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Retail representative vs executive sales representative

The differences between retail representatives and executive sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an executive sales representative has an average salary of $78,858, which is higher than the $31,790 average annual salary of a retail representative.

The top three skills for a retail representative include flexibility, store management and certification programs. The most important skills for an executive sales representative are patients, product knowledge, and oncology.

Retail representative vs executive sales representative overview

Retail RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Yearly salary$31,790$78,858
Hourly rate$15.28$37.91
Growth rate-4%
Number of jobs402,132226,902
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4147
Years of experience-2

What does a retail representative do?

A retail representative is in charge of assisting customers with their shopping needs in retail stores, ensuring customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting customers and identifying their needs, answering inquiries, locating products, offering promotions and recommendations, and conducting demonstrations when possible. There are also instances where they must process payments or refunds. Furthermore, as a retail representative, it is essential to arrange products on shelves to make it look attractive to customers, all while maintaining the cleanliness of the sales floor.

What does an executive sales representative do?

An executive sales representative researches and recommends business opportunities. They analyze sales alternatives and help build business relations with clients and prospects. They must keep updated on business trends and potential competitors to best recommend new product ideas. They must be open-minded, risk-takers, adaptive, and innovative to be able to develop successful marketing strategies. It is also necessary for them to be highly skilled at business analysis to distinguish selling opportunities and create an immediate action plan.

Retail representative vs executive sales representative salary

Retail representatives and executive sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Retail RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Average salary$31,790$78,858
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $38,000Between $48,000 And $128,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between retail representative and executive sales representative education

There are a few differences between a retail representative and an executive sales representative in terms of educational background:

Retail RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-University of Pennsylvania

Retail representative vs executive sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between retail representatives' and executive sales representatives' demographics:

Retail RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Average age4147
Gender ratioMale, 43.6% Female, 56.4%Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.8% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage7%6%

Differences between retail representative and executive sales representative duties and responsibilities

Retail representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage Nintendo's promotional programs; secure and maintain point-of-purchase displays that alert customers to brand availability.
  • Execute the proper POS in accounts, particularly with products on sale.
  • Befriend category managers and backroom personnel to positively impact on OSA, POS placement, and other sell-in tactics.
  • Educate consumers about products and services and troubleshoot any existing customer concerns relate to service or equipment.
  • Collaborate with board members to prepare PowerPoint presentations and other written reports and present concepts to management.

Executive sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Position products above the competition, utilizing data, manage care information and patient benefit to promote the Novartis brands.
  • Achieve sales growth objectives by incorporating product/technical knowledge, teamwork, customer and multi-product focus, innovation and creativity.
  • Call on customers in oncology, pulmonology urology, cardiology, neurology, OB/GYN, psychiatry, gastroenterology and primary care.
  • Promote diabetes medications to family practice, general practice, internal medicine physicians and diabetic educators.
  • Track and create territory reports and spreadsheets with action items and a pod business plan.
  • Target specialty sales to neurology, psychiatry, pain management and high target primary care physicians.
  • Show more

Retail representative vs executive sales representative skills

Common retail representative skills
  • Flexibility, 36%
  • Store Management, 36%
  • Certification Programs, 11%
  • PET, 7%
  • Customer Service, 2%
  • Product Knowledge, 1%
Common executive sales representative skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Product Knowledge, 10%
  • Oncology, 8%
  • Account Management, 7%
  • Territory Management, 7%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 6%