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Sales consultant vs account executive

The differences between sales consultants and account executives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an account executive has an average salary of $69,618, which is higher than the $60,135 average annual salary of a sales consultant.

The top three skills for a sales consultant include sales process, product knowledge and POS. The most important skills for an account executive are customer service, CRM, and healthcare.

Sales consultant vs account executive overview

Sales ConsultantAccount Executive
Yearly salary$60,135$69,618
Hourly rate$28.91$33.47
Growth rate4%5%
Number of jobs227,636205,561
Job satisfaction4.5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age4744
Years of experience4-

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.

What does an account executive do?

An account executive is responsible for supporting existing clients, closing client deals, and developing sales strategies to increase the company's sales and satisfaction. An account executive must be competitive enough to keep up with the constant changes in the sales industry, including the high demands of digital marketing, a different approach to product advertising, effective negotiation, and presentation skills. An account executive also requires excellent communication skills for the successful acquisition of client accounts and immediately resolve possible complaints as they arise.

Sales consultant vs account executive salary

Sales consultants and account executives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sales ConsultantAccount Executive
Average salary$60,135$69,618
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $97,000Between $44,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAPortland, OR
Highest paying stateCaliforniaOregon
Best paying companyGoogleHitachi Vantara
Best paying industryFinanceFinance

Differences between sales consultant and account executive education

There are a few differences between a sales consultant and an account executive in terms of educational background:

Sales ConsultantAccount Executive
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at AlfredUniversity of Pennsylvania

Sales consultant vs account executive demographics

Here are the differences between sales consultants' and account executives' demographics:

Sales ConsultantAccount Executive
Average age4744
Gender ratioMale, 63.2% Female, 36.8%Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage6%5%

Differences between sales consultant and account executive duties and responsibilities

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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Account executive example responsibilities.

  • Create and manage Facebook and twitter accounts.
  • Have achieve Google certification for both SEM and SEO sales.
  • Lead proposal team in winning a $1MM RFP, turning around a key account relationship.
  • Manage all aspects of new FedEx implementations (automation set-up, operational support and training of customers).
  • Develop and manage networking, VoIP, IP/TV, video, cloud, wireless, and security/disaster recovery projects.
  • Source all leads by means of cold calling, leveraging linkedin, referrals, and upselling to existing customers.
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Sales consultant vs account executive skills

Common sales consultant skills
  • Sales Process, 13%
  • Product Knowledge, 11%
  • POS, 11%
  • Pre Sales, 7%
  • Work Ethic, 5%
  • Cross-Selling, 5%
Common account executive skills
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • CRM, 6%
  • Healthcare, 5%
  • Sales Process, 5%
  • Salesforce, 4%
  • Work Ethic, 4%