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The differences between sales specialists and retail sales specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sales specialist has an average salary of $53,004, which is higher than the $45,756 average annual salary of a retail sales specialist.
The top three skills for a sales specialist include building relationships, customer complaints and customer orders. The most important skills for a retail sales specialist are retail sales, POS, and store management.
| Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $53,004 | $45,756 |
| Hourly rate | $25.48 | $22.00 |
| Growth rate | 4% | - |
| Number of jobs | 324,069 | 480,721 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
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.
A retail sales specialist is responsible for selling goods and services and providing the best customer service for the consumers. Retail sales specialists assist the customers on the floor, directing them to the area of their needs, and recommending them products according to their budget limitations. They also ensure the adequacy of stock levels, remove outdated products, and refill items as necessary. A retail sales specialist also supports in resolving complaints, such as replacing items and processing refunds as necessary.
Sales specialists and retail sales specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Average salary | $53,004 | $45,756 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $91,000 | Between $38,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | VMware | Anastasia Beverly Hills |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a sales specialist and a retail sales specialist in terms of educational background:
| Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | - |
Here are the differences between sales specialists' and retail sales specialists' demographics:
| Sales Specialist | Retail Sales Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% | Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3% |
| 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, 10.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |