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The differences between inside product specialists and sales consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an inside product specialist and a sales consultant. Additionally, a sales consultant has an average salary of $60,135, which is higher than the $34,230 average annual salary of an inside product specialist.
The top three skills for an inside product specialist include sales process, service offerings and customer relationships. The most important skills for a sales consultant are sales process, product knowledge, and POS.
| Inside Product Specialist | Sales Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,230 | $60,135 |
| Hourly rate | $16.46 | $28.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 79,599 | 227,636 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An Inside Product Specialist is typically in charge of securing product sales by reaching out to potential customers and businesses through calls and correspondence, building positive client relationships along the way. They offer products and services, discuss product specifications, introduce promotions, answer inquiries, arrange payment plans, and even process payments. Their responsibilities also include conducting research and analysis to find client and business opportunities, generating leads, and maintaining transaction records. Inside Product Specialists may perform follow-up calls, negotiate contracts, and address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.
Sales consultants are employees who work in the sales department of a company. They are usually more skilled than usual sales employees. As such, they are usually given more complicated products or services to sell because they will be able to explain the product or service to the customers better. Sales consultants have in-depth knowledge of the offerings of the company. They talk to customers, understand what the customers need, and match the customers' needs with company products that can address the needs. They should also be updated on trends in the market and what is currently popular with the masses.
Inside product specialists and sales consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Product Specialist | Sales Consultant | |
| Average salary | $34,230 | $60,135 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $49,000 | Between $37,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an inside product specialist and a sales consultant in terms of educational background:
| Inside Product Specialist | Sales Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between inside product specialists' and sales consultants' demographics:
| Inside Product Specialist | Sales Consultant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.7% Female, 27.3% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% 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, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |