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Specialty representative vs executive sales representative

The differences between specialty representatives and executive sales representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a specialty representative and an executive sales representative. Additionally, an executive sales representative has an average salary of $78,858, 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 executive sales representative are patients, product knowledge, and oncology.

Specialty representative vs executive sales representative overview

Specialty RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Yearly salary$49,201$78,858
Hourly rate$23.65$37.91
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs50,435226,902
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4747
Years of experience22

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 executive sales representative do?

An executive sales representative researches and recommends business opportunities. They analyze sales alternatives and help build business relations with clients and prospects. They must keep updated on business trends and potential competitors to best recommend new product ideas. They must be open-minded, risk-takers, adaptive, and innovative to be able to develop successful marketing strategies. It is also necessary for them to be highly skilled at business analysis to distinguish selling opportunities and create an immediate action plan.

Specialty representative vs executive sales representative salary

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

Specialty RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Average salary$49,201$78,858
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $92,000Between $48,000 And $128,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between specialty representative and executive sales representative education

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

Specialty RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 85%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Specialty representative vs executive sales representative demographics

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

Specialty RepresentativeExecutive Sales Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 47.7% Female, 52.3%Male, 53.7% Female, 46.3%
Race ratioBlack 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, 14.3% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between specialty representative and executive 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.
  • Show more

Executive sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Position products above the competition, utilizing data, manage care information and patient benefit to promote the Novartis brands.
  • Achieve sales growth objectives by incorporating product/technical knowledge, teamwork, customer and multi-product focus, innovation and creativity.
  • Call on customers in oncology, pulmonology urology, cardiology, neurology, OB/GYN, psychiatry, gastroenterology and primary care.
  • Promote diabetes medications to family practice, general practice, internal medicine physicians and diabetic educators.
  • Track and create territory reports and spreadsheets with action items and a pod business plan.
  • Target specialty sales to neurology, psychiatry, pain management and high target primary care physicians.
  • Show more

Specialty representative vs executive sales representative skills

Common specialty representative skills
  • Patients, 27%
  • Oncology, 10%
  • Dermatology, 8%
  • Neurology, 6%
  • Educational Programs, 6%
  • Endocrinology, 5%
Common executive sales representative skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Product Knowledge, 10%
  • Oncology, 8%
  • Account Management, 7%
  • Territory Management, 7%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 6%