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The differences between sales counselors and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $63,569 average annual salary of a sales counselor.
The top three skills for a sales counselor include lead management, customer service and real estate. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Sales Counselor | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $63,569 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $30.56 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 58,475 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The primary job of a sales counselor is to sell products that require an ample amount of money and time from buyers, like senior living condominiums and prefabricated homes. Your duties and responsibilities will typically include closing leads developed by direct mail, special events and media, developing and maintaining relations with potential referral sources, and preparing insurance proposals to clients. Other duties include supporting the customer in selecting a home site, house plan, and structural options, developing contract agendas, and providing client support with the loan application.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Sales counselors and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Counselor | Associate | |
| Average salary | $63,569 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $95,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | West Sacramento, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New York |
| Best paying company | Stripe | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a sales counselor and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Sales Counselor | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between sales counselors' and associates' demographics:
| Sales Counselor | Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 7.0% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |