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The differences between sales specialists and account 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 specialist, becoming an account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, an account manager has an average salary of $68,535, which is higher than the $53,004 average annual salary of a sales specialist.
The top three skills for a sales specialist include building relationships, customer complaints and customer orders. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.
| Sales Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $53,004 | $68,535 |
| Hourly rate | $25.48 | $32.95 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 324,069 | 152,261 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 8 |
A sales specialist is responsible for offering the best goods and services to customers in order to boost the company's sales. Sales specialists also promote strategies and solutions to contribute to the company's growth and profitability. A sales specialist must have extensive knowledge of the current market trends and the best sales skills to perform marketing tasks. Sales specialists should have excellent communication and customer service skills to assist existing and potential clients with their inquiries and concerns.
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
Sales specialists and account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $53,004 | $68,535 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $91,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | VMware | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a sales specialist and an account manager in terms of educational background:
| Sales Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between sales specialists' and account managers' demographics:
| Sales Specialist | Account Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |