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The differences between national account representatives and sales development 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 national account representative and a sales development representative. Additionally, a sales development representative has an average salary of $51,504, which is higher than the $44,826 average annual salary of a national account representative.
The top three skills for a national account representative include national accounts, customer service and product knowledge. The most important skills for a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.
| National Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $44,826 | $51,504 |
| Hourly rate | $21.55 | $24.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 204,509 | 199,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A national account representative plays a pivotal role in managing client relationships. These professionals manage relationships for high-value customers, especially those who invest vast amounts in the company or those who have stayed in the organization for an extended period. In general, the national account representative's primary goal is to foster trust. National account representatives identify new business opportunities and make sales calls. To qualify as a national account representative, you must possess a bachelor's degree in this field, primarily in business administration.
A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.
National account representatives and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| National Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average salary | $44,826 | $51,504 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $64,000 | Between $34,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | - | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a national account representative and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:
| National Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between national account representatives' and sales development representatives' demographics:
| National Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |