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SOC 41-3011 · O*NET 41-3011.00
Advertising sales agents turn clients' promotional objectives, audiences and budgets into deliverable media plans, quotes, contracts and account relationships; this page strictly separates the mainland China broad-industry wage proxy, precise U.S. occupation statistics, advertising compliance and AI control boundaries.
Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((50+75+25)/3+0.5)=50; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.
The core of advertising sales work is not the vague notion of 'being good at chatting', but turning a client's promotional objectives, audience and budget into executable media placements, dayparts or digital advertising plans, and keeping records of quotes, schedules, contracts and commitments. Fit depends more on observable task behaviour: whether you are willing to keep prospecting for clients, whether you ask questions before recommending media, and whether you can keep records and verify details under rejection and quota pressure.
Assessments and exercises serve only as a reference for self-exploration, and cannot predict hiring, competence or future performance.
If you often promise results without evidence, dislike proactively contacting strangers, find it hard to verify contract details, or treat one rejection as personal failure, this kind of work may steadily drain you; different media, client types and commission systems significantly change the experience. Before judging whether you are willing to carry quota pressure and a rejection cadence over the long term, first test your performance and energy cost with one complete mock client-development and proposal exercise.
Sell or solicit advertising placements, dayparts and media services in publications, television, radio, the internet and public spaces to businesses or individuals.
The work of advertising sales agents falls into three categories: prospecting and closing, plans and quotes, and account and compliance records, while client and media information is maintained continuously.
Executing client prospecting and needs research
Career direction comparison
This table compares two kinds of object: two work directions within the advertising sales agents occupation, and four clearly adjacent occupations. Each row answers the same set of questions—direction, core work and output, key differences, and what kind of choice it suits.
| Career direction | Core work and output | Key differences | Best-fit choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client prospecting and closing (direction within this occupation) | Prospect new clients by phone, email and visits, prepare and deliver sales presentations, cost estimates and contracts; the deliverables are closed media orders and account records. | The main results are new-client deal volume and signed value, with client sources mainly outbound calls, referrals and trade shows. | Suits people who are willing to face rejection continuously, can withstand quota and collection pressure, and turn the prospecting process into a workflow that can be reviewed. |
AI impact on this career
The tasks of advertising sales agents are mainly prospecting for clients, preparing presentations, cost estimates, contract handling and account communication; AI is more likely to change how these tasks are prepared and recorded than to take over responsibility for closing. O*NET shows that for this occupation 79% of workers face strict deadlines every day, 64% make decisions every day, and 73% consider dealing with external customers extremely important; these judgements depend on client context and the boundaries of commitment, and still require a person to be accountable. Task exposure does not equal organisational adoption, nor does it equal a change in the number of positions. AI Impact Score 50% is an editorial estimate. Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((50+75+25)/3+0.5)=50; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.The three tasks, ratings and sources are listed in the FermatMind method source record on this page.
FermatMind AI Impact Score estimation method v1
FermatMind / 费马测试 · 2026-10-18
Chinese mainland salary reference
Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no precise national wage distribution for this occupation in mainland China. The NBS2025 industry-sector averages serve only as a proxy and cannot be treated as an individual quote for this occupation.
Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no national occupational wage distribution for mainland China precisely corresponding to O*NET 41-3011.00; the existing National Bureau of Statistics 2025 industry-sector averages serve only as a proxy.
Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no monthly pay statistics or verifiable job-posting sample for this occupation in mainland China's first-tier cities. NBS industry averages do not break down this occupation's commission, city, client or media type, cannot be converted into a monthly pay for this occupation, and adjacent-occupation data is not used to fill the gap.
Insufficient evidence: no monthly pay data was obtained for advertising sales agents in mainland China's second-tier and provincial-capital cities. Official industry-sector annual average wages do not distinguish city tier, job duties or commission arrangements, cannot be converted into a monthly pay reference, and do not mean that this position is necessarily recruited at that city tier; this page makes no inference.
U.S. pay reference
The U.S. national median wage for advertising sales agents in 2025, month 5 (May), is $64,820/year ($31.16/hour); for the same precise occupation the 10th percentile is $35,240/year ($16.94/hour), the 25th percentile is $47,020/year, the 75th percentile is $99,990/year, and the 90th percentile is $146,010/year ($70.20/hour). Employment in 2025 was 99,300, and BLS projects a decline of 7% over 2025—2035 (a net decrease of about 7,100 people), with about 7,800 openings per year over the same period. The median means half of workers are above and half below; it is not an entry-level wage or a fixed base salary; openings mainly come from replacement demand created by transfers and exits, and are not equal to net new positions. This occupation commonly includes commission or performance bonuses, and an individual's total earnings also depend on media category, client mix and collections.
| Position in the wage statistics | Annual wage reference | Conversion boundaries | How to understand this position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% | $35,240/year | Official annual wage, not individual monthly income | The 10th percentile is $35,240/year ($16.94/hour), meaning about 10% of workers earn below this level; it is not equal to a starting wage and does not represent the offer of any region or employer. |
Occupation fit guide
Fit depends on task behaviour, not labels: whether you are willing to keep prospecting for unfamiliar clients, produce a deliverable plan under budget and media constraints, still verify prices and commitments under quota pressure, and review deals that did not close. Personality and interest assessments provide discussion cues only and cannot serve as hiring or ability thresholds. This occupation usually requires only a high school diploma or equivalent, though some employers require or prefer a bachelor's degree.
You may be better suited to： Willing to keep prospecting for clients and drive sales forward within the boundaries of price and commitment.
These situations call for caution： Caution is needed if you expect a stable base salary, are unwilling to carry quotas and rejection, or are unwilling to verify prices and compliance.
Do one entry exercise： Complete one needs interview, media mix and quote using a mock client and media kit, and record the steps you are willing to repeat and those you are not.
Work pressure, risks and occupational boundaries
The main work pressures include quotas, client rejection, price and inventory constraints, and commitments and collections. Quote approval, records and exception escalation can serve as editorial-suggested control actions, but this page verified no control effect or risk incidence rate, and cannot guarantee that risks are eliminated.
The risk scenarios are an editorial synthesis based on O*NET tasks and work context and BLS descriptions of quotas and travel; the occupational material does not prove risk incidence rates or the effect of control measures. China's internet advertising rules are used to check the review and archival obligations of operators and publishers, and specific contract, quote and client data conditions must be checked separately.
Typical scenario：The rate card or media inventory has been updated, but the proposal still uses an old quote version.
Roles most affected：Advertising sales agents and account managers responsible for external quoting.
Entry, qualifications and career development
The typical U.S. BLS entry requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent with no typical related experience, and some employers require or prefer a bachelor's degree. This page has no verifiable recruitment sample for China, so specific conditions must be checked separately; prospecting, plan and collection records can explain responsibility, and certificates cannot replace organisational authorisation.
Career prospects and moves to related occupations
Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no precise employment projection for this occupation in China. BLS U.S. employment in 2025 was 99,300, projected to decline by 7% over 2025—2035, a net decrease of 7,100 people, with average annual openings of 7,800 coming from transfers and exits; national figures cannot be used to infer opportunities in a specific region, industry or for an individual.
United States · O*NET single-occupation basis (41-3011.00)
O*NET 41-3011.00 (updated 2026)
Occupational tasks and context
Describes the composition of this occupation's tasks and work context, not employment size.
Does not establish：This basis does not provide headcount or projections, and cannot be used to infer employment demand.
Advertising sales agents sell advertising placements, dayparts or media services, and move client needs forward into quotes, contracts, creative approvals and account maintenance.
It differs from advertising managers: advertising sales agents are mainly responsible for media sales and client relationships, while advertising managers are responsible for campaign strategy, budgets and cross-team execution.
