Sales representative vs associate

The differences between sales representatives 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 $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.

The top three skills for a sales representative include sales process, product knowledge and customer service. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.

Sales representative vs associate overview

	Sales Representative	Associate
Yearly salary	$56,591	$69,556
Hourly rate	$27.21	$33.44
Growth rate	4%	-
Number of jobs	205,456	569,041
Job satisfaction	4.33	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	47	41
Years of experience	4	-

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 associate do?

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 representative vs associate salary

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

	Sales Representative	Associate
Average salary	$56,591	$69,556
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $94,000	Between $34,000 And $140,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	Google	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	-

Differences between sales representative and associate education

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

	Sales Representative	Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	-

Sales representative vs associate demographics

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

	Sales Representative	Associate
Average age	47	41
Gender ratio	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%	Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6%
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, 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	6%	7%

Differences between sales representative and associate 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.

Associate example responsibilities.

Manage the sale of smoothies at different educational institutes while interacting with hundreds of students and ensuring their happiness and satisfaction.
Manage customer resolutions associate with flight reservations.
Lead the team by exemplify reliability through punctuality and personal integrity.
Help drive sales by providing excellent customer service in gourmet cheese, wine, beer, and coffee departments.
Utilize teamwork, communication, customer service, responsibility, and organizational skills.
Work according to ISO standards.

Sales representative vs associate skills

Common sales representative skills

Sales Process, 9%
Product Knowledge, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
CRM, 6%
Business Development, 6%
Sales REP, 5%

Common associate skills

Customer Service, 16%
Sales Floor, 13%
Patients, 10%
Cleanliness, 8%
Windows, 4%
HR, 4%

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Sales Representative vs Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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