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The differences between selling specialists and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate has an average salary of $69,556, which is higher than the $40,530 average annual salary of a selling specialist.
The top three skills for a selling specialist include product knowledge, visual standards and customer service. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Selling Specialist | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $40,530 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $19.49 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 33,424 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
As a selling specialist, your main goal is to generate leads for the company and close deals with clients. You need to have great communication skills so that you can engage with potential buyers. As a selling specialist, you are responsible for building your company's relationship with clients. You will be leading the sales department and helping the company in selling more products and services. Selling specialists are also responsible for preparing the marketing budgets of the company and analyzing the post-marketing efforts.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Selling specialists and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Selling Specialist | Associate | |
| Average salary | $40,530 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $53,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a selling specialist and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Selling Specialist | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between selling specialists' and associates' demographics:
| Selling Specialist | Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |