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Product advisor vs sales associate

The differences between product advisors and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a product advisor has an average salary of $88,696, which is higher than the $32,167 average annual salary of a sales associate.

The top three skills for a product advisor include service offerings, technology solutions and powerpoint. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.

Product advisor vs sales associate overview

Product AdvisorSales Associate
Yearly salary$88,696$32,167
Hourly rate$42.64$15.46
Growth rate--
Number of jobs94,795579,849
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age4141
Years of experience--

What does a product advisor do?

A product advisor specializes in developing and recommending strategies to optimize a company's product development operations. Among their responsibilities include performing market research and analysis, determining trends and client needs, understanding and identifying project requirements, gathering and analyzing data on existing systems, and implementing solutions against problem areas. They may also study client feedback and competitor strategies, identify the strengths and weaknesses of current procedures, and develop strategic business plans in adherence to the company's policies and regulations, including its mission and vision.

What does a sales associate do?

Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.

Product advisor vs sales associate salary

Product advisors and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product AdvisorSales Associate
Average salary$88,696$32,167
Salary rangeBetween $65,000 And $119,000Between $21,000 And $47,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyAdobeBarclays
Best paying industryTechnologyManufacturing

Differences between product advisor and sales associate education

There are a few differences between a product advisor and a sales associate in terms of educational background:

Product AdvisorSales Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Product advisor vs sales associate demographics

Here are the differences between product advisors' and sales associates' demographics:

Product AdvisorSales Associate
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 59.8% Female, 40.2%Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between product advisor and sales associate duties and responsibilities

Product advisor example responsibilities.

  • Lead commodity team management for spend categories within product lines and OEM accounts.
  • Manage all facets of product consultation while continually outperforming departmental goals and objectives in relation to sales profitability and revenue growth.
  • Train staff on POS and workshops.
  • Check customers out using mobile POS system.
  • Work with SQL extensively to test database integrity.
  • Provide customer with support for apple products, troubleshooting, schedule appointments and setup repairs.
  • Show more

Sales associate example responsibilities.

  • Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
  • Gain experience with credit cards, mathematics, as well as customer service.
  • Utilize forklift, order picker reach truck, electric ladder, or roll ladders to transfer merchandise to the sales floor.
  • Create Facebook page for Ohco Import/Export division.
  • Increase sales by upselling products and follow up sales calls.
  • Assist customers with the purchase of the perfect piece of jewelry
  • Show more

Product advisor vs sales associate skills

Common product advisor skills
  • Service Offerings, 29%
  • Technology Solutions, 28%
  • PowerPoint, 7%
  • Product Knowledge, 6%
  • Technical Issues, 5%
  • SQL, 4%
Common sales associate skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Sales Floor, 13%
  • Cash Handling, 9%
  • Retail Sales, 9%
  • Loss Prevention, 7%
  • Basic Math, 5%