Specialty representative vs associate sales representative

The differences between specialty representatives and associate sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a specialty representative, becoming an associate sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an associate sales representative has an average salary of $51,007, which is higher than the $49,201 average annual salary of a specialty representative.

The top three skills for a specialty representative include patients, oncology and dermatology. The most important skills for an associate sales representative are work ethic, patients, and product knowledge.

Specialty representative vs associate sales representative overview

	Specialty Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Yearly salary	$49,201	$51,007
Hourly rate	$23.65	$24.52
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	50,435	333,049
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	2	4

What does a specialty representative do?

A specialty representative is responsible for selling specific goods and services to target customers through remote communication or site visits, depending on business requirements and client needs. Specialty representatives assist the marketing and sales team in delivering high-quality sales strategies and promotional techniques to attract customers, identifying their needs by researching industry trends to drive more revenue resources and achieve sales goals and objectives. A specialty representative should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in responding to the customers' inquiries and concerns, resolving complaints, and updating their accounts within the database.

What does an associate sales representative do?

The duties of an associate sales representative depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Their responsibilities typically revolve around reaching out to clients through calls or door-to-door visits, offering products and services, collecting payments, addressing issues and concerns, and performing corrective measures when necessary. An associate sales representative often has a quota and deadline to reach; therefore, it is essential to be sales driven and goal-oriented. Furthermore, one must adhere to the policies and regulations of the company.

Specialty representative vs associate sales representative salary

Specialty representatives and associate sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Specialty Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Average salary	$49,201	$51,007
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $92,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Verint
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between specialty representative and associate sales representative education

There are a few differences between a specialty representative and an associate sales representative in terms of educational background:

	Specialty Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 85%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Specialty representative vs associate sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between specialty representatives' and associate sales representatives' demographics:

	Specialty Representative	Associate Sales Representative
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2%
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, 14.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 72.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between specialty representative and associate sales representative duties and responsibilities

Specialty representative example responsibilities.

Manage the strategic planning and territory development of neurology accounts.
Manage the development, productivity and utilization of local, regional and national speakers for hyperlipidemia and hypertension.
Attract and build strong advocates within large cardiology groups by building a reputation on integrity, product knowledge and accountability.
Develop and influence neurology and psychiatry opinion leaders by organizing medical education events, residency and speaker programs.
Present in-services for healthcare teams in surgery, ICU and GI settings.
Work with key colorectal surgeons and anesthesiologists to prepare for the launch of Entereg.

Associate sales representative example responsibilities.

Manage organization website and Facebook page; writing articles for websites and newsletters.
Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
Learned how to ask proper questions and communicate MetLife's product differentiators against competition

Specialty representative vs associate sales representative skills

Common specialty representative skills

Patients, 27%
Oncology, 10%
Dermatology, 8%
Neurology, 6%
Educational Programs, 6%
Endocrinology, 5%

Common associate sales representative skills

Work Ethic, 16%
Patients, 13%
Product Knowledge, 12%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 4%
Sales Techniques, 4%

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Specialty Representative
Specialty Representative vs Associate Sales Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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