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The differences between solution sales representatives and sales 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 solution sales representative and a sales representative. Additionally, a solution sales representative has an average salary of $78,463, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.
The top three skills for a solution sales representative include marketing campaigns, customer satisfaction and sales process. The most important skills for a sales representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.
| Solution Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $78,463 | $56,591 |
| Hourly rate | $37.72 | $27.21 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 198,547 | 205,456 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A solution sales representative is responsible for selling and promoting the company's goods and services to clients and customers, recommending appropriate merchandise solutions depending on the customers' needs and budget limitations. Solution sales representatives identify leads through directories research and customer referrals, developing effective sales pitch to attract potential clients by discussing everything about the services. A solution sales representative must have excellent communication skills, especially in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, processing orders, and resolving complaints.
Sales representatives primarily sell the company's products and services to businesses or organizations. They should be adept at closing out sales, negotiating, and providing customer service. They should be knowledgeable about the products or services of the manufacturer or producer they represent. They must also have strong analytical skills that would help them in coming up with cost-benefit analysis in assessing the current roster of clients and even prospective ones. Sales representatives should also be able to maintain good working relationships with all involved stakeholders, especially clients.
Solution sales representatives and sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solution Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $78,463 | $56,591 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $120,000 | Between $33,000 And $94,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Capgemini | |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a solution sales representative and a sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Solution Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 54% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between solution sales representatives' and sales representatives' demographics:
| Solution Sales Representative | Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |