Table 1Transition record

business developertosales manager

A business developer already meets 16% of what the sales manager role asks for. The move turns on 36 required skills not yet in the profile.

From business developer

16%

Overlap1

To sales manager

11 Skills carried over

36 Required, not held

87.5 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 87.5

This move: 87.5 of 100 · career change

1 Share of the sales manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the business developer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sales manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a business developer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies communication, collaboration and creativity
already held brand marketing techniques business, administration and law
already held carry out sales analysis information skills
already held market research business, administration and law
already held manage accounts management skills
already held analyse business plans information skills

All 11 carried skills, including the 6 the sales manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 51 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 management skills 14 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held set sales goals required
required, not held supervise sales activities required
required, not held coordinate marketing plan actions required
required, not held create annual marketing budget required
required, not held define measurable marketing objectives required
required, not held identify potential markets for companies required
required, not held integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy required
required, not held integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
required, not held make strategic business decisions required
required, not held manage profitability required
required, not held manage staff required
required, not held motivate employees required
required, not held plan marketing campaigns required
required, not held plan marketing strategy required

optional, not held define geographic sales areas optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
optional, not held recruit personnel optional

02 information skills 9 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held produce sales reports required
required, not held analyse consumer buying trends required
required, not held analyse customer service surveys required
required, not held analyse external factors of companies required
required, not held analyse internal factors of companies required
required, not held analyse work-related written reports required
required, not held evaluate marketing content required
required, not held perform market research required
required, not held track key performance indicators required

optional, not held analyse supply chain strategies optional
optional, not held estimate profitability optional
optional, not held forecast sales over periods of time optional

03 business, administration and law 8 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held corporate social responsibility required
required, not held market pricing required
required, not held sales argumentation required
required, not held consumer goods industry required
required, not held content marketing strategy required
required, not held marketing mix required
required, not held pricing strategies required
required, not held sales department processes required

optional, not held customer segmentation optional
optional, not held public relations optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held implement sales strategies required
required, not held align efforts towards business development required
required, not held impart business plans to collaborators required
required, not held write work-related reports required

optional, not held investigate customer complaints of food products optional
optional, not held communicate with customers optional
optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
optional, not held teach marketing principles optional

05 working with computers 1 required

required, not held prepare visual data required

06 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a sales manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 11 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse business plans skill
already held brand marketing techniques knowledge
already held carry out sales analysis skill
already held develop professional network skill
already held sales strategies knowledge
already held study sales levels of products skill
already held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies skill
already held international business knowledge
already held liaise with managers skill
already held manage accounts skill
already held market research knowledge

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held statistics optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held investigate customer complaints of food products optional
optional, not held analyse supply chain strategies optional
optional, not held communicate with customers optional
optional, not held customer segmentation optional
optional, not held define geographic sales areas optional
optional, not held estimate profitability optional
optional, not held forecast sales over periods of time optional
optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional
optional, not held manage budgets optional
optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
optional, not held present arguments persuasively optional
optional, not held public relations optional
optional, not held recruit personnel optional
optional, not held statistics optional
optional, not held teach marketing principles optional

26 held skills the sales manager role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse cultural trends skill
not needed by the target role analyse data about clients skill
not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
not needed by the target role brainstorm ideas skill
not needed by the target role business analysis knowledge
not needed by the target role business incubation knowledge
not needed by the target role corporate sustainability knowledge
not needed by the target role customer insight knowledge
not needed by the target role customer relationship management knowledge
not needed by the target role expand store regional presence skill
not needed by the target role financial analysis knowledge
not needed by the target role identify new business opportunities skill
not needed by the target role market analysis knowledge
not needed by the target role market entry planning knowledge
not needed by the target role market entry strategies knowledge
not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
not needed by the target role negotiate settlements skill
not needed by the target role negotiate with stakeholders skill
not needed by the target role perform customer management skill
not needed by the target role prospect new customers skill
not needed by the target role represent company in exhibitions skill
not needed by the target role services marketing knowledge
not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
not needed by the target role strive for company growth skill
not needed by the target role use analytics for commercial purposes skill
not needed by the target role vertical markets knowledge

11 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held corporate social responsibility required
required, not held market pricing required
required, not held sales argumentation required
required, not held consumer goods industry required
required, not held content marketing strategy required
required, not held marketing mix required
required, not held pricing strategies required
required, not held sales department processes required
optional, not held customer segmentation optional
optional, not held public relations optional
optional, not held statistics optional

Index

Other moves recorded from business developer

Full index of moves from business developer

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.