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Advertising Sales Executive

Real Estate & Sales

Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.

MarketingBusiness

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.
  2. 2Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.
  3. 3Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.
  4. 4Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
  5. 5Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.
  6. 6Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.
  7. 7Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts.
  8. 8Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer.
  9. 9Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.
  10. 10Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval.
  11. 11Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.
  12. 12Inform customers of available options for advertisement artwork, and provide samples.
  13. 13Write copy as part of layout.
  14. 14Determine advertising medium to be used, and prepare sample advertisements within the selected medium for presentation to customers.
  15. 15Gather all relevant material for bid processes, and coordinate bidding and contract approval.
  16. 16Consult with company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies to develop promotional plans.
  17. 17Identify new advertising markets, and propose products to serve them.
  18. 18Arrange for commercial taping sessions, and accompany clients to sessions.
  19. 19Attend sales meetings, industry trade shows, and training seminars to gather information, promote products, expand network of contacts, and increase knowledge.
  20. 20Write sales outlines for use by staff.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Agent
  • Broker
  • Idea Man
  • Solicitor
  • Time Buyer
  • Idea Worker
  • Space Buyer
  • Time Broker
  • Account Planner
  • Sales Consultant

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BusinessDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EconomicsDraws directly on Sales and Marketing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Bahasa MelayuDraws directly on Communications and Media — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Sales and Marketing97%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Customer and Personal Service91%
  • English Language79%

    English

  • Communications and Media77%

    EnglishBahasa Melayu

  • Mathematics71%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Administrative67%

    Business

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

44%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.18%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Insurance Agent / Financial Planner

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Advertising Sales Agents

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue