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The differences between sales representatives and agents 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 $37,864 average annual salary of an agent.
The top three skills for a sales representative include sales process, product knowledge and customer service. The most important skills for an agent are insurance products, customer service, and life insurance.
| Sales Representative | Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $56,591 | $37,864 |
| Hourly rate | $27.21 | $18.20 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 205,456 | 184,325 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
Agents are individuals who are employed by their clients to represent them in various dealings. Agents are usually employed by people in the show business industry, such as actors, writers, or directors. They meet people who are interested in dealing with their clients. They listen to the plans and vision for the project and assess if the project fits their clients' interests or public image. In the case of agents whose clients are actors, they send their clients to auditions upon review of the project details. Agents are also responsible for negotiating terms on behalf of their clients, such as salary, royalties, and set benefits, among others. They also inform the project leaders of their clients' demands on set. Agents are expected to be business-savvy and good negotiators.
Sales representatives and agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Representative | Agent | |
| Average salary | $56,591 | $37,864 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $94,000 | Between $19,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New York |
| Best paying company | Latham & Watkins | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | - |
There are a few differences between a sales representative and an agent in terms of educational background:
| Sales Representative | Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between sales representatives' and agents' demographics:
| Sales Representative | Agent | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |