How to become a telephone salesperson
Official title: Telephone salespersons
Also called: Telephone salesman, Telephone canvasser, Telephone sales agent, Telephone order clerk, Telephone sales clerk, Telephone sales operator, Telephone sales assistant, Telephone sales executive, Telephone marketing assistant, Telephone sales representative, Tele-ad girl, Sales adviser
Telephone salespersons obtain, receive, process and record telephone orders for goods and services.
Main tasks
- Learns about the product(s)/service(s) to be sold
- Telephones potential customers, explains purpose of call, discusses their requirements and advises on the goods/services being offered
- Quotes prices, credit terms and delivery conditions and records details of orders agreed
- Receives orders for goods/services by telephone and records relevant details
- Arranges despatch of goods and services, information and/or brochures to customers
- Maintains record of sales statistics, customers contacted and changes to customer details
How to become one
Academic qualifications may be required. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by short courses in practical skills. NVQs/SVQs in Sales at levels 2 and 3 and apprenticeships are available.
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £30,495 a year The middle half earn £24,589 to null.
- About 23,700 people work in this job now, and about 22,500 are projected by 2035. (-4.9%)
Related jobs
- Sales and retail assistants
- Retail cashiers and check-out operators
- Pharmacy and optical dispensing assistants
- Vehicle and parts salespersons and advisers
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Questions people ask
How do I become a telephone salesperson?
Academic qualifications may be required. Training is typically received on-the-job, supplemented by short courses in practical skills. NVQs/SVQs in Sales at levels 2 and 3 and apprenticeships are available.
How much does a telephone salesperson earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £30,495 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is a telephone salesperson a growing career in the UK?
Employment is projected to fall 5% by 2035, from about 23,700 to about 22,500 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become a telephone salesperson?
Usually not. Only 22% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03