Choose a real task from this page for a small practice project or a conversation with someone in the field. Use the planning guides to set a date, an output and feedback questions before deciding whether to continue.
The core of advertising sales work is not the vague notion of 'being good at chatting', but turning a client's promotional objectives, audience and budget into executable media placements, dayparts or digital advertising plans, and keeping records of quotes, schedules, contracts and commitments. Judging fit should rely on observable task behaviour and working conditions, not personality labels; the exercises and checklists on this page were designed by the editors from public occupational sources for self-exploration, and do not constitute criteria for hiring, screening or ability assessment.
A stronger signal is: you are willing to keep prospecting for clients, you can ask questions before recommending media, you can explain audience, price, specifications and expected results clearly, and you can maintain CRM and follow-up cadence under rejection, quotas and deadlines. A single mock-client exercise with a debrief record can test this: whether constraints were clarified, whether the plan is deliverable, whether the quote is accurate, and whether any commitment went beyond your authority.
Execution record for plan quoting and cross-department collaboration
Advertising sales agents sell specific media placements, dayparts or digital inventory to clients and are accountable for closing and for accounts; advertising, promotions and marketing managers decide campaign budgets, creative direction and mix strategy; market research analysts provide audience and effectiveness research. Sales agents may suggest media sizes, formats and combinations, but product facts, legal opinions, special price approvals, final creative release and platform review are the responsibility of the corresponding clients, media, legal, operations and authorised managers.
| Dimension | Primary track | Comparison track |
|---|---|---|
| Core purpose | Turn a client's promotional objectives into a quotable, deliverable media plan and drive the sale to completion, while maintaining the account and collections. | Sell media placements and maintain client accounts over the long term |
| Main objects and basis | Produce a deliverable plan based on the client brief, media specifications, inventory and scheduling, and rate cards. | Client decision-makers and internal media operations, plus media inventory, rate cards and campaign data |
| Core process | Needs interview—plan and quote—proposal presentation—contract and launch—collections. | The complete process from needs interviews and plan quoting to proof approvals, go-live or broadcast, and collection follow-up. |
| Main outputs | Closed media orders and traceable account and collection records. | Media plans, quotation sheets, schedules, contracts, campaign data and account files |
| Responsible party | Sales agents are responsible for passing client information and commitments through completely, but cannot substitute for the approval and delivery responsibilities of the media, creative, finance and legal functions. | Sales agents, media operations, creative or production, finance collections, and legal and compliance roles |
| Authority and approval | Sales agents must not promise price, discounts or release beyond their authority. | Special price approvals, discount authorisation, creative release and platform review are decided by the corresponding authorised persons |
| Boundary of conclusions | Actual responsibilities, quotes and authorisations prevail. | This boundary applies only to a specific medium and organisation, and cannot be extrapolated to all markets or all positions |
Identify potential advertising clients and interview them about promotional objectives, audience, past campaigns, budget and constraints.
Build plans and cost estimates based on media resources, specifications, inventory and scheduling.
Present media plans, handle objections and negotiate price, delivery scope and contracts.
Coordinate creative proofs, approvals and go-live or broadcast, and maintain contract and account files.
Follow up on delivery, collections and client feedback, and escalate exceptions to operations, legal or the responsible manager.
Verify ad identifiability, creative approvals and archival records, and confirm that claims rest on verifiable evidence.
Before starting the job, check item by item the media type, client sources, commission structure, quota rules and the scope of quoting authority.
Confirm whether the employer actually sells publications, broadcast media, out-of-home media, digital inventory or integrated services.
Check whether base salary, commission rates, quotas, collections and client ownership rules are clearly written into the employment contract or commission agreement.
Check the approval chain for quotes, discounts and performance commitments, and which authorities sales may not promise externally.
Check the source, scope of use, storage location, and confidentiality and deletion requirements for client lists and campaign data.
| Key clients and account maintenance (direction within this occupation) |
|---|
| Maintain assigned clients and coordinate proof approvals, go-live or broadcast, renewals and collections; the deliverables are account plans, renewal contracts and service records. |
| The main results are renewal rate, client satisfaction and account growth, relying on long-term relationships and cross-department coordination. |
| Suits people who are willing to manage a small number of clients over the long term and are good at cross-department coordination and exception handling. |
| Marketing managers (O*NET 11-2021.00) | Plan marketing policies and programmes, assess demand, and set pricing and product-mix strategy; the deliverables are marketing plans, budgets and effectiveness evaluations. | Managers decide budgets and the execution mix and manage teams; advertising sales agents close specific media resources and advertising services within a given budget. | Suits people moving from individual closing to team and budget management who are willing to be accountable for overall campaign results. |
|---|
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | Design research, collect and analyse data and interpret market evidence; the deliverables are research reports and recommendations. | Research roles produce reviewable research designs and data interpretations; advertising sales agents use this evidence to explain media plans, and a sales proposal cannot pass itself off as independent research. | Suits people who prefer method, data and written argument over quotas and client negotiation. |
|---|
| Public relations specialists | Manage communication and reputation between the organisation and the public and media; the deliverables are communication materials, media relationships and crisis-response records. | The focus of public relations is relationship and reputation communication, and it does not directly carry responsibility for media inventory sales and collections. | Suits people who are good at writing, media communication and judging public sentiment, rather than closing negotiation. |
|---|
| Sales managers | Manage sales targets, forecasts, staff and processes; the deliverables are team targets, forecasts and staff management records. | Sales managers are responsible for team targets and staff; advertising sales agents usually manage clients, quotes and specific closings directly. | Suits people who already close consistently and are willing to move to target breakdown, staff coaching and process management. |
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When choosing, look at the outcome you want to be responsible for: direct closing and renewals, audience evidence, public relations, or a team sales system. Shared communication skills do not erase the differences in output and responsibility boundaries.
The comparison above describes only the differences in output and responsibility; job design varies greatly across industries and media types, so check the specific employer's job description before choosing.
Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
'Technical solvability' only answers whether a tool is capable of completing a certain kind of task. It does not mean the organisation has adopted it, nor that jobs have decreased as a result. For example, summarising public client material, generating a first proposal draft or producing call notes can be produced at a first-draft level by a tool; but judging the client's real objectives, whether the media fit, and the boundaries of discounts and commitments still requires a person to decide.
'Actual organisational adoption' looks at whether the organisation really puts the tool into its processes. Adoption thresholds in advertising sales work include client data authorisation, media and platform rules, the price and contract approval chain, and whether the cost of a wrong quote or an improper commitment can be measured. Technical availability does not mean it will be adopted.
'Number of positions and redistribution of work' is another layer of the question. BLS projects that employment for this occupation will decline by 7% over 2025—2035, but it does not attribute the change to generative AI; task exposure therefore cannot be used to infer a layoff ratio or a substitution date—it can only show that the task structure is changing, while the number of positions also depends on media budgets and market demand.
| Work area | Task | Current change | Human control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client prospecting | Prospect new clients and maintain the account foundation | Still an editorial suggestion | Verify client objectives, media fit and price version |
| Needs research | Study client needs and past campaign records | Still an editorial suggestion | Confirm sources, client identity and the latest prices |
| Plan and quote | Prepare the media plan, quote and schedule | Still an editorial suggestion | Judge whether the media fit the client's objectives and budget |
| Presentation and negotiation | Deliver the presentation to the client and handle objections | Still an editorial suggestion | Approve discounts, performance commitments and contract terms |
| Delivery compliance | Coordinate proof approval and go-live or broadcast arrangements | Still an editorial suggestion | Verify proof approval and advertising release compliance |
| Account collections | Follow up on collections and maintain account files | Still an editorial suggestion | Check collections, cancellations and account reconciliation records |
| Capability updating | Attend industry events and update media knowledge | No direct substitution evidence | Review tool output and record the person responsible for the review |
The evidence cards below provide background on this occupation's tasks, recruitment technologies, work context and statistics; these materials do not directly verify AI efficiency gains or a causal link to job displacement.
The following are editorial hypotheses about AI assistance based on this occupation's tasks, indicating preparation steps that could be tried and the human responsibilities involved; this page provides no adoption rate or measured results.
AI primarily changesSummarising public client material, organising lists and comparing past campaigns can produce a first draft.
Human responsibility remainsThe client's real objectives, budget trade-offs and media fit are still judged and owned by the sales agent.
AI primarily changesProposal first drafts, media specification comparisons and copy variants can be generated in batches.
Human responsibility remainsPrice and schedule versions, delivery terms and ad identifiability still require human verification and authorisation.
AI primarily changesCall notes, follow-up reminders and account records can be organised into to-dos by a tool.
Human responsibility remainsCommitments, discounts and compliance responsibility remain with people and the organisation, and cannot be signed off by a tool.
The five steps below set out the order of input, verification, recording and authorisation when using tools in advertising sales work (an editorial synthesis, not a statutory procedure).
Confirm why it is being used, which data are involved, and whether authorisation has been obtained.
Write down clearly what the tool can do, who receives the output, and which data and authorisation conditions are missing.
Verify the output item by item against the client's original material, the media specifications and the latest price version, especially the performance wording.
Keep the data sources, the plan and price versions, and the reasons for changes, to support approval and later review.
Clarify who approves discounts and commitments, who reviews the output, and who is responsible for the contract and the release.
Clients make decisions based on the performance wording in proposals, so an unverified claim becomes an external commitment.
Control: Bind every performance claim to verifiable evidence, and do not send untraceable content externally.
Client lists, budgets and campaign records are sensitive information, and an unclear scope for external sharing leads to leaks and disputes.
Control: Collect and check permissions for client and product information on a minimised basis, specifying clearly which fields may be shared externally.
Quotes, discounts and schedules depend on consistent versions, and version confusion leads to delivery and settlement disputes.
Control: Use the latest authorised versions of prices, discounts, schedules and contracts, and record which version was used.
Media specifications, audiences and schedules generated by a tool may be outdated or inconsistent with actual inventory.
Control: Re-verify against media inventory and specifications, and refer anomalies to operations or the media side for confirmation.
When records are missing, it is impossible to say who reviewed and who approved, and responsibility cannot be traced when problems arise.
Control: Record the tool's involvement, the human reviewer and the final approver, and monitor complaints and delivery deviations.
Practise with a mock client brief: verify the product and media facts, write five needs questions, and mark which conclusions must go back to the client or the media to be confirmed, then check whether the quote and schedule match the rate card.
Limit the tool to summarising public material and producing first drafts, keep source and price-version records for every proposal, and send nothing externally until a supervisor has reviewed it.
Build an output-review and exception-escalation checklist: discounts, performance commitments and contract terms are not decided by the tool, and a human authorisation step must be reserved.
Define the range of data and advertising files available to the team, clarify who reviews and who approves release, and periodically spot-check outputs and compliance records.
The BLS material checked for this page gives no AI substitution date or ratio; the national employment projection for 2025—2035 is a decline of 7%, with no separate estimate of a generative AI cause. Material summarisation and proposal first drafts can serve as trial tasks suggested by the editors, and whether they save time must be measured in practice.
Source: U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Advertising Sales AgentsOriginal source ↗
The BLS entry-requirements material checked for this page lists no programming threshold; the technologies most mentioned in 2025 job postings are mainly Office, Excel, PowerPoint and Canva, with Salesforce mentioned in about 5% of postings. If a particular position involves automation or data analysis, the original posting should be checked separately, and this cannot be used to assert that no position requires code.
Source: O*NET 41-3011.00 technology listOriginal source ↗
Editorial suggestion: start by trialling the summarising of public client material, organising of account records, drafting of needs questions and proposals, comparison of specifications, and turning of call notes into to-dos; measure editing time and errors item by item. Verify sources, authorisation, client identity and the latest prices; the existing occupational material does not prove that these tasks deliver the fastest efficiency gains.
Source: O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activitiesOriginal source ↗
BLS projects that U.S. employment for this occupation will decline by 7% over 2025—2035, but this is only a national aggregate direction, not a substitution date; the projection also does not attribute the change to generative AI, so it cannot be used to judge job gains or losses in a particular region, for a particular employer or for an individual—it only shows that the national total is contracting.
Source: U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Advertising Sales AgentsOriginal source ↗
You cannot decide this on your own. Discounts, prices and performance commitments are internal organisational authorisations and must be approved by someone with the corresponding authority; O*NET lists decision-making and external communication among this occupation's most important activities, and tool output cannot substitute for authorisation and judgement.
Source: O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activitiesOriginal source ↗
The BLS material checked for this page gives no year in which the occupation disappears; the employment change for 2025—2035 is a projection and cannot be read as an end date. Changes can be tracked using real positions' tasks, tool use and budget records, but no date on which an individual is replaced can be inferred from this.
Source: U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Advertising Sales AgentsOriginal source ↗
Three kinds of capability are more verifiable: first, the ability to turn client objectives and media facts into a plan that can be checked; second, the ability to verify the sources, price versions and compliance boundaries of tool output; third, the ability to read the basis of schedules, inventory and campaign data, explain discrepancies and record the review process.
Source: O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activitiesOriginal source ↗
The AI-assistance judgements above are editorial suggestions; the occupational tasks, recruitment technologies and statistics serve only as background. Task solvability does not equal organisational adoption, and cannot be used to infer the number of positions or an individual's income.
Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no mainland China wage data for advertising sales agents broken down by employer type such as advertising agency, media or platform. Contract base salary, commission and collection terms must be checked item by item; this page has not measured the size of the differences and does not fill gaps with overseas data.
Insufficient evidence: no sample of public job postings was obtained
| Educational background | Common job directions | Notes and verification advice |
|---|---|---|
| High school or below: recruitment criteria to be verified | List and material support tasks can be explored; the specific position and educational requirement must be verified against the original posting. | Insufficient evidence: no sample of mainland China job-posting quotes was obtained for this education level. |
| Associate degree: recruitment criteria to be verified | Client prospecting and account tasks can be explored; an educational qualification does not automatically confer independent quoting authority. | Insufficient evidence: no sample of mainland China job-posting quotes was obtained for this education level. |
| Bachelor's degree: recruitment criteria to be verified | Proposal and account tasks can be explored; a bachelor's degree does not automatically correspond to a key-account position. | Insufficient evidence: no sample of mainland China job-posting quotes was obtained for this education level. |
| Master's degree or above: recruitment criteria to be verified | Strategy or team tasks can be explored; a master's degree does not automatically correspond to brand or management authority. | Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no verifiable mainland China job-posting sample for this education level, so no pay is provided. |
No verifiable sample of public mainland China job postings was obtained, so this page does not display specific position or project quotes, and retains only the official statistical basis and qualification rules.
The annual average wage in this industry sector for urban non-private units in 2025 is 110,162 yuan; no by-position demand data for this occupation was obtained.
The annual average wage in this industry sector for urban non-private units in 2025 is 248,752 yuan; no by-position demand data for this occupation was obtained.
Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no by-industry position demand for advertising sales agents in mainland China; wage material for this occupation within the culture, sports and entertainment sector is also missing, and adjacent-occupation data is not used to fill the gap.
Editorial suggestion: client research, list organisation, proposal drafting and meeting notes can serve as trial areas for AI; whether they improve efficiency must be measured. Closing, collections, quoting, contracts and release remain the responsibility of people under organisational authorisation. Insufficient evidence: this page has no data on AI adoption in this occupation in China or on a causal link to wages, and the industry average wage cannot be used to infer changes in an individual's income.
| Median (50%) | $64,820/year | Official annual wage, not an individual's actual pay | The median is $64,820/year ($31.16/hour), with half of workers below and half above; this is a position in the national distribution, not an individual's actual pay. |
|---|
| Highest 10% | $146,010/year | Official annual wage, not an individual's actual pay | The 90th percentile is $146,010/year ($70.20/hour): about 10% of employees earn above this value; it is not a seniority-grade standard, and this page has no data stratified by experience or client resources, so it cannot be used to promise an individual's income. |
|---|
Pay · 10th percentile：The 10th percentile: $35,240/year ($16.94/hour)；About 10% of workers earn below this level； it is not equal to a starting wage and does not represent the offer of any region or employer.；O*NET OnLine 41-3011.00 national wage percentiles (BLS OEWS 2025, month 5 (May))
Pay · 25th percentile：The 25th percentile: $47,020/year ($22.61/hour)；The lower-quartile position in the distribution, usually below the national median, and needs to be compared together with region and position.；O*NET OnLine 41-3011.00 national wage percentiles (BLS OEWS 2025, month 5 (May))
Pay · median：Median: $64,820/year ($31.16/hour)；Half of workers earn below and half above this value； this is a position in the national distribution, not an individual's actual pay.；O*NET OnLine 41-3011.00 national wage percentiles (BLS OEWS 2025, month 5 (May))；U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Advertising Sales Agents
Pay · 75th percentile：The 75th percentile: $99,990/year ($48.07/hour)；The upper quartile is a relatively high position in the national employee wage distribution； this page has no causal analysis stratified by experience or client resources, and individual income cannot be explained on that basis.；O*NET 41-3011.00 national wage percentiles
Pay · 90th percentile：The 90th percentile: $146,010/year ($70.20/hour)；About 10% of workers earn above this level, and this cannot be used to promise an individual's income.；O*NET OnLine 41-3011.00 national wage percentiles (BLS OEWS 2025, month 5 (May))
No. The median only indicates the middle position of the distribution, with half of workers below and half above this value, and cannot be treated as a newcomer's starting pay, a guaranteed wage or a fixed base salary.
No. OEWS annual wages and hourly wages come from the same statistical basis, and the hourly figure is a statistical conversion that does not represent each person's actual paid hours or weekly hours. Actual income also depends on base salary and commission rate, media and client mix, quota attainment and the progress of collections, so national percentiles cannot be used to derive an individual's take-home income or a fixed monthly salary.
Wage percentiles come from the BLS OEWS national data for 2025, month 5 (May), as shown by O*NET; employment size and the 2025—2035 projection come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, and the two have different statistical products and reference periods.
Region and cost of living, media and client types, base salary and commission rate, quotas and account resources, and travel and working hours all affect actual income; this page presents only positions in the national distribution.
| Industry | Median wage for this occupation in this industry | How to understand this value |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising, public relations and related services | $72,910/year (2025, month 5 (May)) | BLS lists the median for this occupation in this industry separately; the scope is narrower than the O*NET professional, scientific and technical services major group, and cannot be directly paired with the 50% major-group share. |
| Media streaming distribution and social networks, etc. | $77,940/year (2025, month 5 (May)) | BLS lists the median for this occupation in this industry separately; it does not represent the whole information sector, nor is it an individual commission quote. |
| Newspaper publishing | $48,190/year (2025, month 5 (May)) | BLS lists the median for this occupation in this industry separately; it does not represent all other industries or wages in China's media sector. |
| All U.S. industries (national basis) | $64,820/year ($31.16/hour, 2025, month 5 (May)) | This is the national median annual wage, and does not distinguish industry, region, employer size or commission structure. |
Both the national wage percentiles and the employment projection are compiled on a U.S. national basis, and differences across states, metropolitan areas, a single employer and different media types are not reflected in them.
The BLS wage basis includes sales commission and bonuses for meeting production targets, and excludes overtime or shift premiums; it does not separately show an individual's base salary, commission rate or quota rules. The specific contract structure still has to be checked separately.
Media categories, client types and account resources differ, as do the difficulty of closing and income volatility, and these need to be checked again against the specific position and employer.
The U.S. employment size for this occupation in 2025, on the BLS employment projection basis； this product includes wage and salary jobs and the self-employed, unlike the OEWS wage sample, which does not cover the self-employed.；U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
The relative change projected for 2025—2035, a net decrease of about 7,100 people.；U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Advertising Sales Agents
BLS projects that all of these average annual openings come from replacement demand created by workers transferring or leaving, not from net new demand.；U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
O*NET occupational interest baseline
Enterprising · Conventional · ArtisticAn interest code describes preferences for an occupational environment: Enterprising corresponds to influencing and driving sales to completion, Conventional to account and quote records, and Artistic to media expression; it is used to explore task preferences, not as an ability threshold.
This occupation requires influencing and persuading, but also account, quote and contract records, and an understanding of media expression and creative work. The O*NET interest code ECA describes these environmental preferences, not a hiring threshold; the way to verify is to do one mock client's needs and media assessment and observe whether you are willing to repeat prospecting and recording.
Which Holland interest type is closer to advertising sales agents?
O*NET lists the interest code for 41-3011.00 as ECA (Enterprising first, followed by Conventional and Artistic): Enterprising corresponds to influencing and persuading, Conventional to account and quote records, and Artistic to media expression. The way to verify this is to do one mock client's needs and media assessment and see whether you are willing to keep prospecting and recording; an interest code cannot be used to infer ability or hiring outcomes.
Do not use it this way: Treating an interest code as a hiring or ability threshold leads to misjudgement; instead, go back to real client prospecting, quoting and collection records to verify.
Test my Holland vocational interestsWhich Big Five traits are more relevant to this job?
The Big Five can be used to reflect on habits; this page does not establish an individual predictive model linking scores to quote accuracy, client prospecting or performance. Check follow-up, versions and how rejections are handled against task records, rather than treating scores as a threshold.
Do not use it this way: Replacing task evidence with scores leads to misjudgement: a low score does not mean someone cannot do the work, and a high score does not guarantee they can keep prospecting for clients.
View my Big Five personality traitsCan MBTI be used to judge whether I am suited to being an advertising sales agent?
This page gives no evidence that MBTI types predict performance in this occupation. Introvert or extrovert labels should not directly exclude exploration; structured preparation, written proposals and one-to-one communication can be tried; verify with prospecting and proposal records, and do not judge competence from a type.
Do not use it this way: Treating an MBTI type as a hiring standard leads to incorrect screening; use client prospecting, quoting and collection records instead.
Understand my MBTI preferencesCan the Enneagram tell me whether I am suited to this occupation?
The Enneagram describes motivational tendencies, and fit with this occupation can only be verified through tasks. It can help you reflect on how you react to quota pressure, client rejection and price disagreement, but cannot be used to infer professional ability; verify with a mock client-development exercise and a debrief record.
Do not use it this way: Treating a type as a necessary job requirement leads to misjudgement; motivational tendencies do not determine work outcomes, and client prospecting, quoting and collection task behaviour should be the basis.
Explore my Enneagram patternCan I be an advertising sales agent if I am not good at mathematics?
The occupational material on this page supports interpretation of media costs, conversion and commission bases, but cannot assert that no position involves higher mathematics. Start by verifying task ability with cost calculations and effectiveness explanations; intelligence scores cannot replace the page's actual task evidence.
Do not use it this way: This page establishes no predictive relationship between intelligence scores and an individual's hiring or work quality; verify specific tasks with media cost and effectiveness explanation records, and do not treat the listed tasks as the capability ceiling for all positions.
Understand my intelligence and reasoning performanceDo advertising sales agents need high emotional intelligence?
Emotional ability helps with client communication and objection handling, but in the form of a self-rating or score it can hardly predict real performance. A more reliable approach is to observe your own actual handling under rejection and pressure: whether you ask about the reason first when a client says no, whether you keep communication clear when a quota is not met, and whether you notice your own reaction after repeated rejection and review it. These behaviours can be recorded and reviewed with colleagues; an emotional intelligence score is not a threshold.
Do not use it this way: Treating an emotional intelligence score as a hiring threshold causes misjudgement; use client communication records, objection handling and the quality of debriefs to judge instead.
Understand my emotional intelligence abilitiesFits better when: Willing to take primary responsibility for team quotas and staff management.
Watch for: The focus is team targets and staff processes; whether key clients are also managed must be checked against the specific job duties.
Explore related career: Sales managersFits better when: Prefers planning campaign budgets and cross-team execution.
Watch for: The focus is strategy, budget and mix management; whether a specific position also covers client quotes and closing must be checked against the division of duties.
Explore related career: Advertising, promotions and marketing managersFits better when: Prefers answering business questions and hypotheses with research design and data.
Watch for: Delivers research conclusions and recommendations, without carrying quotas or closing.
Explore related career: Market research analysts and marketing specialistsFits better when: Willing to check the insurance sales licence, training and product compliance requirements of the target jurisdiction.
Watch for: Licensing, examination and ongoing training requirements for insurance sales are checked by target jurisdiction; this page provides no unified cross-jurisdiction requirements.
Explore related career: Insurance sales agentsFits better when: Willing to take on viewings, price negotiation and a longer sales cycle.
Watch for: Income volatility is high and depends on local listings and client sources.
Explore related career: Real estate salesFits better when: Prefers understanding product parameters and assessing technical solutions on that basis.
Watch for: Requires an engineering background or additional investment of technical learning and time.
Explore related career: Sales engineersNo personality type is a threshold. The basis for judgement is observable task behaviour: whether you are willing to keep prospecting for clients, produce a plan under budget and media constraints, and verify commitments and review outcomes under quota pressure. You can first run a real test with one mock client and media kit, then record your honest feelings about client rejection and quote review. These records can show whether you are willing to repeat this kind of work, but cannot show whether you can be hired or stay competent in the long run.
Exploration should not be ruled out because of an introvert label. Structured preparation, written proposals and one-to-one communication can be tried, recording whether the expression and the continuous follow-up are bearable; a single exercise cannot prove fit, work outcomes or hiring probability.
An extrovert preference cannot prove ability in cold prospecting or client communication. The editors suggest running one mock proposal, recording whether constraints were clarified, prices and commitments verified, and objections handled; a single observation does not represent overall ability or a hiring outcome.
The material on this page gives no MBTI type best suited to this occupation, and no screening or ability judgement can be based on one. The type description can serve as a self-questioning prompt, to be explored further with prospecting and proposal records; a type label cannot replace task evidence.
O*NET lists the interest code for this occupation as ECA (Enterprising first, followed by Conventional and Artistic), describing preferences for the occupational environment: Enterprising corresponds to influencing and driving sales to completion, Conventional to account and quote records, and Artistic to media expression. This is only an environment-preference label, not an ability threshold, and cannot be used to infer hiring or income. It can be verified with one mock client-development exercise: whether you are willing to revise the media mix and quote according to client constraints.
This page establishes no model in which personality or interest scores predict individual performance. A full client needs analysis, media quote and debrief can be checked against the job duties; a small sample cannot be used to infer long-term competence, hiring probability or income, and it also does not discredit all personality research.
Those who are not confident with mathematics can first practise exposure volumes, cost per thousand, conversion rates and commission calculations; if a specific position includes budgeting or quantitative analysis, check the requirements separately. This page does not promise that no position requires higher mathematics; one calculation verifies only that task, not overall fit.
What is needed is observable communication and emotional handling, not a particular emotional intelligence score. Common situations at work include: a client pressing for a lower price at short notice, a change in media scheduling, or a client whose expectations of results are too high. Whether you can understand the reason first, adjust how you put things, and escalate or change the plan when necessary says more than a self-rated score. These reactions can be verified with one proposal exercise or a real client debrief, and reviewed with colleagues; this cannot be used to infer long-term performance or a hiring outcome.
No. The Enneagram describes motivational tendencies, not professional ability; using it to judge fit ignores differences in actual tasks and conditions. A more useful approach is to treat the type description as a reflection cue: under quota pressure, client rejection and open review, do I tend to persist, change approach, or avoid? Then design a recordable test, such as two consecutive weeks of a client-prospecting and debrief log. This evidence can support the direction to try next, but cannot produce a conclusion about fit or hiring.
First choose one direction and produce a set of deliverables: a media mix and quote for a mock client, and a needs-interview record with a debrief; then do the same version in the other direction. Compare the time invested, the number of times you revised the plan, and whether you are willing to repeat the process. The deliverables can show the tasks and preferred direction you currently have, but cannot prove professional competence or replace real sales experience in the target industry.
Possible consequence：Exceeding discount authority, mis-selling inventory and delivery disputes, potentially causing the company loss of revenue.
How to reduce risk：Use the latest authorised versions for quotes and discounts, and record the approver and the validity period of the version.
Evidence：O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activities · U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook: Advertising Sales Agents
Typical scenario：When an account manager leaves or a handover is unclear and the account history and commitments cannot be traced.
Roles most affected：Frontline positions that need to maintain client and account records.
Possible consequence：Follow-up gaps, repeated contact with clients, or inconsistent commitments over time.
How to reduce risk：Record client stage, objections, quote version and next step consistently in the system, and check updates periodically.
Evidence：O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activities · U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook: Advertising Sales Agents
Typical scenario：Sending client lists and unpublished prices directly to external third parties.
Roles most affected：Positions that handle client lists and campaign data.
Possible consequence：Data leaks, client complaints and confidentiality disputes.
How to reduce risk：Collect and check authorisation for client and contact information on a minimised basis, specify which fields may be shared externally, and keep approval records.
Evidence：O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activities · U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook: Advertising Sales Agents
Typical scenario：A client asks for a performance commitment that cannot be proven to be written in, in order to close the deal.
Roles most affected：Sales positions responsible for making performance statements to clients.
Possible consequence：Misleading risk enters creative material and contracts, creating compliance liability.
How to reduce risk：Bind performance claims to verifiable evidence, and untraceable content must not enter an external proposal.
Evidence：Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising (mainland China) · O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activities
Typical scenario：When the sole contact is on leave or leaves the company, no one responds to the client's urgent needs.
Roles most affected：Sales positions independently responsible for a single account.
Possible consequence：No one follows up with the client, scheduling is delayed and renewals are lost.
How to reduce risk：Set a backup contact and shared records for key accounts, and complete the handover before leave.
Evidence：U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook: Advertising Sales Agents · O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activities
Typical scenario：The client delays payment or requests a cancellation on the grounds that results were unsatisfactory.
Roles most affected：Sales positions that follow up on both delivery and collections.
Possible consequence：Overdue accounts, bad debts and rising delivery disputes.
How to reduce risk：The contract specifies delivery standards and payment milestones clearly, and abnormal collections are escalated to finance and the supervisor promptly.
Evidence：O*NET 41-3011.00 detailed tasks and work activities · U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook: Advertising Sales Agents
| Entry-level positions | What you mainly do in the early days on the job | What employers usually look at | How to prove yourself without experience | How it differs from other directions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising sales assistant | Organises client lists and account material, updates the CRM, prepares sales material and schedules, and assists with quote follow-up. | Usually looks at communication and follow-up habits, spreadsheet and CRM use, and a basic understanding of media products. | Submit a list-screening and follow-up plan for a mock client, noting the information sources. | A supportive entry-level position that usually does not independently carry closing and collection targets. |
| Media execution assistant | Places orders according to the media plan, organises schedules and creative specifications, and verifies campaign records and the reconciliation basis. | Values habits of verifying schedules and specifications, spreadsheet handling and patience with detail. | Submit a schedule and specification comparison table for a mock media kit. | Focused on media delivery and execution, not directly responsible for client prospecting and negotiation. |
| Account executive (AE) | Takes on assigned clients, prepares plan and quote first drafts, and coordinates proof approval and launch arrangements. | Values client communication, proposal preparation and cross-department coordination records. | Submit a mock client brief and a list of needs questions. | Starts to take responsibility for client relationships, but has limited pricing and commitment authority. |
| Digital advertising optimisation assistant | Assists in building campaign plans and organising audience and creative variants, and records performance data and anomalies. | Values platform operation, data interpretation and habits of reporting anomalies. | Use public or self-made material to produce a set of campaign hypotheses and a performance record. | Leans towards data and campaign execution, without responsibility for media inventory sales and collections. |
| Telephone business development representative | Makes outbound calls from a list, records interest and objections, books appointments and hands over to account managers for follow-up. | Values call and follow-up discipline, resilience to rejection, and record-keeping habits. | Provide your own call records and an explanation of how your script evolved (mock list). | Primary results are contact volume and appointments, without directly owning clients or quoting authority. |
The BLS Occupational Outlook states that entry to this occupation usually requires only a high school diploma or equivalent, with no related work experience required and typically moderate-term on-the-job training; some employers require or prefer a bachelor's degree.
O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone Three; occupations in that zone generally require vocational training, related experience or an associate degree—this is a general description of the job zone, not a uniform requirement for every newcomer in this occupation. BLS lists no typical related experience for this occupation, and the two bases cannot be interchanged.
The general U.S. occupational material checked for this page lists no single universal licence, which does not prove that all regions or advertising activities need no permit. Product certification cannot replace quoting, discount or release authorisation.
Verifiable preparation items include media knowledge, CRM use and compliance training records, and the organisation's internal scope of quote and commitment approval.
O*NET work context shows that for this occupation 79% of workers face strict deadlines every day, 64% make decisions every day, and 81% use telephone conversations every day.
73% consider dealing with external customers or the public extremely important, and 84% use email every day, indicating that the work is dominated by high-frequency external communication and quota pressure.
Employer job postings mention office, presentation and design tools most often: Microsoft Office about 17%, Excel about 16%, PowerPoint about 13% and Canva about 8%.
Next are Outlook and Adobe Creative Cloud (about 7% each) and Salesforce (about 5%); mention frequency only shows how often they appear, and does not mean they are required for the job or indicate proficiency.
Fixed case (all fictional): a two-month campaign for a new store of the chain gym 'Chendong', targeting 1,200 unique valid trial-class sign-ups, with a total budget of 300,000 yuan. Audience priority is the office-worker population within 3 km of the store; the statement sets a cap of CPA250 yuan per valid sign-up. Practice only; not a real business or price.
Media kit V1 (all fictional, two months, tax and production included, no other fees): elevator screens listed at 150,000 yuan, authorised at 8 tenths of the listed price = 120,000 yuan; light boxes 125,000 yuan, 8 tenths of the listed price = 100,000 yuan; app splash screens 100,000 yuan, 8 tenths of the listed price = 80,000 yuan; the three-package schedule runs weeks 1—8, with inventory available but subject to confirmation before signing. Simulated results: screens 400, light boxes 320 and splash screens 200 sign-up records, with no check for cross-channel duplication, validity or source attribution; actual spend equals the three-package quote, with no refunds or additional charges.
Deliver two plans, five needs questions, a price/discount/schedule verification table, contract and performance-statement boundaries, and a one-page debrief; the two plans are all three packages at 300,000 yuan, and elevator screen plus splash screen at 200,000 yuan, with no sign-up volume promised for either plan.
Using the same case, write out the client's objectives and constraints, the matching media mix and rationale, the quote and schedule, and the cost estimate, and mark which claims must go back to the client or the media to be confirmed.
Provide a one-page note: which judgements have public evidence, which are your assumptions, and what you would check first if first-period results fall below target.
Reference judgement: the audience radius of 3 km is a stated assumption; exposure, visibility and deduplication information is missing, so it cannot be concluded that elevator screens have a lower exposure cost or that splash screens have a better causal effect. First ask about the valid sign-up rule, deduplication method, channel attribution, creative approval and confirmation of price and inventory; public occupational material supports only the task background.
Quote check: 150,000×0.8=120,000, 125,000×0.8=100,000, 100,000×0.8=80,000, total 300,000; alternative plan 120,000+80,000=200,000. The three-package V1 price is authorised only by the task statement, and price or schedule changes require separate approval. The total of 920 sign-up records is not equal to unique valid sign-ups, and cannot be treated as a target commitment.
The exercise was designed by this page's editors, and the client, media prices, budget and results are all fictional; the O*NET links below support only the task background, not the statement or the figures. Real projects must be executed according to prices, inventory, creative evidence, client data authorisation and the approval chain, and the exercise does not constitute a quote or media-buying advice.
For the target employer, compile the education, experience, media and tool requirements, and quoting and discount authority, with sources and verification dates.
The same occupation differs greatly across advertising agencies, media platforms and corporate marketing departments; this table records only verified items and items still to be confirmed.
For each media plan, list self-check items: the source of the client objective, media specifications and price version, the cost estimate basis, and the evidence and qualifying conditions for performance claims.
The review checklist is for self-checking and peer review, and does not replace the organisation's price approval and advertising compliance review.
Example deliverable (fictional): the three-package quote totals 300,000 yuan, within the total budget; sign-up records 400+320+200=920, which is 280 short of the 1,200 target. 300,000/920=326.09 yuan/record, which is 76.09 higher than the 250 target; on the unproven assumption of 920 valid sign-ups, the spending cap would be 230,000 yuan, so actual spend is 70,000 yuan more. But the records have not been deduplicated or verified as valid, and the actual valid number is at most 920, so the target cannot be shown to be met; this is not a verified effective CPA. Channel costs are 300/312.50/400 yuan per record respectively, which cannot prove causality or a substitution effect between the packages. First re-check deduplication, the validity rule and attribution; without verification, do not add spend or promise results. Stop conditions: do not sign or release when price authority, inventory or creative evidence is incomplete, and do not treat records as valid sign-ups when the basis is unverified; adjustments to targets or budget require confirmation from the client and the authorised person.
