Telemarketers
Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.
Also called: Call Agent · Inside Sales Representative (Inside Sales Rep) · Telemarketer · Telemarketing Sales Representative (Telemarketing Sales Rep) · Telephone Sales Representative (TSR) · Telephone Service Representative (TSR)
Median pay (national)
$34,410
$24,620–$48,930 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
66,430
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-22.1%
~6,500 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for telemarketers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $48,930 versus $24,620 at the bottom 10% — 2.0x. The median of $34,410 leaves roughly 42% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -22.1% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 6,500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 45 states with released data, New Mexico pays the most for this role (median $66,700, +94% vs the national median), while Mississippi sits lowest at $21,410 — a 212% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- 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.
- Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
- Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts.
- Obtain names and telephone numbers of potential customers from sources such as telephone directories, magazine reply cards, and lists purchased from other organizations.
- Conduct client or market surveys to obtain information about potential customers.
Tools & technology
- Salesforce software
- Zoom
- Acarda Sales Technologies Acarda Outbound
- Automatic call distribution software
- Database Systems Corp Telemation
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Remote access call center software
- Softphone software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Sales and Marketing
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Computers and Electronics
- Communications and Media
- Administrative
- Law and Government