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The differences between sales specialists and sales support specialists 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 specialist and a sales support specialist. Additionally, a sales specialist has an average salary of $53,004, which is higher than the $50,782 average annual salary of a sales support specialist.
The top three skills for a sales specialist include building relationships, customer complaints and customer orders. The most important skills for a sales support specialist are customer service, sales support, and powerpoint.
| Sales Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $53,004 | $50,782 |
| Hourly rate | $25.48 | $24.41 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 324,069 | 238,995 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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 sales support specialist is primarily responsible for performing clerical tasks to support a sales team. Typically, they gather sales leads and data, produce progress reports and presentations, maintain records of all transactions, and liaise with different accounting personnel. A sales support specialist may respond to calls and inquiries, resolving customers' complaints and concerns promptly and professionally. Furthermore, one may arrange meetings and appointments with clients, develop sales strategies for profit growth, and process orders, all while ensuring customer satisfaction.
Sales specialists and sales support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $53,004 | $50,782 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $91,000 | Between $31,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | VMware | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a sales specialist and a sales support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Sales Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| 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 specialists' and sales support specialists' demographics:
| Sales Specialist | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9% | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% |
| 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, 3.9% 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% |