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The differences between direct sales representatives and consumer sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a direct sales representative, becoming a consumer sales representative takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a direct sales representative has an average salary of $43,527, which is higher than the $38,514 average annual salary of a consumer sales representative.
The top three skills for a direct sales representative include customer service, direct sales and TV. The most important skills for a consumer sales representative are broadband, product knowledge, and inbound calls.
| Direct Sales Representative | Consumer Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $43,527 | $38,514 |
| Hourly rate | $20.93 | $18.52 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 159,668 | 216,394 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
As a direct sales representative, you are responsible for creating customer awareness of a company's products and services and closing sales. You will perform varied tasks that include assisting in developing and executing marketing and sales plans, conducting research on competing products, and identifying opportunities to improve sales. Additionally, you are expected to answer inquiries about product features, availability, benefits, and pricing. Other tasks that you are likely to perform include attending trade shows, preparing sales proposals for prospective buyers, and preparing sales reports.
Customer sales representatives' primary role is to present their employer's offerings to potential buyers. They may work out of an office, travel to conferences where their offerings might be suitable to attendees. It is their responsibility as customer sales representatives to get people to buy physical items, such as cars, new windows for their home, and skincare products. They perform a variety of tasks promoting their employer's offerings, sell policies for insurance companies, promote bundle deals for telecommunication industries, gym membership plans, and persuade parents to let their children join the tutoring system.
Direct sales representatives and consumer sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Direct Sales Representative | Consumer Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $43,527 | $38,514 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $69,000 | Between $21,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Salem, OR | - |
| Highest paying state | Maine | - |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a direct sales representative and a consumer sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Direct Sales Representative | Consumer Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | - |
Here are the differences between direct sales representatives' and consumer sales representatives' demographics:
| Direct Sales Representative | Consumer Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |