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The differences between principal consultants and solutions consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal consultant has an average salary of $116,478, which is higher than the $94,839 average annual salary of a solutions consultant.
The top three skills for a principal consultant include cloud, business development and C #. The most important skills for a solutions consultant are pre sales, sales process, and cloud.
| Principal Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $116,478 | $94,839 |
| Hourly rate | $56.00 | $45.60 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 143,753 | 103,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A principal consultant is responsible for evaluating business' needs and opportunities, identifying potential leads to create project proposals, and maintaining strong business relationships that would generate revenues and increase the organization's profitability. Principal consultants must be up-to-date with the current market trends to ensure that the business adapts to the industry's changes. They also initiate new product development to expand its brand image, working closely with the marketing team for marketing strategies and promotions.
A solutions consultant is an individual who has an in-depth knowledge of technology that can help a company to overcome issues, increase sales, and have a better connection with their customers. Solutions consultants are responsible for heading the installment of customized software solutions and train dealers and customer sales engineers to administer the customized solution. They represent the company by attending tradeshows and events to demonstrate their company's technology. Solutions consultants must also ensure to demonstrate technical feasibility through beta tests plus trial programs.
Principal consultants and solutions consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Average salary | $116,478 | $94,839 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $150,000 | Between $68,000 And $131,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | California |
| Best paying company | Pure Storage | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a principal consultant and a solutions consultant in terms of educational background:
| Principal Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between principal consultants' and solutions consultants' demographics:
| Principal Consultant | Solutions Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 13.6% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |