Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between sales counselors and sales associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales counselor has an average salary of $63,569, which is higher than the $32,167 average annual salary of a sales associate.
The top three skills for a sales counselor include lead management, customer service and real estate. The most important skills for a sales associate are customer service, sales floor, and cash handling.
| Sales Counselor | Sales Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $63,569 | $32,167 |
| Hourly rate | $30.56 | $15.46 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 58,475 | 579,849 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| 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.
Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.
Sales counselors and sales associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Counselor | Sales Associate | |
| Average salary | $63,569 | $32,167 |
| Salary range | Between $42,000 And $95,000 | Between $21,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | West Sacramento, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New York |
| Best paying company | Stripe | Barclays |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a sales counselor and a sales associate in terms of educational background:
| Sales Counselor | Sales Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between sales counselors' and sales associates' demographics:
| Sales Counselor | Sales Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |