Soliciting business or donations by phone — working from a list, following a script, hitting daily activity targets. Heavy on rejection management and the steady reality that most calls end quickly; the strongest solicitors make the next call without losing energy.
Day to day, you're calling from a list — soliciting purchases, memberships, donations, or appointments — following a script, handling refusals, and moving to the next call. Activity targets (dials per hour, contacts made, results per shift) are tracked in real time, and your performance against those targets determines both your standing on the team and your income where commission applies.
The work is designed around the statistical reality that most calls end quickly in a "no." The strongest solicitors develop something like a professional relationship with rejection — it's expected, it's data, and it doesn't affect the next dial. That emotional separation is the primary skill that sustains performance across a full shift or week.
The rhythm is relentlessly repetitive: open, pitch, handle objection, close or not, log, dial again. People who find satisfaction in the small win of a successful close — and who can reset between calls without carrying the last one — do well here. People who need variety, autonomy, or emotional distance from their work tend to find the model exhausting.
An honest look at who tends to thrive in this role — and who might find it challenging.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Soliciting business or donations by phone — working from a list, following a script, hitting daily activity targets. Heavy on rejection management and the steady reality that most calls end quickly; the strongest solicitors make the next call without losing energy.
Median pay for a Telephone Solicitor is about $34K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $25K to $49K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Persuasion, Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, and Social Perceptiveness.
Most people in this role hold a high school diploma.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 22.1% through 2034, with roughly 66,430 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Junior Telephone Solicitor, Telephone Service Advisor, and Call Center Agent.
Truest gives you tools to understand your strengths, explore roles that fit, and plan your next move.
Explore Truest career tools