### Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Advertising Sales Agents Summary
                        
            
                                                        
                                                                
                        
            
            
            
                            
                                                
                                                
                                                
                                                
            									
							
				                                                
                                            




            			advertising sales agents imageAdvertising sales agents contact potential clients, make sales presentations, and maintain customer accounts.							
						Quick Facts:     Advertising Sales Agents2023     Median Pay
            						$61,270     per year
										$29.46     per hourTypical Entry-Level Education
                                    High school diploma or equivalentWork Experience in a Related Occupation
                                    NoneOn-the-job Training
                                    Moderate-term on-the-job trainingNumber of Jobs, 2022
                                    111,400Job Outlook, 2022-32
                                    -7% (Decline)Employment Change, 2022-32
                                    -8,000What Advertising Sales Agents Do
                                                
                        
                        
Advertising sales agents sell advertising space to businesses and individuals.
            
                        Work Environment
                        
Advertising sales agents work under pressure to meet sales quotas. They work in a range of industries, including advertising agencies, radio, television, and Internet publishing.
            
                                                How to Become an Advertising Sales Agent
                                                
                        
Although a high school diploma is typically enough for an entry-level advertising sales position, some employers prefer applicants who have a bachelor’s degree. Sales and communication skills are essential.
            
                        Pay
                        												                            																				    														The median annual wage for advertising sales agents was $61,270 in May 2023.									                                					
						
            
                        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.
						State & Area Data
                       Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for advertising sales agents.
            
            
						
                        Similar Occupations
                        
                                                    Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of advertising sales agents with similar occupations.
            
            
                        More Information, Including Links to O*NET
                        
                                               
                        Learn more about advertising sales agents by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
 What Advertising Sales Agents Do 
            

			Advertising sales agentsAgents 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 advertisingAdvertising 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 agentsCompanies generally set monthly sales quotas and place considerable pressure on advertising sales agents to meet those quotas.			

	    
				
	
	
	
	
	
	
	    					 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
                11Self-employed workers
                4Selling 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.
 How to Become an Advertising Sales Agent

			Advertising sales agentsAdvertising 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.
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.
 Pay

			



	
 
                                                     
            
    
                Advertising Sales AgentsMedian annual wages, May 2023Sales representatives, services$63,150  Advertising sales agents$61,270  Total, all occupations$48,060Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
 

	
	



		
	
	
	
The median annual wage for advertising sales agents was $61,270 in May 2023. 


The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $31,200, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $133,150.





		
	    					 In May 2023, the median annual wages for advertising sales agents in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:	
        Advertising, public relations, and related services
                $69,990Newspaper publishers
                42,800Performance-based pay, including bonuses and commissions, can make up a large portion of an advertising sales agent’s earnings. Most employers pay some combination of salaries, commissions, and bonuses. Commissions usually are based on individual sales numbers. Bonuses may depend on individual performance, the performance of all sales workers in a group, or the performance of the entire firm.
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.
 Job Outlook

   
        
    
          
        
    
                Advertising Sales AgentsPercent change in employment, projected 2022-32Sales representatives, services5%  Total, all occupations3%  Advertising sales agents-7%Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
            
            
			 
	
	
	

			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.
			

                        Employment projections data for     advertising sales agents, 2022-32
                Occupational Title
                        SOC Code
                        Employment, 2022
                        Projected Employment, 2032
                        Change, 2022-32
                        Employment by IndustryPercent
                        NumericSOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program**Advertising sales agents**
			41-3011
			111,400
			103,400
			-7
			-8,000
			Get data
 State & Area Data **Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OES data maps for employment and wages by state and area. Advertising sales agents **Projections Central** Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com. Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s websites where these data may be retrieved. **CareerOneStop** CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.
 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
                2023     MEDIAN PAY**Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers**
            Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services.
            Bachelor's degree
            $156,580**Insurance Sales Agents**
            Insurance sales agents contact potential customers and sell one or more types of insurance.
            High school diploma or equivalent
            $59,080**Sales Managers**
            Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams.
            Bachelor's degree
            $135,160**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
            $73,080
 Contacts for More Information
								
For information about advertising sales in the newspaper industry, visit
News Media Alliance
For information about the radio advertising industry, visit
Radio Advertising Bureau

                                                
                                                        
                                                                                                    O*NET
                                        Advertising Sales Agents
 Suggested citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.  Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Advertising Sales Agents, 
        	 at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/advertising-sales-agents.htm (visited *May 21, 2024*).
 **Last Modified Date:**
                        Wednesday, April 17, 2024


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