Telemarketers: Career Overview
Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.
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What Tasks Do Telemarketers Take On?
The core tasks performed by telemarketers cover:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful telemarketers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Call Agent
- Call Center Agent
- Call Center Operator
- Call Center Representative (Call Center Rep)
- Call Center Sales Agent
- Call Center Telemarketer
- Contact Center Agent
- Direct Sales Agent
Job Outlook
There are roughly 1,395,071 telemarketers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +12.6% over the projection horizon.
Telemarketers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $37,730 |
| Hourly median | $18.14 |
| 10th percentile | $24,766 |
| 25th percentile | $31,248 |
| 75th percentile | $44,211 |
| 90th percentile | $50,693 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New Mexico | $66,700 |
| Connecticut | $57,140 |
| Colorado | $48,870 |
| Minnesota | $39,660 |
| Delaware | $38,770 |
| Washington | $38,570 |
| Idaho | $38,310 |
| California | $37,450 |
| Oregon | $36,900 |
| Massachusetts | $36,530 |
| New York | $36,510 |
| Virginia | $36,380 |
| Florida | $35,990 |
| Nevada | $34,590 |
| Texas | $34,380 |
| Arizona | $34,330 |
| Maryland | $34,100 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,910 |
| Kentucky | $33,760 |
| Alabama | $33,690 |
| New Hampshire | $33,660 |
| New Jersey | $33,580 |
| South Dakota | $32,980 |
| Oklahoma | $32,430 |
| Indiana | $32,410 |
| North Carolina | $32,350 |
| Wisconsin | $32,280 |
| Utah | $32,090 |
| Michigan | $32,070 |
| Maine | $31,510 |
| Ohio | $29,910 |
| West Virginia | $29,790 |
| Georgia | $29,750 |
| Nebraska | $29,620 |
| Arkansas | $29,560 |
| Illinois | $29,120 |
| Iowa | $29,060 |
| Missouri | $28,380 |
| Tennessee | $28,110 |
| Montana | $27,220 |
| Puerto Rico | $24,120 |
| Kansas | $23,850 |
| Louisiana | $23,260 |
| South Carolina | $22,540 |
| Mississippi | $21,410 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for telemarketers shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountains | $41,669 | 3.9% | 1.10 |
| New England | $37,259 | 2.3% | 1.06 |
| Far Western US | $36,350 | 10.8% | 1.95 |
| Middle Atlantic | $35,080 | 7.5% | 0.56 |
| Southwest | $35,006 | 14.9% | 1.19 |
| Southeast | $33,265 | 35.9% | 2.09 |
| Great Lakes | $30,688 | 13.1% | 1.16 |
| Plains States | $30,241 | 9.7% | 2.06 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Telemarketers
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque, NM | NM | $66,700 | 240 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | CT | $57,140 | 70 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $54,790 | 40 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $51,540 | 850 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $50,110 | 280 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | CO | $46,190 | 210 |
| Lancaster, PA | PA | $42,780 | 30 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | SC | $42,660 | 310 |
Which Industries Hire Telemarketers
The largest employers of telemarketers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 47,930 | $33,160 |
| Finance and Insurance | 4,430 | $47,090 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4,230 | $36,360 |
| Construction | 3,180 | $36,320 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1,810 | $36,750 |
| Information | 1,500 | $42,660 |
| Retail Trade | 1,030 | $35,570 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 550 | $34,300 |
Telemarketers work in the following industries:
Software Telemarketers Use
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Customer relationship management CRM software: Salesforce software (hot technology)
- Video conferencing software: Zoom (hot technology)
- Customer relationship management CRM software: Customer relationship management CRM software (in demand)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of telemarketers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Spend Time Sitting
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How to Become Telemarketers
Most telemarketers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (Supplemental)
- Public Relations Specialists (Supplemental)
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (Supplemental)
- Cashiers (Supplemental)
- Counter and Rental Clerks (Primary-Short)
- Retail Salespersons (Primary-Long)
- Advertising Sales Agents (Primary-Short)
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents (Supplemental)
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 41-9041.00 (Telemarketers).
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