Post job

Technical sales specialist vs sales representative

The differences between technical sales specialists and 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 specialist, becoming a sales representative takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical sales specialist has an average salary of $86,598, which is higher than the $56,591 average annual salary of a sales representative.

The top three skills for a technical sales specialist include customer service, technical knowledge and cloud. The most important skills for a sales representative are sales process, product knowledge, and customer service.

Technical sales specialist vs sales representative overview

Technical Sales SpecialistSales Representative
Yearly salary$86,598$56,591
Hourly rate$41.63$27.21
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs212,987205,456
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age4747
Years of experience24

What does a technical sales specialist do?

A technical sales specialist is in charge of devising strategies to develop technical solutions for optimizing sales procedures. Their responsibilities revolve around identifying market and client needs, assessing existing programs and projects to determine its strengths and weaknesses, and recommending improvements as needed. A technical sales specialist may also interact with walk-in clients, or reach out to them through calls and correspondence, to demonstrate and offer products and services. Furthermore, as a technical sales specialist, it is essential to produce progress reports and maintain records of transactions, all while prioritizing to meet sales targets.

What does a sales representative do?

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.

Technical sales specialist vs sales representative salary

Technical sales specialists and sales representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical Sales SpecialistSales Representative
Average salary$86,598$56,591
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $129,000Between $33,000 And $94,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CABoston, MA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaMassachusetts
Best paying companyGoogleGoogle
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between technical sales specialist and sales representative education

There are a few differences between a technical sales specialist and a sales representative in terms of educational background:

Technical Sales SpecialistSales Representative
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaSUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Technical sales specialist vs sales representative demographics

Here are the differences between technical sales specialists' and sales representatives' demographics:

Technical Sales SpecialistSales Representative
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 75.3% Female, 24.7%Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage6%6%

Differences between technical sales specialist and sales representative duties and responsibilities

Technical sales specialist example responsibilities.

  • Use of CRM software to work with potential leads.
  • Conduct budgeting and funding discussions with administrators to achieve ROI on purchases.
  • Develop pull-through strategies that effectively promote RibaPak through Gastroenterologists clinics and manage care organizations.
  • Educate nurses and technicians on products under FDA requirements.
  • Develop protocols for product uses prior to FDA approval.
  • Identify niche market comprise of HCP's in underserve rural areas.
  • Show more

Sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage prospective leads and existing accounts through a CRM platform to accurately forecast revenue and develop long-term business partnerships.
  • Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
  • Search for procurement contracts, attend trade shows, design flyers, postcards, etc.
  • Utilize POS sales software to maintain monetary sales information produce reports for organizational review.
  • Develop and maintain business relationships with businesses and policyholders using establish methods such as customer relationship management CRM.
  • Handle administrative and sales duties as Jr.
  • Show more

Technical sales specialist vs sales representative skills

Common technical sales specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Technical Knowledge, 11%
  • Cloud, 7%
  • Product Sales, 7%
  • Client Facing, 6%
  • Competitive Landscape, 5%
Common sales representative skills
  • Sales Process, 9%
  • Product Knowledge, 9%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • CRM, 6%
  • Business Development, 6%
  • Sales REP, 5%