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The differences between directors of technical sales and account directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a director of technical sales and an account director. Additionally, an account director has an average salary of $114,728, which is higher than the $96,380 average annual salary of a director of technical sales.
The top three skills for a director of technical sales include CRM, cloud and sales process. The most important skills for an account director are account management, project management, and work ethic.
| Director Of Technical Sales | Account Director | |
| Yearly salary | $96,380 | $114,728 |
| Hourly rate | $46.34 | $55.16 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 161,516 | 132,260 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A director of technical sales oversees and directs an organization's sales operations, aiming for profit growth and optimal services. Their duties usually entail setting goals and product roadmaps, establishing sales strategies, developing sales programs and marketing projects, and conducting research to find business and client opportunities. They may also participate in securing deals with key clients and business partners, developing sales forecasts, and recruiting employees. Moreover, as a director of technical sales, it is essential to lead and empower staff to reach goals while implementing company standards and policies.
An account director is responsible for managing client accounts, monitoring budgets, and sales forecasting. Their goal is to maintain stable account management strategies, meet clients' demands, develop healthy professional partnerships that would generate revenues, increase profitability, and achieve the organization's long-term goals objectives. Account directors supervise the account management staff, ensuring the project's successful completion with the highest efficiency and accuracy. An account director also plans training programs to maximize their performance and productivity, especially when dealing with deadlines and clients' requests.
Directors of technical sales and account directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Technical Sales | Account Director | |
| Average salary | $96,380 | $114,728 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $143,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Wonderful Company | BuzzFeed |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a director of technical sales and an account director in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Technical Sales | Account Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between directors of technical sales' and account directors' demographics:
| Director Of Technical Sales | Account Director | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |