Education:
52%
Bachelor's Degree
30%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Advertising Sales Agent
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Job Outlook:
Decline
Education:
High school diploma or equivalent
Work From Home
Salary
High:
$132,640.00
Average:
$73,260.00
Hourly
Average:
$35.22
What they do:
Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.
On the job, you would:
- Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.
- Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.
- Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.
Important Qualities
Communication skills. Advertising sales agents must be persuasive during sales calls. In addition, they should listen to the client’s desires and concerns, and recommend an appropriate advertising package.
Initiative. Advertising sales agents must actively seek new clients, keep in touch with current clients, and expand their client base, in order to meet sales quotas.
Organizational skills. Agents work with many clients, each of whom may be at a different stage in the sales process. Agents must be well organized to keep track of their clients and potential clients.
Self-confidence. Advertising sales agents should be confident when calling potential clients (making cold calls). Because potential clients are often unwilling to commit on a first call, agents frequently must continue making sales calls, even if rejected at first.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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88% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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88% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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87% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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86% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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85% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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84% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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84% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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79% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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76% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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74% | Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. | |
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70% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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70% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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70% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. | |
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66% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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66% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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63% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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100% | Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law. | |
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61% | Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources. | |
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56% | Artistic - Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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89% | Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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72% | Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. | |
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72% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. | |
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67% | Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. | |
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61% | Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status. | |
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61% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
Aptitude
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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78% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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78% | Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |
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75% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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75% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |
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72% | Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |
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63% | Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |
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60% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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56% | Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). | |
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56% | Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. | |
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53% | Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |
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53% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |
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53% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Skills | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
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57% | Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior. | |
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57% | Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively. | |
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57% | Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. | |
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55% | Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences. | |
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55% | Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. | |
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54% | Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people. | |
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54% | Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. | |
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52% | Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. | |
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52% | Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
Deliver promotional presentations to current or prospective customers.
Explain technical product or service information to customers.
Identify potential customers.
Develop professional relationships or networks.
Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.
Present work to clients for approval.
Prepare sales or other contracts.
Process sales or other transactions.
Identify potential customers.
Contact current or potential customers to promote products or services.
Estimate costs or terms of sales.
Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
Explain technical product or service information to customers.
Distribute promotional literature or samples to customers.
Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.
Study product information to acquire professional knowledge.
Develop marketing plans or strategies.
Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
Develop marketing plans or strategies.
Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
Prepare sales or other contracts.
Identify potential customers.
Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
Attend events to develop professional knowledge.
Develop professional relationships or networks.
Develop proposals for current or prospective customers.
Negotiate sales or lease agreements for products or services.
Schedule operational activities.
Accompany patients or clients on outings to provide assistance.
Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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100% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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100% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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95% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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95% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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93% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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92% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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89% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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87% | Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures? | |
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87% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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84% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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83% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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80% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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78% | Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos? | |
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76% | In an Enclosed Vehicle or Equipment - How often does this job require working in a closed vehicle or equipment (e.g., car)? | |
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76% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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65% | Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting? | |
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59% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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55% | Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? | |
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54% | Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements? | |
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51% | Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job? | |
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72% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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99% | Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions. | |
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93% | Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. | |
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88% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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83% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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82% | Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. | |
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81% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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80% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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78% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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77% | Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. | |
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75% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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74% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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68% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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64% | Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork. | |
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62% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. | |
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61% | Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. | |
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59% | Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. | |
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58% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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57% | Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. | |
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56% | Providing Consultation and Advice to Others - Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics. | |
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55% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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54% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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51% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
What Advertising Sales Agents Do
Agents may spend much of their time visiting prospective advertisers and maintaining business with current clients.
Advertising sales agents, also called advertising sales representatives, sell advertising space to businesses and individuals. They contact potential clients, make sales presentations, and maintain client accounts.
Duties
Advertising sales agents typically do the following:
- Locate and contact potential clients to offer their firm’s advertising services
- Explain to clients how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way
- Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services
- Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts
- Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing clients
- Inform clients of available options for advertising art, formats, or features and provide samples of previous work for other clients
- Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to clients for approval
- Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts
- Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising
Advertising sales agents work outside the office occasionally, meeting with clients and prospective clients at their places of business. Some may make telephone sales calls as well—calling prospects, attempting to sell the media firm’s advertising space or time, and arranging followup appointments with interested prospects.
A critical part of building relationships with clients is learning about their needs. Before the first meeting with a client, a sales agent gathers background information on the client’s products, current clients, prospective clients, and the geographic area of the target market.
