Advertising Sales Agent

What an Advertising Sales Agent Does

Advertising sales agents are responsible for the solicitation and selling of advertisements for the company they work for. These sales agents, often called account executives or advertising sales representatives, are the blood line of most media industries, such as newspapers and magazines, television and radio, and Web sites. They all depend on the revenue acquired through advertising to remain prosperous. Most sales agents tend to work outside the office, soliciting potential advertisers and building their clientele. Sales agents sometimes also work inside offices, soliciting via the telephone and helping any walk-in customers interested in purchasing advertisement space or time. Before a sales agent attempts to convince a potential advertiser to place an ad, they do extensive research on the prospect's merchandise or product and formulate a pitch on how purchasing an ad will benefit that person's business. Since most sales agents are given a designated quota and must meet that quota in order to earn income, these types of jobs have been known to induce high levels of stress. A sales agent must be able to handle stress well, be very persuasive, have tough skin and be somewhat aggressive in order to finalize sales.

How to Become an Advertising Sales Agent

While smaller companies are known to hire sales agents who just possess a high school degree, most larger companies who require their employees to engage with clients face-to-face seek prospects with a college degree. Those who took previous coursework in marketing, leadership, communications, business, and advertising and have some sort of proof that they are extremely capable of selling advertisements or products are better prepared for applying for a sales agent position. Those who are bilingual also have a higher chance of gaining the position as they have the possibility of reaching a larger market. But it's important to note that most hands-on training is preformed on the job for those who may lack sales experience. In this case, an experienced sales agent will show their trainee the tricks-of-the-trade of making a successful sale. This can include anywhere from coaching trainees on how to make a proper sales calls or how to build up clientele.

Career Outlook for Advertising Sales Agents

Though advertising sales agents' largest employer — the print media industry — is slowly deteriorating, the growth of new media, like online publications, and the growing number of cable channels will keep employment opportunities plentiful, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the Bureau predicts that during the 2008-18 decade, employment is expected to increase by 7 percent. The Bureau also assures that advertising sales agent positions will be made available not only due to employment growth but also because of the need to replace retired sales agents and employees who decide to pursue other careers. Like stated before, most sales agents experience high levels of stress trying to meet monthly quotas and most are issued performance-based pay. Since the amount of wages can be depended on meeting those monthly quotas, employees often transfer to other career choices that provide a steady paycheck. According to the Bureau, the median annual wage for all advertising sales agents, including commission, was $43,480 per year in May 2008 (the most recent statistics available).