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The differences between inside sales engineers and sales support associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an inside sales engineer, becoming a sales support associate takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an inside sales engineer has an average salary of $50,487, which is higher than the $34,454 average annual salary of a sales support associate.
The top three skills for an inside sales engineer include customer service, product knowledge and CRM. The most important skills for a sales support associate are sales floor, back room, and math.
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Support Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $50,487 | $34,454 |
| Hourly rate | $24.27 | $16.56 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 156,700 | 447,642 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An inside sales engineer is an individual who uses specialized technical knowledge to negotiate between sales units and clients to increase the profits and revenue of a company. Inside sales, engineers must seek clients who will benefit from their products or services and aim to maximize client potential in the different allocated regions. Inside sales engineers must also provide technical help and carry out training, if necessary, once a sale has been made.
A sales support associate is an individual who is responsible for assisting sales staff and help customers. To provide this assistance, sales support associates use customer communication methods such as telephones or email to process customer orders and ensure that they are accurate. They work closely with distributors to make sure that products are available for their customers. Sales support associates may function as either part-time or full time, but companies may require excellent communication skills.
Inside sales engineers and sales support associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Support Associate | |
| Average salary | $50,487 | $34,454 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $76,000 | Between $25,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Fluid Components International | Goldman Sachs |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an inside sales engineer and a sales support associate in terms of educational background:
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Support Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between inside sales engineers' and sales support associates' demographics:
| Inside Sales Engineer | Sales Support Associate | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% | Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.7% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 5.7% White, 77.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |