Sales representative vs associate sales representative

The differences between sales representatives and associate sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a sales representative and an associate sales representative. Additionally, a sales representative has an average salary of $56,591, which is higher than the $51,007 average annual salary of an associate 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 sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.

Sales representative vs associate sales representative overview

	Sales Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$56,591	$51,007
Hourly rate	$27.21	$24.52
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	205,456	333,049
Job satisfaction	4.33	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	4	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 sales representative do?

The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.

Sales representative vs associate sales representative salary

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

	Sales Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Average salary	$56,591	$51,007
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $94,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Google	Verint
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Health Care

Differences between sales representative and associate sales representative education

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

	Sales Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Sales representative vs associate sales representative demographics

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

	Sales Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%
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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between sales representative and associate sales representative 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 sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

Sales representative vs associate sales representative skills

Common sales representative skills

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

Common associate sales representative skills

Work Ethic, 16%
Patients, 13%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Sales Techniques, 4%

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Sales Representative vs Associate Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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