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Sales agent vs sales consultant

The differences between sales agents and sales consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sales agent, becoming a sales consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a sales consultant has an average salary of $60,135, 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 sales consultant are sales process, product knowledge, and POS.

Sales agent vs sales consultant overview

Sales AgentSales Consultant
Yearly salary$45,217$60,135
Hourly rate$21.74$28.91
Growth rate10%4%
Number of jobs391,987227,636
Job satisfaction-4.5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age4347
Years of experience64

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 sales consultant do?

Sales consultants are employees who work in the sales department of a company. They are usually more skilled than usual sales employees. As such, they are usually given more complicated products or services to sell because they will be able to explain the product or service to the customers better. Sales consultants have in-depth knowledge of the offerings of the company. They talk to customers, understand what the customers need, and match the customers' needs with company products that can address the needs. They should also be updated on trends in the market and what is currently popular with the masses.

Sales agent vs sales consultant salary

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

Sales AgentSales Consultant
Average salary$45,217$60,135
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $95,000Between $37,000 And $97,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyGoldman SachsGoogle
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between sales agent and sales consultant education

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

Sales AgentSales Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversitySUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Sales agent vs sales consultant demographics

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

Sales AgentSales Consultant
Average age4347
Gender ratioMale, 52.7% Female, 47.3%Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between sales agent and sales consultant 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.
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Sales consultant example responsibilities.

  • Achieve monthly sales goals through new business and upselling current clients.
  • Utilize CRM systems to effectively manage accounts; leverage competitor and market intelligence to drive offer posture and capture competitor accounts.
  • Create print ads design and create ad word campaign for SEO and SEM products.
  • Deliver effective sales presentations to individuals and groups while cross-selling additional vehicle products and services.
  • Handle incoming calls from Medicare recipients.
  • Hire and train employees teach effective upselling strategies.
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Sales agent vs sales consultant skills

Common sales agent skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 10%
  • Life Insurance, 10%
  • Insurance Products, 7%
  • Work Ethic, 6%
  • Cold Calls, 4%
Common sales consultant skills
  • Sales Process, 13%
  • Product Knowledge, 11%
  • POS, 11%
  • Pre Sales, 7%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Cross-Selling, 5%