The sales agent then meets with the client to explain how specific types of advertising will help promote the client’s products or services most effectively. If a client wishes to proceed, the advertising sales agent prepares and presents an advertising proposal to the client. The proposal may include an overview of the advertising medium to be used, sample advertisements, and cost estimates for the project.
Because of consolidation among media industries, agents are increasingly selling several types of ads in one package. For example, agents may sell ads that would be found in print editions, as well as online editions, of a particular publication, such as a newspaper.
In addition to maintaining sales and overseeing their accounts, advertising sales agents analyze sales statistics and prepare reports about clients’ accounts. They keep up to date on industry trends by reading about both current and new products, and they monitor the sales, prices, and products of their competitors.
In many firms, the advertising sales agent drafts contracts, which specify the cost and the advertising work to be done. Agents also may continue to help the client, answering questions or addressing problems the client may have with the proposal.
In addition, sales agents may be responsible for developing sales tools, promotional plans, and media kits, all of which they use to help make a sale. In other cases, firms may have a marketing team that sales agents work with to develop these sales tools.
Work Environment
Advertising sales agents held about 111,400 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of advertising sales agents were as follows:
| Advertising, public relations, and related services | 41% |
| Newspaper publishers | 11 |
| Self-employed workers | 4 |
Selling can be stressful because income and job security depend directly on agents’ ability to keep and expand their client base. Companies generally set monthly sales quotas and place considerable pressure on advertising sales agents to meet those quotas.
Getting new accounts is an important part of the job, and agents may spend much of their time traveling to and visiting prospective advertisers and maintaining relationships with current clients. Sales agents also may work in their employer’s offices and handle sales for walk-in clients or for those who call or email the firm to ask about advertising.
Work Schedules
Most advertising sales agents work full time. Some advertising sales agents work more than 40 hours a week. Some work irregular hours and on weekends and holidays.
Getting Started
How to Become an Advertising Sales Agent
Advertising sales agents must actively seek new clients and initiate communication with current clients in order to meet sales quotas.
Although a high school diploma is typically enough education for an entry-level advertising sales position, some employers prefer applicants with a bachelor’s degree. Sales and communication skills are essential. Most training for advertising sales agents takes place on the job.
Education
Although a high school diploma is typically the minimum education requirement for an entry-level advertising sales position, some employers prefer applicants with a college degree. Publishing companies with large circulations and broadcasting stations with a large audience typically prefer workers with a college degree. Courses in marketing, communications, business, and advertising are helpful. For those who have a proven record of successfully selling other products, educational requirements are not likely to be strict.
Training
Most training takes place on the job and can be either formal or informal. In the majority of cases, an experienced sales manager instructs a newly hired advertising sales agent who lacks sales experience. In this one-on-one environment, supervisors typically coach new hires and observe them as they make sales calls and contact clients. Supervisors then advise the new hires on ways to improve their interaction with clients. Employers may bring in consultants to lead formal training sessions when agents sell to a specialized market segment, such as automotive dealers or real estate professionals.
Advancement
Agents with proven leadership ability and a strong sales record may advance to supervisory and managerial positions, such as sales manager, account executive, and vice president of sales. Successful advertising sales agents may also advance to positions in other industries, such as corporate sales.
Job Outlook
Employment of advertising sales agents is projected to decline 7 percent from 2022 to 2032.
Despite declining employment, about 10,500 openings for advertising sales agents are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Newspapers and magazines are expected to continue to experience circulation declines. With fewer consumers viewing advertisements in print media, fewer advertising sales agents are expected to be needed.
Advertising will continue to grow in digital media, including online video ads, search engine ads, and other digital ads intended for cell phones or tablet-style computers. Although advertising sales agents are still needed in digital media, the ability to automate digital ad placement and the use of ad blockers by digital users will limit employment demand for advertising sales agents along these channels.
Contacts for More Information
For information about advertising sales in the newspaper industry, visit
For information about the radio advertising industry, visit
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of advertising sales agents.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers |
Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. |
Bachelor's degree | $138,730 |
|
Insurance Sales Agents |
Insurance sales agents contact potential customers and sell one or more types of insurance. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $57,860 |
|
Sales Managers |
Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. |
Bachelor's degree | $130,600 |
|
Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives |
Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. |
See How to Become One | $67,750 |