Sales agent vs direct sales agent

The differences between sales agents and direct sales agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a sales agent and a direct sales agent. Additionally, a direct sales agent has an average salary of $57,712, which is higher than the $45,217 average annual salary of a sales agent.

The top three skills for a sales agent include customer service, customer satisfaction and life insurance. The most important skills for a direct sales agent are customer service, medicare, and health insurance.

Sales agent vs direct sales agent overview

	Sales Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Yearly salary	$45,217	$57,712
Hourly rate	$21.74	$27.75
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	391,987	225,552
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a sales agent do?

A sales representative is responsible for offering goods and services to potential and existing clients. Sales representatives must display a strong knowledge of the company's products to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. A sales representative should have exceptional communication skills and extensive knowledge of the sales industry to deliver sales pitches and negotiate pricing offers with the clients. Sales representatives must also keep themselves updated with the current market trends to provide service recommendations, improving their sales to increase revenues.

What does a direct sales agent do?

A direct sales agent is primarily responsible for introducing and selling products or services to clients in a particular area. Aiming to reach sales quotas, they typically conduct market research and analysis, generate leads, and develop sales strategies to build positive client relationships. They reach out directly to clients through calls or face-to-face interactions, discuss product specifications or promos, negotiate contracts, and demonstrate products when necessary. They are also responsible for processing client orders and payments, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction.

Sales agent vs direct sales agent salary

Sales agents and direct sales agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sales Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Average salary	$45,217	$57,712
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $95,000	Between $30,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Goldman Sachs	TechnipFMC
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between sales agent and direct sales agent education

There are a few differences between a sales agent and a direct sales agent in terms of educational background:

	Sales Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Sales agent vs direct sales agent demographics

Here are the differences between sales agents' and direct sales agents' demographics:

	Sales Agent	Direct Sales Agent
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3%	Male, 58.0% Female, 42.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 9.3% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 68.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between sales agent and direct sales agent duties and responsibilities

Sales agent example responsibilities.

Manage a CRM pipeline of hundreds of leads with different needs and qualifications.
Generate fresh leads through outbound telemarketing.
Achieve sales standards set for department by effectively communicating Humana campaigns to customers.
Increase customer understanding of Comcast products and pricing models as well as competitive advantage over other service providers.
Schedule and meet individuals\groups for assign or self-generate leads, assist and enroll eligible individuals in suitable Medicare product.
Adhere to all CMS, company, and carrier relate policies and procedures while growing sales.

Direct sales agent example responsibilities.

Increase customer understanding of Comcast products and pricing models as well as competitive advantage over other service providers.
Produce call reports and CRM dashboards.
Demonstrate strong understanding of Comcast products, promoting and selling offerings to individual customers by knocking every door within assign territories.
Contact new and existing customers to discuss how TWC products can meet their needs.
Maintain a professional, respectful, and helpful demeanor as a representative of TWC.
Communicate ongoing contact activity utilizing Salesforce.com.

Sales agent vs direct sales agent skills

Common sales agent skills

Customer Service, 10%
Customer Satisfaction, 10%
Life Insurance, 10%
Insurance Products, 7%
Work Ethic, 6%
Cold Calls, 4%

Common direct sales agent skills

Customer Service, 25%
Medicare, 15%
Health Insurance, 12%
Direct Sales, 11%
Underwriting Process, 6%
Product Knowledge, 5%

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Sales Agent vs Direct Sales Agent

Updated January 8, 2025

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