Sales representative vs sales support representative

The differences between sales representatives and sales support 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 support representative. Additionally, a sales representative has an average salary of $56,591, which is higher than the $38,310 average annual salary of a sales support representative.

The top three skills for a sales representative include sales process, product knowledge and customer service. The most important skills for a sales support representative are sales support, phone calls, and POS.

Sales representative vs sales support representative overview

	Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Yearly salary	$56,591	$38,310
Hourly rate	$27.21	$18.42
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	205,456	319,292
Job satisfaction	4.33	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
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 a sales support representative do?

A sales support representative is responsible for assisting the complex operations of sales departments, performing administrative duties under the supervision of a direct manager. Sales support representatives' tasks include acknowledging and encoding customers' orders in the system, processing payments, responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns about the products, writing sales reports, and updating the customer of the shipment details. They also support the sales representatives on selling goods and services to potential customers by creating marketing materials and communicating with customers over the phone and e-mail to generate revenues and increase profits.

Sales representative vs sales support representative salary

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

	Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Average salary	$56,591	$38,310
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $94,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	Google	NetApp
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Finance

Differences between sales representative and sales support representative education

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

	Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Sales representative vs sales support representative demographics

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

	Sales Representative	Sales Support Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%	Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1%
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, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between sales representative and sales support 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.

Sales support representative example responsibilities.

Manage internal CRM and inventory software to track and input sales orders, account history, and stock allocation.
Facilitate the transition from AS400 to JDE operating system.
Utilize all programs, systems, and procedures of windows operating systems.
Help customers troubleshoot technical issues with their computers, process customer transactions and handle escalate issues.
Assist in setting up and checking EDI data from customers, brokers, carriers, and truckers.
Work collaboratively with sales representatives and regional vice presidents to produce cost proposals, problem solve and troubleshoot issues.

Sales representative vs sales support representative skills

Common sales representative skills

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

Common sales support representative skills

Sales Support, 16%
Phone Calls, 10%
POS, 8%
Product Knowledge, 7%
Customer Complaints, 6%
Customer Inquiries, 6%

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Sales Representative
Sales Representative vs Sales Support Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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