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What is an advertising sales representative and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Laura Sansoni,
John Cicala Ph.D.
introduction image

An advertising sales representative works for an organization or a business and is responsible for maintaining sales relationships with customers and clients. They identify the retail, service, or product needs of customers and offer marketing and sales strategies that can help these customers sell their products. An advertising sales representative often sells advertising space for customers on a variety of platforms on behalf of their advertising firm and keeping in regular contact with customers to make sure that their advertising needs are being met. These individuals are also responsible for generating sales reports for upper management and clients.

Most advertising sales representatives have a bachelor's in business, sales, or marketing. However, employers may consider applicants who have comparable skills and experience. These individuals should possess strong communication, interpersonal, and marketing skills and should be comfortable meeting with a variety of customers and clients.

If you enjoy sales and advertising, a career as an advertising sales representative can be a very rewarding one. As an advertising sales representative, you can make up to $53,000 per year, but the job field is expected to decline slightly by 6%.

What general advice would you give to an advertising sales representative?

Laura SansoniLaura Sansoni LinkedIn profile

Director, Career Development, CBA Career Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Whenever I work with a new graduate, I see them experiencing many emotions ranging from excitement from completing their education to anxiety about starting their careers.

For the graduates that have a job, I highly encourage them to take advantage of any opportunity presented to them. Participate in workplace events, take advantage of professional development opportunities like attending conferences or trainings, and volunteer to work on projects when asked to. Taking advantage of these opportunities in your workplace will increase your skills and experiences while deepening your connections to your colleagues and growing your personal network.

For graduates that are still looking for jobs, I remind them that the worst things that can happen in the job search are an employer saying "no", "we went with another candidate", or not responding to your application at all. While that can be scary and defeating at times, think about the positives of the situation. You didn't get the interview or the job, but you didn't lose anything either. Instead, you gained more experience in the job search process that you can improve upon for the next time. I also remind new grads to let the employers decide if they are the right fit for the job instead of counting yourself out too early. If you meet 75 percent of the qualifications in the job description, apply for the job and let the recruiter decide whether to set up an interview. Don't be so afraid of the next "no" that it prevents you from finding the next possible "yes".
ScoreAdvertising Sales RepresentativeUS Average
Salary
4.9

Avg. Salary $63,224

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.2

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
8.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.39%

Asian 4.60%

Black or African American 6.06%

Hispanic or Latino 13.44%

Unknown 4.12%

White 71.39%

Gender

female 57.79%

male 42.21%

Age - 43
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43
Stress level
8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Advertising sales representative career paths

Key steps to become an advertising sales representative

  1. Explore advertising sales representative education requirements

    Most common advertising sales representative degrees

    Bachelor's

    68.8 %

    Associate

    14.3 %

    High School Diploma

    9.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific advertising sales representative skills

    SkillsPercentages
    CRM15.18%
    PowerPoint11.70%
    Media Sales10.10%
    Account Management7.26%
    SEM5.88%
  3. Complete relevant advertising sales representative training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New advertising sales representatives learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an advertising sales representative based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real advertising sales representative resumes.
  4. Research advertising sales representative duties and responsibilities

    • Manage print advertising, online banner, SEO, email marketing, SMS, and social media for clients.
    • Manage and creaat multiple PPC advertising campaigns, generating conversions for companies selling everything from gumballs, cleaning services to motorhomes.
    • Partner with account managers to assist customers with SEO, SEM, PPC, and social media marketing.
    • Generate new business for yellow page advertising through cold-calling and telemarketing efforts using SEM and SEO forms of internet marketing.
  5. Prepare your advertising sales representative resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your advertising sales representative resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an advertising sales representative resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable advertising sales representative resume templates

    Build a professional advertising sales representative resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your advertising sales representative resume.
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    Advertising Sales Representative Resume
    Advertising Sales Representative Resume
    Advertising Sales Representative Resume
    Advertising Sales Representative Resume
    Advertising Sales Representative Resume
  6. Apply for advertising sales representative jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an advertising sales representative job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first advertising sales representative job

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Average advertising sales representative salary

The average advertising sales representative salary in the United States is $63,224 per year or $30 per hour. Advertising sales representative salaries range between $35,000 and $112,000 per year.

Average advertising sales representative salary
$63,224 Yearly
$30.40 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do advertising sales representatives rate their job?

-/5

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1 star

Advertising sales representative reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021
Cons

I am passionate about my role as a BDR and there is nothing that I don't like. I don't like to be put in a box so to speak I enjoy reaching high and don't like to limited.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Pros

Communicating and helping my clients.

Cons

The travel was extensive. Sometimes. It took more than month to close a deaĺ.


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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

I love to engage the public and meet new faces. I enjoy explaining all of the benefits of the product I am selling, and making the customer feel important and well informed.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.