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The differences between sales representatives and sales/account 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 a sales/account representative. Additionally, a sales/account representative has an average salary of $56,954, 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 sales/account representative are customer service, CRM, and sales process.
| Sales Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $56,591 | $56,954 |
| Hourly rate | $27.21 | $27.38 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 205,456 | 257,122 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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.
A sales account representative is responsible for managing and responding promptly to customer complaints and queries of clients. They focus on customer concerns and contact prospects. They work on upselling or cross-selling products and services, collaborating with account executives, and prepare reports to upper management. This job requires you to be a goal-driven person, energetic, and have excellent communication skills. Moreover, this is a challenging job; at times, it requires being extra polite and calm in handling customer complaints and other related situations.
Sales representatives and sales/account representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Average salary | $56,591 | $56,954 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $94,000 | Between $39,000 And $81,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | Smartsheet | |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Technology |
There are a few differences between a sales representative and a sales/account representative in terms of educational background:
| Sales Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between sales representatives' and sales/account representatives' demographics:
| Sales Representative | Sales/Account Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 57.8% Female, 42.2% |
| 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, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |