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The differences between sales representatives and business development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sales representative, becoming a business development manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business development manager has an average salary of $100,769, 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 a business development manager are customer service, CRM, and healthcare.
| Sales Representative | Business Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $56,591 | $100,769 |
| Hourly rate | $27.21 | $48.45 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 205,456 | 215,309 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 10 |
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.
A business development manager's duties include identifying business opportunities, developing effective models and strategies to improve business performance, searching for potential clients to generate income and attract partnerships. A business development manager must have extensive knowledge of the market trends and adjust strategies as needed to meet the needs of the client. Excellent communication, decision-making, critical thinking, and leadership skills are just some of the key factors that business development managers should possess to communicate and negotiate with the clients.
Sales representatives and business development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Representative | Business Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $56,591 | $100,769 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $94,000 | Between $67,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Shearman & Sterling | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a sales representative and a business development manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Representative | Business Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between sales representatives' and business development managers' demographics:
| Sales Representative | Business Development Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 68.6% Female, 31.4% |
| 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, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 10% |