Advertising Sales Job Description
Overview
Steps to start your career as an Advertising Sales (and similar roles)
- If you're considering a career in sales, focus on developing strong communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills. For roles like advertising sales, gaining experience in digital marketing, social media platforms, and data analytics can be particularly valuable, as the field increasingly emphasizes online and digital channels.
- While having a degree in marketing, business, or communications can be an advantage, it’s not a strict requirement for a sales position. A degree provides a solid foundation with courses in advertising, public relations, and media studies. However, if you don’t have a degree, you can still excel by developing strong communication and interpersonal skills, being persuasive, understanding the sales process, and being adaptable to clients' needs. Networking, persistence, and hands-on experience can be just as valuable in building a successful sales career.
- Begin your sales career by working in general sales positions, such as retail or inside sales, to learn prospecting, pitching, and closing deals. Pursue internships or junior roles at advertising agencies or media companies to gain industry insight. Apply for entry-level positions like Sales Assistant, Sales Associate, or Business Development Representative, and use these opportunities to build foundational skills in customer relationships and sales processes.
- Create a portfolio showcasing successful sales or marketing campaigns you've worked on, detailing your role and the results you achieved. Highlight your impact on driving sales or boosting brand awareness. As you gain experience, aim to move into more advanced roles like Sales Manager, Media Planner/Buyer, or Account Executive, and work your way toward leadership positions such as Sales Director.
Advertising Sales
There's kind of a ladder. You start as a sales assistant, then a sales planner if you're taking the direct sales route. Another way is working on the agency or client side of things and then moving over to the sales side.
Sales Requirements
It really requires a personality where you're interacting a lot with clients, so you have to be social. You have to be able to entertain your clients and understand them on a personal level so that they want to do business with you regularly.
What It’s Like in Sales
An average day for an account executive in ad sales involves going through your list and looking ahead to the next quarter. For example, if I sell TV and I’m targeting a kid-focused channel or movie, I’d aim at clients with kid products. Then you work with your marketing team internally to create a custom package. For instance, offering a promotion for a new show for a budget, like a hundred thousand dollars. You present that to the client and their representing agency.
You have a territory you work with, which sometimes involves traveling to meet clients. Some days you’re in the office working on proposals and pitches. Every day is different, which makes the job exciting and not mundane. Sometimes you’re entertaining clients, like taking them to dinner or a baseball game, to keep relationships and conversations ongoing for future campaigns.
Advertising Sales Account Executive Salary
The salary for an account executive in advertising varies depending on the medium. Starting salaries can range from $100K to $150K, with commission potentially adding another 50%, bringing the total up to $300K.
Pros and Cons of Sales
The job's pros, especially early in your career, include experiencing entertainment and networking. The industry is flexible, offering various career paths if you decide to pivot.
A key part of sales is meeting your quota. Missing your sales goal can affect your job status and commission. However, the connections you make are invaluable. There’s a strong community of people you work and grow with in the industry.
Getting Started in Sales
To get into the industry, it’s essential to understand that you can’t just jump into an account executive role. It’s rare. Be prepared to start lower and work hard, being open to different paths, whether agency or client side.
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What skills do Advertising Saless need?
These are the most commonly mentioned skills in job descriptions for Advertising Sales jobs and are ordered by most to least common.
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Education you need to become an Advertising Sales
These are the most common degrees or certificates earned by Jobtrees users prior to becoming an Advertising Sales
There may be other required degrees or certifications needed for this job. The below info shows you the most commonly desired education level from employers when hiring for this job.
- Associate Degree in Marketing
- Bachelor Degree in Finance
- Associate Degree in Business
Annual Pay Estimate for Advertising Sales and Other Important Info
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Top Companies Hiring for Advertising Sales
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Career Paths for Advertising Sales
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