How to become a Telemarketer

Official title: Telemarketers

Also called: Call Agent, Inside Sales Representative (Inside Sales Rep), Telemarketer, Telemarketing Sales Representative (Telemarketing Sales Rep), Telephone Sales Representative (TSR), Telephone Service Representative (TSR), Telesales Representative (Telesales Rep), Telesales Specialist

Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.

Main tasks

• 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.

How to become one

Typical education to start: No formal educational credential

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $35,450 a year The middle half earn $29,640 to $40,230.
• About 60,900 people work in this job now, and about 47,800 are projected by 2035. (-21.4%)
• People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.

Related jobs

• Demonstrators and Product Promoters
• Models
• Real Estate Brokers
• Real Estate Sales Agents
• Sales Engineers
• Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers

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Questions people ask

How much does a Telemarketer earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $35,450 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $29,640 to $40,230.

Is a Telemarketer a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 21% by 2035, from about 60,900 to about 47,800 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Telemarketer?

Usually not. Only 20% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Telemarketer?

People already use generative AI for a good share of this work, which usually changes the job more than it replaces it. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as high.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.