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Sales representative vs agent

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 vs agent overview

Sales RepresentativeAgent
Yearly salary$56,591$37,864
Hourly rate$27.21$18.20
Growth rate4%6%
Number of jobs205,456184,325
Job satisfaction4.332
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age4746
Years of experience4-

What does a sales representative do?

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.

What does an agent do?

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 representative vs agent salary

Sales representatives and agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sales RepresentativeAgent
Average salary$56,591$37,864
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $94,000Between $19,000 And $72,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MANew York, NY
Highest paying stateMassachusettsNew York
Best paying companyGoogleLatham & Watkins
Best paying industryPharmaceutical-

Differences between sales representative and agent education

There are a few differences between a sales representative and an agent in terms of educational background:

Sales RepresentativeAgent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at AlfredUniversity of Pennsylvania

Sales representative vs agent demographics

Here are the differences between sales representatives' and agents' demographics:

Sales RepresentativeAgent
Average age4746
Gender ratioMale, 58.1% Female, 41.9%Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage6%7%

Differences between sales representative and agent duties and responsibilities

Sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage prospective leads and existing accounts through a CRM platform to accurately forecast revenue and develop long-term business partnerships.
  • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
  • Search for procurement contracts, attend trade shows, design flyers, postcards, etc.
  • Utilize POS sales software to maintain monetary sales information produce reports for organizational review.
  • Develop and maintain business relationships with businesses and policyholders using establish methods such as customer relationship management CRM.
  • Handle administrative and sales duties as Jr.
  • Show more

Agent example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and meet individuals\groups for assign or self-generate leads, assist and enroll eligible individuals in suitable Medicare product.
  • Verify documentation and coding using CPT and ICD-9 correct coding standards.
  • Assist TANF customers with obtaining employment.
  • Direct compliance with all CPT and Medicare guidelines.
  • Train BDC representatives on phone skills and CRM use.
  • Bill appropriate ICD-9 codes to the correct insurance companies.
  • Show more

Sales representative vs agent skills

Common sales representative skills
  • Sales Process, 9%
  • Product Knowledge, 9%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • CRM, 6%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Sales REP, 5%
Common agent skills
  • Insurance Products, 11%
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Life Insurance, 8%
  • HR, 6%
  • Inbound Calls, 6%
  • Financial Services, 6%