Advertising Sales Agents - 41-3011.00    
Summary Occupational Forecast Data
Annual Average Employment Employment Change Average Annual Job Openings Wage and Training Levels
2012 2017 Numerical Percent New Jobs Replacement Jobs Total Median Hourly   Median Annual     Education & Training Level  
1096
1181
85
8%
17
33
51
$22.01
$45,787
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Staffing Pattern Data Forecast Data Source: EMSI (4th Quarter 2012)
 
Description
Sell or solicit advertising, including graphic art, advertising space in publications, custom made signs, or TV and radio advertising time. May obtain leases for outdoor advertising sites or persuade retailer to use sales promotion display items.
 
Providers
Folsom Lake College

Career & Technical Education Providers (Secondary Schools)
 

Occupation Details
 The information in this section represents occupational characteristics included in O*NET which defines key features of an occupation as a standardized, measurable set of variables called "descriptors". These distinguishing characteristics of an occupation are described in greater detail in the O*NET Content Model. All items are listed in descending order of importance.

  • Tasks
  • Knowledge and Skills
  • Job Zone
  • Work Styles and Values
Tasks
  • Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs, and to protect and increase existing advertising.
  • Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.
  • Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.
  • Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts.
  • Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval.
  • Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.
  • Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
  • Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.
  • Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium being used.
  • Inform customers of available options for advertisement artwork, and provide samples.
  • Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.
  • Determine advertising medium to be used, and prepare sample advertisements within the selected medium for presentation to customers.
  • Consult with company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies to develop promotional plans.
  • Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer.
  • Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them.
  • Write copy as part of layout.
  • Attend sales meetings, industry trade shows, and training seminars to gather information, promote products, expand network of contacts, and increase knowledge.
Knowledge
  Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills
  Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities
  Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Work Activities
  Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
  Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  Interacting With Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
  Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

Job Zone  
Title Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Overall Experience Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job Training Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Job Zone Examples These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include food service managers, electricians, agricultural technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
Education Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Interests
Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
 
Work Styles
Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
 
Work Values
Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.