Advertising Sales Agents
Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.
What it pays
Advertising Sales Agents earn a median of $31.16/hr — about $65,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $16.94/hr; the top 10% earn $70.20/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Advertising Sales Agents earn a median of $31.16/hr — about $65,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $16.94/hr; the top 10% earn $70.20/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- 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.
- Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
- Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.
- Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly; time pressure is a real part of the job; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 5.3% of advertising sales agents are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are take-charge, organized and detail-focused and creative.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
- Real Estate Brokers
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products
Quick questions
- How much does a advertising sales agent make?
- The median pay is $31.16 per hour — roughly $65,000 a year, with the real range running from about $16.94/hr (10th percentile) to $70.20/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a advertising sales agent?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a advertising sales agent actually do all day?
- 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.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.