Telemarketers

Career Overview

Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.

Also Known As

• Telemarketer
• Telephone Sales Representative (TSR)
• Telephone Service Representative (TSR)
• Telesales Representative (Telesales Rep)

Alternate Job Titles

• Call Agent
• Call Center Agent
• Call Center Operator
• Call Center Representative (Call Center Rep)
• Call Center Sales Agent
• Call Center Telemarketer
• Contact Center Agent
• Direct Sales Agent
• Donation Worker
• Inbound Call Center Agent
• Inbound Telemarketer
• Independent Sales Representative (Independent Sales Rep)
• Inside Sales Representative (Inside Sales Rep)
• Marketing Processor
• Outbound Sales Agent

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

• Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes.
• Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers.
• Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.
• Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
• Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.
• Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements.
• Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service or to make a donation.

Knowledge You'll Use

You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:

• Sales and Marketing
• Customer and Personal Service
• English Language

Essential Skills

Success in this career requires strong skills in:

1. Speaking
2. Persuasion
3. Active Listening

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Speech Clarity
• Speech Recognition
• Written Comprehension
• Selective Attention
• Near Vision
• Problem Sensitivity
• Written Expression
• Deductive Reasoning

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

• Social Orientation
• Optimism
• Perseverance
• Self-Control
• Achievement Orientation

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

• Relationships
• Support
• Achievement
• Independence
• Recognition

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Word
• Salesforce software
• Zoom

Tools & Equipment

• Autodialing equipment
• Call recording systems
• Multiline telephone systems
• Personal computers
• Predictive dialers
• Telephone headsets
• Wireless telephone headsets

Work Environment

• Telephone Conversations
• Contact With Others
• Spend Time Sitting
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled

Salary & Job Market

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$24,620
Median	$34,410
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$48,930

Workers Employed Nationally: 66,430

Related Careers

If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.