Key account representative vs associate sales representative

The differences between key account representatives and associate sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a key account representative and an associate sales representative. Additionally, an associate sales representative has an average salary of $51,007, which is higher than the $48,841 average annual salary of a key account representative.

The top three skills for a key account representative include business development, account management and product knowledge. The most important skills for an associate sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.

Key account representative vs associate sales representative overview

	Key Account Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$48,841	$51,007
Hourly rate	$23.48	$24.52
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	236,207	333,049
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	4

What does a key account representative do?

A key account representative identifies opportunities for increasing sales and defines outreach strategies. Key account representatives find, develop, and maintain customer accounts. The account representatives serve as the main point of contact between an organization and its clients. They make regular communication with the clients, address their concerns, and track their transactions and payments. Part of their job is to present expanded and new opportunities to the clients. They have to be adaptable and have empathy in performing their job. Among the skills they need to develop include people or communication skills, relationship building, and time management.

What does an associate sales representative do?

The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.

Key account representative vs associate sales representative salary

Key account representatives and associate sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Key Account Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Average salary	$48,841	$51,007
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $69,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Verint
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between key account representative and associate sales representative education

There are a few differences between a key account representative and an associate sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Key Account Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Key account representative vs associate sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between key account representatives' and associate sales representatives' demographics:

	Key Account Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7%	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% 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, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between key account representative and associate sales representative duties and responsibilities

Key account representative example responsibilities.

Evaluate monthly budgets and territory saturation levels quarterly while managing lease renewals through needs analysis and ROI presentations
Prepare catalogs, PowerPoint presentations, and cost spreadsheets in accordance with client product requests and within budgetary parameters.
Develop concepts and procedures, analyze and resolve general ledger interfaces with computerize payroll, time tracking and project accounting system.
Install and maintain software, hardware and networking and troubleshoot computer systems for problems ranging from software incompatibilities to electrical problems.

Associate sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

Key account representative vs associate sales representative skills

Common key account representative skills

Business Development, 15%
Account Management, 12%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Post Sales, 10%
Customer Complaints, 7%
CRM, 5%

Common associate sales representative skills

Work Ethic, 16%
Patients, 13%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Sales Techniques, 4%

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Key Account Representative
Key Account Representative vs Associate Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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