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The differences between sales/account representatives and sales development representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a sales/account representative and a sales development representative. Additionally, a sales/account representative has an average salary of $56,954, which is higher than the $51,504 average annual salary of a sales development representative.
The top three skills for a sales/account representative include customer service, CRM and sales process. The most important skills for a sales development representative are SDR, lead generation, and customer service.
| Sales/Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $56,954 | $51,504 |
| Hourly rate | $27.38 | $24.76 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 257,122 | 199,588 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A sales development representative qualifies leads at the sales funnel's initial stages. Sales development representatives need to conduct research for prospective clients and qualify the leads before handing them to the sales team. They develop sales strategies to attract buyers or solicit potential customers. They need to build relationships with their customers to determine their needs and qualify the viability of interests to drive sales. Also, they collaborate with the sales executives making certain that corporate targets and goals are met.
Sales/account representatives and sales development representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales/Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average salary | $56,954 | $51,504 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $81,000 | Between $34,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Smartsheet | PitchBook Data |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a sales/account representative and a sales development representative in terms of educational background:
| Sales/Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between sales/account representatives' and sales development representatives' demographics:
| Sales/Account Representative | Sales Development Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% | Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |