Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel

Workers in this field focus on selling and influencing others to purchase services. On a daily basis, they communicate with people outside their organization to establish and maintain strong interpersonal relationships. They gather information, process details, and think creatively to resolve conflicts and negotiate service terms. To succeed, these representatives must organize, plan, and prioritize their own work while constantly updating their knowledge of the services they sell.

This career strongly aligns with enterprising interests, meaning it suits people who enjoy starting and carrying out projects, especially in business. Key skills for the job include active listening, persuasive speaking, social perceptiveness, and time management. Representatives must understand customer and personal service, sales and marketing principles, and basic administration. Because they interact with diverse clients, they rely on work styles like perseverance, dependability, self-confidence, and high stress tolerance to meet their sales goals.

To enter this career, candidates typically need a high school diploma. The occupation is classified as requiring some preparation, meaning that most people start with a high school education and then complete some on-the-job training or gain relevant work experience to learn the trade.

Students interested in preparing for this field in college often choose majors such as general sales, or merchandising and related marketing operations. These programs help build the foundational marketing and communication skills useful for securing business-to-business or direct-to-consumer sales roles. While a college degree is not a standard entry requirement, completing these programs can provide a helpful background. Additionally, licensing requirements vary by location, as some states list a license for this specific type of service sales work.

The median annual pay for these sales representatives was $69,990 in 2025. The lowest 10 percent of workers in this field earned less than $37,980, while the highest 10 percent earned more than $148,840. This wide range often reflects differences in commissions, experience, and the specific industry offering the services.

With 1,256,010 people employed in this field, the occupation is large. Employment is projected to grow by 2.7 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Despite this average growth rate, the large size of the field means there are many opportunities, with about 115,700 job openings projected each year.