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The differences between key account representatives and marketing/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 a marketing/sales representative. Additionally, a marketing/sales representative has an average salary of $62,917, 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 a marketing/sales representative are customer relations, business relationships, and sales rep.
| Key Account Representative | Marketing/Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $48,841 | $62,917 |
| Hourly rate | $23.48 | $30.25 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 236,207 | 274,768 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
The job of marketing/sales representatives is to pitch a company's products and services to potential customers. They work to drive brand awareness through face-to-face consumer interaction. They are often considered as a liaison between sellers and buyers, providing information about products and services. They promote human relationships through marketing collateral distribution and communication. Other responsibilities include planning and implementing marketing campaigns, maintaining good relationships with vendors and venues, and promoting business expansion opportunities. This role requires a bachelor's degree in business administration, communications and marketing experience, excellent communication skills, and time management skills.
Key account representatives and marketing/sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Key Account Representative | Marketing/Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $48,841 | $62,917 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $69,000 | Between $42,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | - | Bosch USA |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a key account representative and a marketing/sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Key Account Representative | Marketing/Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between key account representatives' and marketing/sales representatives' demographics:
| Key Account Representative | Marketing/Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |