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The differences between inside sales associates 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 sales associate and a sales consultant. Additionally, a sales consultant has an average salary of $60,135, which is higher than the $40,687 average annual salary of an inside sales associate.
The top three skills for an inside sales associate include inside sales, sales associates and strong customer service. The most important skills for a sales consultant are sales process, product knowledge, and POS.
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $40,687 | $60,135 |
| Hourly rate | $19.56 | $28.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 320,863 | 227,636 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An inside sales associate is responsible for selling the company's goods and services through remote communication. Inside sales associates make calls to potential customers, demonstrate the products' features, take orders, process payments, and inform the customers of the delivery details. They strategize the most effective sales pitches to attract the customers on purchasing more services that would generate revenues and increase the company's profitability and brand image. An inside sales associate also supports the marketing team in developing marketing campaigns and promotional offers depending on customer demands and requests.
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 sales associates and sales consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Average salary | $40,687 | $60,135 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $54,000 | Between $37,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | MSCI | |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between an inside sales associate and a sales consultant in terms of educational background:
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between inside sales associates' and sales consultants' demographics:
| Inside Sales Associate | Sales Consultant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| 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, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |