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The differences between sales support representatives 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 support representative and a sales support specialist. Additionally, a sales support specialist has an average salary of $50,782, which is higher than the $38,310 average annual salary of a sales support representative.
The top three skills for a sales support representative include sales support, phone calls and POS. The most important skills for a sales support specialist are customer service, sales support, and powerpoint.
| Sales Support Representative | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $38,310 | $50,782 |
| Hourly rate | $18.42 | $24.41 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 319,292 | 238,995 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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 support representatives and sales support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Support Representative | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $38,310 | $50,782 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $48,000 | Between $31,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | NetApp | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a sales support representative and a sales support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Sales Support Representative | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | 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 support representatives' and sales support specialists' demographics:
| Sales Support Representative | Sales Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |