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The differences between product specialists and marketing & sales specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a product specialist and a marketing & sales specialist. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $54,214 average annual salary of a marketing & sales specialist.
The top three skills for a product specialist include customer service, product knowledge and sales floor. The most important skills for a marketing & sales specialist are customer service, digital marketing, and ROI.
| Product Specialist | Marketing & Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $85,932 | $54,214 |
| Hourly rate | $41.31 | $26.06 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 103,863 | 209,292 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
A marketing/sales specialist is responsible for analyzing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and promotional strategies, evaluating market data trends to identify business opportunities for revenue resources and profitability. Marketing/sales specialists conduct surveys on various social media platforms and other communication mediums to determine consumer demands and public interests. They also coordinate with the senior management to develop efficient program management systems and execute deliverables with the highest customer satisfaction. A marketing/sales specialist meets with potential clients, negotiates contracts, and addresses their inquiries, concerns, and special requests.
Product specialists and marketing & sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Specialist | Marketing & Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $85,932 | $54,214 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $37,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | Renton, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a product specialist and a marketing & sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Product Specialist | Marketing & Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product specialists' and marketing & sales specialists' demographics:
| Product Specialist | Marketing & Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% | Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3% |
| 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, 5.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 10.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |