Advertising Sales Agents

Business, Management and AdministrationO*NET 41-3011.00United States

Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $64,097
Projected change: −4.2%
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Employment: 101.67K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What advertising sales agents do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

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.
Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts.
Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer.
Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.
Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval.
Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.
Inform customers of available options for advertisement artwork, and provide samples.
Write copy as part of layout.
Determine advertising medium to be used, and prepare sample advertisements within the selected medium for presentation to customers.
Gather all relevant material for bid processes, and coordinate bidding and contract approval.
Consult with company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies to develop promotional plans.
Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them.
Arrange for commercial taping sessions, and accompany clients to sessions.
Attend sales meetings, industry trade shows, and training seminars to gather information, promote products, expand network of contacts, and increase knowledge.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $33,594
25th percentile: $45,286
50th percentile: $64,097
75th percentile: $101,120
90th percentile: $158,285

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $64,097 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−4.2%projected to decline

2025101,671 jobs

2035 projected97,371 jobs

4,300 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree: 51.8%
High school diploma or less: 29.8%
Some college: 13.3%
Associate degree: 3.6%
Certificate: 1.4%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Marketing
Social Media
Customer Relationship Management
Marketing Materials
Project Management
Marketing Communications
Digital Marketing
Sales Prospecting
Content Creation
Canva (Software)
Event Planning
Graphic Design
Business To Business
Email Marketing
Marketing Strategies
Adobe Creative Suite
Business Development
Newsletters
Workflow Management
Branding

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
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.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Marketing Coordinators6,869 postings
02Digital Marketing Coordinators739 postings
03Business Account Executives549 postings
04Sales and Marketing Coordinators505 postings
05Marketing Communications Coordinators498 postings
06Marketing Proposal Coordinators393 postings
07Account Executives380 postings
08BDC Representatives335 postings
09In-House Marketing Coordinators330 postings
10Media and Marketing Coordinators301 postings
11Sales Representatives294 postings
12Event Marketers288 postings
13Special Events Marketing Coordinators271 postings
14Marketing Operations Coordinators268 postings
15Marketing Project Coordinators246 postings
16Sales and Marketing Assistants243 postings
17Advertising Sales Representatives242 postings
18Field Marketing Coordinators225 postings
19Marketing and Communications Coordinators215 postings
20Promotions Assistants188 postings

Top employers

01Spectrum388 postings
02Hibu326 postings
03Terraboost Media262 postings
04ADP249 postings
05Travel & Leisure Group Ltd215 postings
06Robert Half182 postings
07Bath Concepts Independent Dealers173 postings
08LeafGuard154 postings
09Free People147 postings
10DLA Piper132 postings
11Beacon Hill Staffing Group129 postings
12Cengage Learning109 postings
13IndoorMedia103 postings
14Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson100 postings
15Marriott International83 postings
16American Family Insurance Group78 postings
17Lowe's75 postings
18ManpowerGroup72 postings
19Hilton Grand Vacations69 postings
20Leaf At Home LTD67 postings

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