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The differences between solar sales representatives and sales support representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a solar sales representative and a sales support representative. Additionally, a solar sales representative has an average salary of $95,427, which is higher than the $38,310 average annual salary of a sales support representative.
The top three skills for a solar sales representative include sales presentations, lead generation and solar power. The most important skills for a sales support representative are sales support, phone calls, and POS.
| Solar Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $95,427 | $38,310 |
| Hourly rate | $45.88 | $18.42 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 140,298 | 319,292 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Solar sales representatives are sales professionals who are responsible for providing information about solar-powered equipment and its benefits to their customers. These representatives must meet with customers in-store and out at site locations to demonstrate their company's solar products in a working environment. They are required to gather information to identify the solar needs of their customers and select the solar energy products and systems that best suit their needs. Solar sales representatives must also review designs for the solar installation of their customers.
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.
Solar sales representatives and sales support representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solar Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Average salary | $95,427 | $38,310 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $130,000 | Between $30,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Worcester, MA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Randstad North America, Inc. | NetApp |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a solar sales representative and a sales support representative in terms of educational background:
| Solar Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between solar sales representatives' and sales support representatives' demographics:
| Solar Sales Representative | Sales Support Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.8% Female, 24.2% | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% |
| 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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |