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The differences between medical representatives and associate sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical representative, becoming an associate sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an associate sales representative has an average salary of $51,007, which is higher than the $36,309 average annual salary of a medical representative.
The top three skills for a medical representative include patients, customer service and first aid kits. The most important skills for an associate sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.
| Medical Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $36,309 | $51,007 |
| Hourly rate | $17.46 | $24.52 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 176,481 | 333,049 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A medical representative is responsible for selling medical equipment, medications, and other medical supplies by demonstrating benefits and features to patients and healthcare professionals. Medical representatives work closely with their company's marketing department to develop strategic procedures and promotional techniques to attract customers and generate revenues for the business. They respond to the customers' inquiries and concerns, take their orders, and process their payments. A medical representative also analyzes the current trends in the medical industry to identify business opportunities that would establish a market presence.
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.
Medical representatives and associate sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $36,309 | $51,007 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $48,000 | Between $37,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lansing, MI | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Michigan | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | Verint |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical representative and an associate sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Medical Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between medical representatives' and associate sales representatives' demographics:
| Medical Representative | Associate Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8% | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.8% 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% |