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The differences between sales assistants and sales administrator/administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales administrator/administrative assistant has an average salary of $36,442, which is higher than the $35,258 average annual salary of a sales assistant.
The top three skills for a sales assistant include customer service, powerpoint and account executives. The most important skills for a sales administrator/administrative assistant are reservations, word processing, and data entry.
| Sales Assistant | Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,258 | $36,442 |
| Hourly rate | $16.95 | $17.52 |
| Growth rate | - | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 347,034 | 104,412 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 41 | 50 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Sales assistants are usually entry-level or junior employees who are assigned to help out in the sales department. They are responsible for any administrative or clerical activities needed in the department. They may also work on the operations floor to assist with the selling of company products or services. They help complete company sales by approaching potential buyers and answering any questions about items. They should be familiar with what the company offers to identify the products that would best fit the needs of the customer.
A sales administrator/administrative assistant is responsible for assisting the sales department on its overall operations and strategies to sell goods and services that would increase the company's revenues and profitability. Sales administrator/administrative assistants perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, such as creating and evaluating sales reports, writing business proposals, scheduling meetings, booking events, and researching current market trends to identify business opportunities. They must have excellent customer service and communication skills, managing customers' inquiries and concerns, processing orders and payments, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Sales assistants and sales administrator/administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Assistant | Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,258 | $36,442 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $29,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | IBM | Splunk |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a sales assistant and a sales administrator/administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Sales Assistant | Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between sales assistants' and sales administrator/administrative assistants' demographics:
| Sales Assistant | Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 41 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 8.0% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |