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The differences between national account specialists and sales support specialists 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 support specialist. Additionally, a sales support specialist has an average salary of $50,782, 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 support specialist are customer service, sales support, and powerpoint.
| National Account Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,370 | $50,782 |
| Hourly rate | $21.33 | $24.41 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 102,414 | 238,995 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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 support specialist is primarily responsible for performing clerical tasks to support a sales team. Typically, they gather sales leads and data, produce progress reports and presentations, maintain records of all transactions, and liaise with different accounting personnel. A sales support specialist may respond to calls and inquiries, resolving customers' complaints and concerns promptly and professionally. Furthermore, one may arrange meetings and appointments with clients, develop sales strategies for profit growth, and process orders, all while ensuring customer satisfaction.
National account specialists and sales support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| National Account Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,370 | $50,782 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $72,000 | Between $31,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a national account specialist and a sales support specialist in terms of educational background:
| National Account Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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 support specialists' demographics:
| National Account Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5% | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% |
| 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% |