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The differences between product specialists and account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a product specialist, becoming an account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $68,535 average annual salary of an account manager.
The top three skills for a product specialist include customer service, product knowledge and sales floor. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.
| Product Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $85,932 | $68,535 |
| Hourly rate | $41.31 | $32.95 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 103,863 | 152,261 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 8 |
A product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
Product specialists and account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $85,932 | $68,535 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product specialist and an account manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between product specialists' and account managers' demographics:
| Product Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Average age | 37 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |