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The differences between sales assistants and sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales representative has an average salary of $56,591, 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 representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.
| Sales Assistant | Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $35,258 | $56,591 |
| Hourly rate | $16.95 | $27.21 |
| Growth rate | - | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 347,034 | 205,456 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
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.
Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.
Sales assistants and sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Assistant | Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $35,258 | $56,591 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $33,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | IBM | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a sales assistant and a sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Sales Assistant | Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between sales assistants' and sales representatives' demographics:
| Sales Assistant | Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8% | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 6% |