | $53,004 |
| Hourly rate | $27.75 | $25.48 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 225,552 | 324,069 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
A sales specialist is responsible for offering the best goods and services to customers in order to boost the company's sales. Sales specialists also promote strategies and solutions to contribute to the company's growth and profitability. A sales specialist must have extensive knowledge of the current market trends and the best sales skills to perform marketing tasks. Sales specialists should have excellent communication and customer service skills to assist existing and potential clients with their inquiries and concerns.
Direct sales agents and sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Sales Agent | Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $57,712 | $53,004 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $107,000 | Between $30,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | TechnipFMC | VMware |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a direct sales agent and a sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Direct Sales Agent | Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between direct sales agents' and sales specialists' demographics:
| Direct Sales Agent | Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.0% Female, 42.0% | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |