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The differences between technical sales representatives and field 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 technical sales representative, becoming a field sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical sales representative has an average salary of $71,310, which is higher than the $48,460 average annual salary of a field sales representative.
The top three skills for a technical sales representative include sales process, business development and sales support. The most important skills for a field sales representative are excellent time management, customer service, and powerpoint.
| Technical Sales Representative | Field Sales Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $71,310 | $48,460 |
| Hourly rate | $34.28 | $23.30 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 237,456 | 228,254 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A technical sales representative is responsible for selling products and services by demonstrating the product's details and features to existing and potential clients. Technical sales representatives evaluate clients' needs and recommend solutions through the organization's technology-based products. They also assist with promotional offers and marketing campaigns to boost brand awareness and increase revenues and achieve profitability goals while ensuring the highest customer satisfaction. A technical sales representative must have excellent communication and customer service skills, handling customers' inquiries, and resolving complaints.
A field sales representative is an employee who is employed by business-to-business (B2B) and wholesale organizations to visit leads and sell products or services to their customers in person. Field sales representatives must attract new customers and win new accounts so that they can maximize profitability within their territory. They travel around their assigned territory and visit their customers regularly to educate them on how their products can benefit them. Field sales representatives must also maintain records of all sales leads and monitor the organization's competitor, new products, and market conditions.
Technical sales representatives and field sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Sales Representative | Field Sales Representative | |
| Average salary | $71,310 | $48,460 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $129,000 | Between $26,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | VMware | |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical sales representative and a field sales representative in terms of educational background:
| Technical Sales Representative | Field Sales Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred |
Here are the differences between technical sales representatives' and field sales representatives' demographics:
| Technical Sales Representative | Field Sales Representative | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7% | Male, 69.5% Female, 30.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 72.4% 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% |