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The differences between field technical representatives and area sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a field technical representative, becoming an area sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an area sales representative has an average salary of $58,355, which is higher than the $52,665 average annual salary of a field technical representative.
The top three skills for a field technical representative include customer service, technical support and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for an area sales representative are customer service, business development, and sales process.
| Field Technical Representative | Area Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $52,665 | $58,355 |
| Hourly rate | $25.32 | $28.06 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 200,868 | 199,212 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Owning wide knowledge about an application, a field technical representative ensures that the customer knows how to use any application by providing technical support and solving issues if one arises. They also give advice on what application is best to use for a certain concern. They can also evaluate and give an honest review to further improve the application. They help companies install the application and apply every bit of enhancements incorporated in it to the best of their advantage.
The primary role of an area sales representative is to sell the company's products and services within a specified region or territory. You will be responsible for attracting new clients, increase profitability, and win new accounts. Other duties typically include building and maintaining relationships with both new and existing customers, traveling across the region to visit customers, and maintaining records of customer accounts and sales leads. As an area sales representative, it is also your duty to close deals and negotiate service agreements, prices, and terms of sale.
Field technical representatives and area sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Technical Representative | Area Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $52,665 | $58,355 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $77,000 | Between $42,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Battle Creek, MI | Syracuse, NY |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Maine |
| Best paying company | MSC Software | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a field technical representative and an area sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Field Technical Representative | Area Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between field technical representatives' and area sales representatives' demographics:
| Field Technical Representative | Area Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.3% Female, 24.7% | Male, 66.0% Female, 34.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |