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Services Sales Representative

$69,990
median / year
$37,980 – $148,840
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Sell services like advertising, security, or telecom to businesses, then follow up to keep clients signed on.

Where you work

Offices, client sites, and on the phone

The hours

Weekday hours, some evenings to reach clients

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Answer customers' questions about services, prices, availability, or credit terms.
  • Attend sales or trade meetings or read related publications to obtain information about market conditions, business trends, regulations, or industry developments.
  • Compute and compare costs of services.
  • Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and provide ongoing support.
  • Contact prospective or existing customers to discuss how services can meet their needs.

Good fit if you like…

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

O*NET job zone 2 of 5

Some preparation—often a high school credential and on-the-job learning—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

PerseveranceSocial OrientationAchievement OrientationSelf-Confidence

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareSalesforce softwareApple macOSHubSpot softwareIBM SPSS Statistics

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$69,990
per year
Hourly median
$33.65
per hour
What most earn
$37,980–$148,840
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~123,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+3.1%
About average
Working in the U.S.
1,256,010
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 2.1% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

PersuasionRelationship buildingProduct knowledgeFollow-through

The honest take

Pay leans on commission, so income swings with what you close — a people-first path without a degree.

Standard Occupational Classification 41-3091. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.