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The differences between medical sales specialists and retail sales specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a medical sales specialist has an average salary of $69,959, which is higher than the $45,756 average annual salary of a retail sales specialist.
The top three skills for a medical sales specialist include patients, medical devices and medical sales. The most important skills for a retail sales specialist are retail sales, POS, and store management.
| Medical Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $69,959 | $45,756 |
| Hourly rate | $33.63 | $22.00 |
| Growth rate | 4% | - |
| Number of jobs | 76,398 | 480,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A medical sales specialist is an individual who advertises, markets, and distributes a specific pharmaceutical product or medical equipment to medical establishments. Medical sales specialists must manage a network of independent representatives and maintain relationships with their clients to attain territory-specific sales goals. They develop marketing strategies and business sales plans to identify key growth areas and deliver short and long-term corporate objectives. Medical sales specialists should also conduct analyses on product and market trends to achieve and exceed sales goals.
A retail sales specialist is responsible for selling goods and services and providing the best customer service for the consumers. Retail sales specialists assist the customers on the floor, directing them to the area of their needs, and recommending them products according to their budget limitations. They also ensure the adequacy of stock levels, remove outdated products, and refill items as necessary. A retail sales specialist also supports in resolving complaints, such as replacing items and processing refunds as necessary.
Medical sales specialists and retail sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $69,959 | $45,756 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $102,000 | Between $38,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Medline | Anastasia Beverly Hills |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a medical sales specialist and a retail sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between medical sales specialists' and retail sales specialists' demographics:
| Medical Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% | Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |