The Average Salary of a Salesperson Who Sells Ads
Salespeople who sell ads are often officially referred to as advertising sales agents, advertising sales representatives or account executives. They often work with media and advertising firms and sell advertising to a variety of third-party clients and companies. In addition to basic salaries, advertising sales representatives often receive performance-related pay.
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National Salary Scales
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the average wage of advertising sales agents was $53,190 in 2009. The median salary was $43,360, indicating wages are skewed towards those in the higher percentiles. The bottom 10% and 25% made less than $22,610 and $30,550 a year. Conversely, the top 25% made $64,500 or more, and the top 10% made $94,100 a year or more.
Salaries by Industry
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The highest paid sector in 2009, with an average wage of $71,350, was the printing and related support sector, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The largest employer was, however, the advertising and public relations services sector, which includes advertising firms. This sector had an average wage of $57,980 a year for advertising sales representatives. This was followed by newspaper, periodical, book and directory publishers, at $45,640 a year, radio and television broadcasting, at $53,560, and the motion picture and video industries, which paid an average annual salary of $66,840 a year.
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Salaries by Location
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The highest salaries for advertising sales representatives were found in the Northeast in 2009. According to the BLS, this was led by Connecticut, with incomes averaging $71,610 a year, followed by Maryland, at $64,280, the District of Columbia, with $63,410, New York, with $62,490 a year, followed by Massachusetts, with salaries averaging $62,050 annually. On a city level, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area in Connecticut offered the highest salaries, which averaged $91,330 annually.
Qualifications
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Formal qualifications are not strictly required for this role, as many employers value personality traits such as professionalism, selling skills, communication skills and teamwork. This is especially true with smaller advertising agencies. Prospective career entrants must be self-motivated. Larger and more well-known advertising companies may require a bachelor's degree backed up with proven sales experience. Language skills are becoming important in the advertising sector as clients become increasingly globalized.
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References
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