Explore by Career/Sales and Related
Telemarketers
Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.
- Median pay
- $34,410
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- -22.1%
- Declining
- Typical entry
- No formal educational credential
Key skills
- Speaking
- Persuasion
- Active Listening
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Social Perceptiveness
- Critical Thinking
- Negotiation
What they do
- 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.
- Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts.
- Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals.
- Obtain names and telephone numbers of potential customers from sources such as telephone directories, magazine reply cards, and lists purchased from other organizations.
Majors that lead here
No mapped majors yet.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.