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The differences between product specialists and sales support specialists 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 a sales support specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $50,782 average annual salary of a sales support specialist.
The top three skills for a product specialist include customer service, product knowledge and sales floor. The most important skills for a sales support specialist are customer service, sales support, and powerpoint.
| Product Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $85,932 | $50,782 |
| Hourly rate | $41.31 | $24.41 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 103,863 | 238,995 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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 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.
Product specialists and sales support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $85,932 | $50,782 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $130,000 | Between $31,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Bruno, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | ByteDance | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a product specialist and a sales support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Product Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between product specialists' and sales support specialists' demographics:
| Product Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |