Marketing agent vs direct sales agent

The differences between marketing agents and direct sales agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct sales agent has an average salary of $57,712, which is higher than the $40,384 average annual salary of a marketing agent.

The top three skills for a marketing agent include booking, customer service and product knowledge. The most important skills for a direct sales agent are customer service, medicare, and health insurance.

Marketing agent vs direct sales agent overview

	Marketing Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Yearly salary	$40,384	$57,712
Hourly rate	$19.42	$27.75
Growth rate	6%	10%
Number of jobs	112,353	225,552
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	46	43
Years of experience	-	6

What does a marketing agent do?

A marketing agency is responsible for selling the company's goods and services, identifying promotional techniques to boost brand awareness in the market, and strategizing in increasing sales targets. Marketing agents identify business opportunities by analyzing market trends and public demands that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profitability. They also negotiate with potential clients for partnerships, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and address their requests. A marketing agent handles the development of marketing materials, including a budget allocation to support marketing functions and business requirements.

What does a direct sales agent do?

A direct sales agent is primarily responsible for introducing and selling products or services to clients in a particular area. Aiming to reach sales quotas, they typically conduct market research and analysis, generate leads, and develop sales strategies to build positive client relationships. They reach out directly to clients through calls or face-to-face interactions, discuss product specifications or promos, negotiate contracts, and demonstrate products when necessary. They are also responsible for processing client orders and payments, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction.

Marketing agent vs direct sales agent salary

Marketing agents and direct sales agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Marketing Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Average salary	$40,384	$57,712
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $67,000	Between $30,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Wyndham Vacation Ownership	TechnipFMC
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between marketing agent and direct sales agent education

There are a few differences between a marketing agent and a direct sales agent in terms of educational background:

	Marketing Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Marketing agent vs direct sales agent demographics

Here are the differences between marketing agents' and direct sales agents' demographics:

	Marketing Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Average age	46	43
Gender ratio	Male, 48.5% Female, 51.5%	Male, 58.0% Female, 42.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 4.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between marketing agent and direct sales agent duties and responsibilities

Marketing agent example responsibilities.

Work with QuickBooks to manage company financial activity.
Develop strong relationships in Bronx community and achieve a solid reputation as a Medicaid seller.
Process payroll, maintain scheduling and job calendars for multiple employees.
Schedule, sell, and perform the initial installation of the storm shutters and windows.
Maintain an accountability of employee work schedules and calculate working hours of employees for payroll.
Establish and build successful relationships with multiple talent buyers, booking agencies, and venue ownership.

Direct sales agent example responsibilities.

Increase customer understanding of Comcast products and pricing models as well as competitive advantage over other service providers.
Produce call reports and CRM dashboards.
Demonstrate strong understanding of Comcast products, promoting and selling offerings to individual customers by knocking every door within assign territories.
Contact new and existing customers to discuss how TWC products can meet their needs.
Maintain a professional, respectful, and helpful demeanor as a representative of TWC.
Communicate ongoing contact activity utilizing Salesforce.com.

Marketing agent vs direct sales agent skills

Common marketing agent skills

Booking, 19%
Customer Service, 15%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Digital Marketing, 9%
Marketing Presentations, 8%
Sales Presentations, 6%

Common direct sales agent skills

Customer Service, 25%
Medicare, 15%
Health Insurance, 12%
Direct Sales, 11%
Underwriting Process, 6%
Product Knowledge, 5%

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Sales Industry
Marketing Agent
Marketing Agent vs Direct Sales Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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