Route sales representative vs sales/account representative

The differences between route sales representatives and sales/account representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales/account representative has an average salary of $56,954, which is higher than the $44,918 average annual salary of a route sales representative.

The top three skills for a route sales representative include CDL, DOT and strong customer service. The most important skills for a sales/account representative are customer service, CRM, and sales process.

Route sales representative vs sales/account representative overview

	Route Sales Representative	Sales/Account Representative
Yearly salary	$44,918	$56,954
Hourly rate	$21.60	$27.38
Growth rate	11%	4%
Number of jobs	108,194	257,122
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	48	47
Years of experience	-	4

What does a route sales representative do?

A route sales representative is responsible for offering goods and services to customers in a designated area. Route sales representatives work closely with the marketing team to develop effective sales strategies, create sales pitches, and release promotional offers to generate sales, increase revenues, and build the organization's profitability. They also research the latest industry trends to identify sales opportunities and communicate findings to the team for new service offerings. A route sales representative must have excellent customer service and communication skills to assist customers in their inquiries and concerns and negotiate sales contracts.

What does a sales/account representative do?

A sales account representative is responsible for managing and responding promptly to customer complaints and queries of clients. They focus on customer concerns and contact prospects. They work on upselling or cross-selling products and services, collaborating with account executives, and prepare reports to upper management. This job requires you to be a goal-driven person, energetic, and have excellent communication skills. Moreover, this is a challenging job; at times, it requires being extra polite and calm in handling customer complaints and other related situations.

Route sales representative vs sales/account representative salary

Route sales representatives and sales/account representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Route Sales Representative	Sales/Account Representative
Average salary	$44,918	$56,954
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $54,000	Between $39,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Johnson Controls	Smartsheet
Best paying industry	Education	Technology

Differences between route sales representative and sales/account representative education

There are a few differences between a route sales representative and a sales/account representative in terms of educational background:

	Route Sales Representative	Sales/Account Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 37%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Route sales representative vs sales/account representative demographics

Here are the differences between route sales representatives' and sales/account representatives' demographics:

	Route Sales Representative	Sales/Account Representative
Average age	48	47
Gender ratio	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%	Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 3.8% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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	4%	6%

Differences between route sales representative and sales/account representative duties and responsibilities

Route sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage invoice collection and customer issues.
Drive CDL rate truck over assign territory.
Complete route in timely manner via CDL truck.
Utilize math skills to process payments while on route.
Maintain cleanliness of truck and inspect truck for imperfections and safe operation.
Distribute daily newspapers to customers; acquire new business via effective sales and marketing techniques.

Sales/account representative example responsibilities.

Generate leads and evangelize product to physicians in orthopedics, hematology, internal medicine, surgery, critical care and cardiology.
Assist external accounts in error resolution so that all EDI transactions process without manual intervention or delay.
Work with senior management to implement a sales program for new P3T software enhancement and participate in CRM application development team.
Collaborate with sales representatives to ensure new account set-up, establish specifications, and assist with EDI account maintenance and invoicing.
Create PowerPoint presentations and literature utilize and present in sales calls.
Core competencies: -Administrative/computer skills: maintain CRM systems to successfully identify potential customers.

Route sales representative vs sales/account representative skills

Common route sales representative skills

CDL, 17%
DOT, 16%
Strong Customer Service, 12%
Customer Accounts, 8%
Work Ethic, 7%
Upselling, 5%

Common sales/account representative skills

Customer Service, 13%
CRM, 8%
Sales Process, 6%
Product Knowledge, 5%
Sales Strategies, 5%
Sales Techniques, 4%

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Route Sales Representative
Route Sales Representative vs Sales/Account Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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