Work standard: client objectives and media facts are verifiable, prices and schedules have version records, stop conditions are written down, and it is stated which conclusions cannot be drawn from the available information.
| Screening or trial stage | Tasks that may be checked | Observable or submittable evidence | Conclusions that cannot be inferred from this |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material screening | Check whether relevant sales or customer service experience, media product understanding and tool use scope are consistent with the job duties. | Whether the submittable material is complete, verifiable and mutually consistent. | A single round of material screening cannot judge actual client prospecting and closing ability. |
| Case and scenario questions | Given a mock client and media kit, follow-up questions on objective judgement, mix trade-offs, quote basis and objection handling. | Whether the answers give concrete steps, data sources and qualifying conditions. | Scenario questions cannot replace real client negotiation and quota pressure. |
| Plan and quote review | Explain the basis of the assumptions, the price version, the performance basis and the risk points for one media plan. | Whether observation and interpretation are distinguished, and whether the sources of uncertainty are stated. | A single review cannot be used to infer the qualification to independently manage clients and collections over the long term. |
| Trial period | Observe client follow-up, plan progress, cross-department collaboration and how review feedback is acted on. | Whether records are verifiable, and whether review feedback is implemented in the next task. | A short trial cannot be used to infer long-term retention, quoting authority or performance results. |
Use this page's fixed Chendong case, the three media types and the V1 prices, and confirm the basis for the two months, the 1,200 valid sign-ups and the 300,000 budget.
Write the three-kilometre audience as a stated assumption; occupational material supports only the task background. Before comparing media, list the missing exposure, deduplication and attribution information, and do not present fictional data as public market prices.
List five needs questions and rewrite the vague objectives into quotable constraints.
Provide the media mix, schedule and quote, and mark the price version and the items to be confirmed.
Write down the performance measurement basis, the review cadence, and the circumstances in which spending would be adjusted or stopped.
Recalculate the three-package 300,000 yuan, 920 records and the shortfall of 280; 326.09 yuan per record cannot be treated as an effective CPA, and it should not be said that the total budget has been exceeded. Explain the duplication, validity and attribution gaps, and raise items to be confirmed against the stop conditions.
Revise the plan or assumptions according to review feedback, and record whether you are willing to repeat this process.
| Qualification / status | Who it mainly suits | Practical effect in job seeking | Whether it is a general entry threshold | Application / registration requirements | Level of investment | Important limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No relevant experience | Applicants who have not yet worked in sales or client prospecting and want to understand the prerequisites for entering the field. | Can apply for entry-level positions that meet the specific conditions; use portfolio work to explain your level of preparation, and do not exclude yourself outright because you have no experience. | BLS lists no typical related work experience for this occupation; employers may have specific requirements, and this page has no Chinese recruitment sample. | Internships, part-time work or fictional exercises can be used to supplement the record; whether they are required must be checked against the position. | Medium: time is needed to complete presentable plans and follow-up records. | Without plans and follow-up records, it is hard to demonstrate prospecting and quoting ability. |
| High school diploma or equivalent | Applicants who want to meet the entry education requirement of most positions through their education. | Meets the education condition typical for entry to this occupation. | BLS states that this occupation usually requires only a high school diploma or equivalent, and some employers require or prefer a bachelor's degree. | Complete your studies to the institution's requirements, and build up sales internship or project experience as far as possible. | Low to medium: mainly the time spent in education and tuition costs. | An academic qualification by itself does not prove prospecting and closing ability, and still needs plan and follow-up records to support it. |
| Relevant sales internship or part-time experience | People who have already taken part in sales, customer service or promotional execution while studying or changing careers. | Can be used to explain actual task involvement and verifiable output; this page has no data on the size of any hiring benefit. | Whether experience is required must be checked against the specific position, without claiming what most employers check most often. | Build up verifiable output through internships, part-time work or self-initiated projects. | Medium: mainly time invested and record keeping. | Descriptions of experience must be verifiable; a nominal involvement cannot replace actual duties. |
| Platform or advertising product certification | People who want to add platform operation records to strengthen their competitiveness. | Can serve as a bonus, without changing the entry requirements. | This page obtained no unified cross-jurisdiction licensing requirement; product, regional and job conditions must be checked separately. | Complete the course and pass the assessment to the platform's requirements (for example, product certifications offered by some advertising platforms). | Low to medium: mainly course and examination fees. | Certification is not equal to quoting and release authority, and cannot replace client prospecting experience. |
| Media or advertising sales training | People who want a systematic understanding of media specifications, scheduling and quoting. | Can provide practice material on media specifications and quoting, without guaranteeing that a trial period is passed. | Not a general entry threshold; it is supplementary preparation. | Complete the course and pass the assessment to the training provider's requirements, and keep the practice output. | Low to medium: mainly course fees and practice time. | Training grants no pricing or commitment authority, and cannot replace real client experience. |
| Quota and account management experience | People who already have experience in client prospecting, quota attainment or account maintenance. | Is a key condition for promotion to senior account manager or team lead. | Senior position requirements must be checked against the job posting and duties, without substituting majority claims for a sample. | Seek independent accounts, quotas and negotiation opportunities in your current position, and keep records. | Medium: mainly job opportunities and accumulated experience. | Without independent account and collection records, a job title cannot replace actual authority. |
Typical scope：Organises lists, updates the CRM and assists with quote and contract follow-up.
Readiness evidence：One list-screening and follow-up record, stating the information sources.
Credential boundary：Typical U.S. BLS entry education is a high school diploma or equivalent; specific assistant positions must be checked against the job requirements.
Next moves：Independently responsible for a small client list.
Typical scope：Independently prospects new clients, prepares plans and quotes and verifies scheduling with the media side.
Readiness evidence：Independent closing records, quote versions and client follow-up material.
Credential boundary：Usually requires relevant sales experience or verifiable client prospecting records.
Next moves：Takes on a larger quota, or moves to key clients and account maintenance.
Typical scope：Responsible for key client portfolios, quota attainment and the boundaries of quoting authority.
Readiness evidence：Records of client-mix growth, quota attainment and renewals.
Credential boundary：Usually requires several years of closing and account management experience.
Next moves：Moves towards team management or key-account management.
Typical scope：Responsible for quota targets, the client mix and team results.
Readiness evidence：Quota and revenue data, and records of team development and client retention.
Credential boundary：Usually requires several years of sales and team management experience.
Next moves：Move into general management according to the organisation's needs.
Typical scope：Takes on assigned clients, prepares plan and quote first drafts and coordinates delivery.
Readiness evidence：Client briefs, needs questions and follow-up records.
Credential boundary：The typical U.S. entry education can be used as a reference; specific conditions for an account executive must be checked against the position.
Next moves：Independently manages a small client portfolio.
Typical scope：Responsible for the plans, scheduling, renewals and collections of assigned clients.
Readiness evidence：Renewal records, exception handling and client feedback material.
Credential boundary：Usually requires client management or media delivery experience.
Next moves：Takes on key clients or industry accounts.
Typical scope：Responsible for key clients' budgets, renewals and cross-department coordination.
Readiness evidence：Account plans, renewal negotiations and delivery deviation records.
Credential boundary：Usually requires key-account or cross-department project experience.
Typical scope：Assists in building campaign plans, organising creative and recording performance data.
Readiness evidence：One note explaining campaign hypotheses and a performance record.
Credential boundary：The campaign assistant role involves adjacent execution tasks, and this page does not infer its threshold from the advertising sales qualification.
Next moves：Independently manages one channel.
Typical scope：Responsible for the performance measurement basis, costs and client communication.
Readiness evidence：Campaign records, cost comparisons and optimisation notes.
Credential boundary：Usually requires campaign operation or data analysis experience.
Next moves：Takes on cross-channel performance plans and debriefs.
Typical scope：Responsible for performance targets, budget allocation and plan trade-offs.
Readiness evidence：Experiment records, cost efficiency and client endorsement material.
Usually requires performance campaign and budget management experience.
Able to complete list organisation and client follow-up under guidance, and explain the basis.
Able to independently handle one type of client or media plan, complete a quote and explain the trade-offs.
Able to coach colleagues, review others' plans and quotes, and take part in cross-department projects.
Able to take responsibility for the client mix, quota targets and team results, and manage the boundaries of quoting authority.
United States · Official single-occupation basis (SOC 41-3011)
Decline of 7%
Employment change
A net decrease of about 7,100 people; average annual openings of 7,800 come from transfers and exits, and are not equal to new demand.
Does not establish：A projection is not a certain outcome, and does not explain opportunities in a specific region or for an individual.
Mainland China · Broad industry-sector proxy, not this occupation
110,162 yuan/year
Industry-sector wages
Only indicates the wage level of industries in which this occupation may be distributed.
Does not establish：Limited to employed persons in urban non-private legal entities within the scope of the National Bureau of Statistics survey; excludes all workers or self-employment income, and cannot be broken down into a precise wage for this occupation.
These are capability relationships, not automatic promotions or credential waivers.
Transfers：Target management and client communication ability
Build next：Team forecasting and people management training
View career profileTransfers：Client communication and media product understanding
Build next：Campaign budget, creative and cross-team experience
View career profileTransfers：Audience understanding and data interpretation
Build next：Requires additional training in research design, sampling and statistical analysis, completion of a reviewable research plan, and verification of education and employer requirements; client communication experience cannot replace research methods.
View career profileTransfers：External communication and grasp of issues
Build next：Media relationship maintenance and writing training
View career profileTransfers：Habits of client prospecting and needs communication
Build next：Insurance sales licence, training and product-terms knowledge in the target jurisdiction
View career profileTransfers：Client prospecting, needs communication and driving sales to completion can serve as editorial comparison points; viewings, transaction processes and target-jurisdiction licensing must be checked separately and are not part of the original advertising sales occupation tasks.
Build next：Knowledge of local listings and transaction processes
View career profileTransfers：Technical solution and client communication ability
Build next：Engineering background and technical solution assessment training
View career profileTransfers：Full ability in client prospecting and order follow-up
Build next：Channel management and inventory turnover experience
View career profileInsufficient evidence: this page obtained no precise occupational wage for China; broad industry proxies cannot be combined into a salary range for this occupation.
The U.S. median wage in 2025 is $64,820/year; $31.16/hour, not a starting wage or a fixed base salary.
AI can assist with preparation and recording tasks such as client research, list organisation, proposal first drafts and organising call notes, but a task being assistable does not mean the organisation will adopt it, nor does it mean the number of positions changes.
The general U.S. entry material checked for this page lists no single universal licence; it does not prove that no region requires a permit. Specific advertising categories, platforms, contracts, data and corporate authorisations must be checked separately.
Using this page's mock client and full media kit, complete the needs work, quote, debrief and verification checklist; a single exercise only verifies that task and your preferences, and cannot prove real client closing ability.
The main risks are unsupported performance promises, outdated prices and schedules, exceeding discount authority, misuse of client data, and incorrectly closed deals under quota pressure.
Client confirmation, price and discount authorisation, contract terms, advertising compliance review and final commitments must be handled by a person with the authority to do so and recorded; AI output can only serve as preparation material, and cannot replace these authorisations and external commitments.
Insufficient evidence: this page obtained no verifiable recruitment sample for China. The typical U.S. BLS entry education is a high school diploma or equivalent with no typical related experience, and some employers require or prefer a bachelor's degree and provide on-the-job training; education, experience, qualifications and authority in China must be checked against the target position.
FermatMind careers content editorial team (compiled from public sources including O*NET, BLS and the National Bureau of Statistics)
2026-10-08 (nine-section revision limited to this round)
Occupational tasks and work context: O*NET OnLine 41-3011.00; employment and wages: U.S. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook and OEWS 2025, month 5 (May); China wage basis: National Bureau of Statistics 2025 annual average wages of employed persons in urban units.
Limitations：Applies only to the O*NET 41-3011.00 occupation and the U.S. market, and cannot be used to infer mainland China occupational mapping, wages or legal authority.
Limitations：National-basis employment and projections; excludes mainland China data and does not provide an individual wage quote.
Limitations：Task and work activity descriptions are used to understand the boundaries of duties, not as wage or demand statistics.
Limitations：OEWS covers full-time and part-time employees but not the self-employed; percentiles are not a starting wage or an individual's take-home income, and the standard full-year conversion is not equal to a part-timer's actual income.
Limitations：Broad-basis annual average wages by industry sector and position category, not the wage distribution of this single occupation, city or enterprise type.
Limitations：Only gives the industry employment share, without industry wages; it cannot be used to infer China's industry structure.
Limitations：The certification list is an entry point for discovering related U.S. qualifications, and does not constitute a requirement for practising in China.
Limitations：The training list is an entry point for discovering local U.S. training, and does not represent a uniform employer requirement.
Limitations：The mention share is the share of software appearing in unique job postings linked to this occupation; it does not represent actual adoption rates, depth of use, proficiency or a uniform threshold.
Limitations：The custom profile is used to query task, ability and context dimensions in combination, and is not a single authoritative conclusion.
Limitations：Used to explain the composition of the total wage bill and the before-tax basis; it provides no occupational wage figures.
Limitations：Applies to internet advertising activities within China; it does not cover other jurisdictions and does not replace labour contracts or advertising review rules.
Limitations：An official interpretation by the regulator, used to understand the institutional background; it is not the legal text itself.
Limitations：Serves as the official query entry point for OEWS data; percentile values follow the same reference period as shown by O*NET.
Limitations：The superior law for advertising activities in China; it does not cover other jurisdictions, and its specific application depends on subordinate regulations and industry rules.
Limitations：The occupational group page is used for horizontal comparison with similar positions; its figures are not precise occupational statistics for advertising sales agents.
Limitations：This section provides national and several specific industry medians and notes that bonuses and commission are common; it does not provide individual contract commission rates or quotes.
Limitations：This section is a national aggregate projection and cannot be used to infer an individual's probability of unemployment or regional demand.
Limitations：This section describes quota pressure, travel and working-hour characteristics, and is a description of the U.S. work context.
Limitations：This section describes the U.S. entry pathway and does not constitute an education or qualification requirement in China.
Limitations：Used to compare with adjacent sales positions; it is not evidence of this occupation's wages or demand.
Limitations：Regional data entry point; this page cites only the national basis and does not use state or metropolitan area figures.
Limitations：Work activity dimensions are used to understand the composition of tasks, not as performance standards or hiring thresholds.
Limitations：Work context dimensions are used to understand working conditions, not as risk ratios or health diagnoses.
Limitations：The provisions address the registration, review and archive obligations of advertising operators and publishers; they do not cover other jurisdictions.
Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
The U.S. data on this page are on a national basis, and the China wage is a broad industry-sector proxy; neither can be converted into an individual's take-home income, and they cannot be extrapolated to each other.
Big Five personality (Chinese) · MBTI (Chinese) · Enneagram (Chinese) · Intelligence and reasoning (Chinese)
Check which role is responsible for, reviews and finally approves scheduling, media inventory, go-live or broadcast, and creative approvals.
Check the rules on travel, overtime, client entertainment and expense reimbursement, and the boundary between sales assessment metrics and the actual quota arrangements.
Next moves：Moves towards account direction lead or team management.
Typical scope：Responsible for the revenue, renewal rate and team targets of the client portfolio.
Readiness evidence：Client retention data, revenue growth and team development records.
Credential boundary：Usually requires several years of key-account and team management experience.
Next moves：Move into general business management according to the organisation's needs.
Next moves：Moves towards digital business lead or team management.
Typical scope：Responsible for digital business revenue, the performance basis and team results.
Readiness evidence：Business revenue, performance data and team development records.
Credential boundary：Usually requires several years of digital sales and management experience.
Next moves：Move into general management according to the organisation's needs.
