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The differences between national account specialists 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 national account specialist and a sales/account representative. Additionally, a sales/account representative has an average salary of $56,954, which is higher than the $44,370 average annual salary of a national account specialist.
The top three skills for a national account specialist include national accounts, business development and customer expectations. The most important skills for a sales/account representative are customer service, CRM, and sales process.
| National Account Specialist | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $44,370 | $56,954 |
| Hourly rate | $21.33 | $27.38 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 102,414 | 257,122 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A national account specialist is an individual whose specialty is reaching out to potential customers nationally, as well as serving the existing customers and closing sales. Responsibilities of this position include maintaining good relationships with customers, analyzing sales statistics, projecting expected sales, and preparing budgets. They sometimes work only on specific accounts and customers. A national account specialist must work with other departments to define sales strategies and to increase the company's revenue.
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.
National account specialists and sales/account representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| National Account Specialist | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Average salary | $44,370 | $56,954 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $72,000 | 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 national account specialist and a sales/account representative in terms of educational background:
| National Account Specialist | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | 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 national account specialists' and sales/account representatives' demographics:
| National Account Specialist | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5% | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% 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, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |