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The differences between sales representatives and sales consultants 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 consultant. Additionally, a sales consultant has an average salary of $60,135, 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 consultant are sales process, product knowledge, and POS.
| Sales Representative | Sales Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $56,591 | $60,135 |
| Hourly rate | $27.21 | $28.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 205,456 | 227,636 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.33 | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| 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.
Sales consultants are employees who work in the sales department of a company. They are usually more skilled than usual sales employees. As such, they are usually given more complicated products or services to sell because they will be able to explain the product or service to the customers better. Sales consultants have in-depth knowledge of the offerings of the company. They talk to customers, understand what the customers need, and match the customers' needs with company products that can address the needs. They should also be updated on trends in the market and what is currently popular with the masses.
Sales representatives and sales consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Representative | Sales Consultant | |
| Average salary | $56,591 | $60,135 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $94,000 | Between $37,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | ||
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a sales representative and a sales consultant in terms of educational background:
| Sales Representative | Sales Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| 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 consultants' demographics:
| Sales Representative | Sales Consultant | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| 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, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |