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The differences between key account representatives and sales/account 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 sales/account representative. Additionally, a sales/account representative has an average salary of $56,954, 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 sales/account representative are customer service, CRM, and sales process.
| Key Account Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $48,841 | $56,954 |
| Hourly rate | $23.48 | $27.38 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 236,207 | 257,122 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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.
A sales account representative is responsible for managing and responding promptly to customer complaints and queries of clients. They focus on customer concerns and contact prospects. They work on upselling or cross-selling products and services, collaborating with account executives, and prepare reports to upper management. This job requires you to be a goal-driven person, energetic, and have excellent communication skills. Moreover, this is a challenging job; at times, it requires being extra polite and calm in handling customer complaints and other related situations.
Key account representatives and sales/account representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Key Account Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Average salary | $48,841 | $56,954 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $69,000 | Between $39,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Smartsheet |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a key account representative and a sales/account representative in terms of educational background:
| Key Account Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| 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 key account representatives' and sales/account representatives' demographics:
| Key Account Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.3% Female, 47.7% | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |