What Do Telemarketer Do?
Telemarketer Definition Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.
Life As a Telemarketer
- 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.
- Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.
- Obtain names and telephone numbers of potential customers from sources such as telephone directories, magazine reply cards, and lists purchased from other organizations.
- Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
- Conduct client or market surveys to obtain information about potential customers.
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Telemarketer Skills
Telemarketers state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Types of Telemarketer Jobs
- Telephone Sales Representative (TSR)
- Inside Sales Representative
- Donation Worker
- Call Center Operator
- Inbound Telemarketer
What Kind of Telemarketer Job Opportunities Are There?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 216,600 jobs in the United States for Telemarketer. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Telemarketer. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 33,300 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Telemarketer are Washington, Nevada, and Tennessee. Watch out if you plan on working in North Dakota, Vermont, or South Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Telemarketer Average Salary
Telemarketers make between $18,680 and $41,740 a year.

Telemarketers who work in Washington, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Telemarketers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $25,640 |
Arizona | $29,780 |
Arkansas | $22,440 |
California | $31,880 |
Colorado | $29,980 |
Connecticut | $34,950 |
Delaware | $30,000 |
District of Columbia | $28,680 |
Florida | $25,330 |
Georgia | $24,780 |
Hawaii | $25,620 |
Idaho | $26,060 |
Illinois | $29,840 |
Indiana | $29,960 |
Iowa | $27,510 |
Kansas | $27,900 |
Kentucky | $28,120 |
Louisiana | $29,960 |
Maine | $30,550 |
Maryland | $30,040 |
Massachusetts | $42,270 |
Michigan | $28,480 |
Minnesota | $33,400 |
Mississippi | $29,480 |
Missouri | $25,940 |
Montana | $24,090 |
Nebraska | $26,800 |
Nevada | $29,580 |
New Hampshire | $38,250 |
New Jersey | $30,120 |
New Mexico | $26,200 |
New York | $31,790 |
North Carolina | $26,810 |
North Dakota | $23,570 |
Ohio | $25,670 |
Oklahoma | $27,230 |
Oregon | $31,930 |
Pennsylvania | $27,380 |
Rhode Island | $31,620 |
South Carolina | $28,440 |
Tennessee | $25,040 |
Texas | $29,400 |
Utah | $33,040 |
Virginia | $27,060 |
Washington | $37,020 |
West Virginia | $25,050 |
Wisconsin | $33,470 |
What Tools do Telemarketers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Telemarketers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Dynamics
How to Become a Telemarketer
Are there Telemarketers education requirements?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Telemarketers?

Telemarketers work in the following industries:

References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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