Table 1Transition record

product and services managertosales account manager

A product and services manager already meets 20% of what the sales account manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.

From product and services manager

20%

Overlap1

To sales account manager

6 Skills carried over

17 Required, not held

77.4 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

20%

Learning distance A rebuild

77.4/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the sales account manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the product and services manager 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.

Why

Why this move works

A sales account manager role treats 5 of its required skills as things a product and services manager already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

characteristics of products
characteristics of services
company policies
perform data analysis
product comprehension

What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sales account manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a product and services manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held consumer protection services
already held perform data analysis working with computers
already held characteristics of services business, administration and law
already held characteristics of products engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held company policies business, administration and law
already held product comprehension business, administration and law

All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the sales account manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 28 missing skills fall into 5 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 8 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held implement customer follow-up required
required, not held prospect new customers required
required, not held build business relationships required
required, not held ensure client orientation required
required, not held manage contracts required
required, not held maximise sales revenues required
required, not held negotiate price required
required, not held perform customers’ needs analysis required

optional, not held deliver a sales pitch optional
optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
optional, not held pose questions referring to documents optional
optional, not held speak different languages optional
optional, not held use communication techniques optional

02 information skills 5 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held keep records on sales required
required, not held produce sales reports required
required, not held forecast account metrics required
required, not held maintain customer records required
required, not held study sales levels of products required

optional, not held perform market research optional

03 business, administration and law 2 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held customer service required
required, not held relationship marketing required

optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held competition law optional
optional, not held consumer goods industry optional
optional, not held employment law optional

04 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held use customer relationship management software required

optional, not held use content management system software optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held apply company policies required

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a sales account 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 6 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held characteristics of products knowledge
already held characteristics of services knowledge
already held company policies knowledge
already held perform data analysis skill
already held product comprehension knowledge
already held consumer protection knowledge

11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held deliver a sales pitch optional
optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
optional, not held competition law optional
optional, not held consumer goods industry optional
optional, not held employment law optional
optional, not held perform market research optional
optional, not held pose questions referring to documents optional
optional, not held speak different languages optional
optional, not held use communication techniques optional
optional, not held use content management system software optional

21 held skills the sales account manager role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
not needed by the target role assign codes to product items skill
not needed by the target role build rapport with people from different cultural backgrounds skill
not needed by the target role channel marketing knowledge
not needed by the target role commercial photography knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate price changes skill
not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
not needed by the target role develop the product catalogue skill
not needed by the target role ensure finished product meet requirements skill
not needed by the target role ensure products meet regulatory requirements skill
not needed by the target role handle requests for new product items skill
not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role plan digital marketing skill
not needed by the target role plan marketing strategy skill
not needed by the target role post-processing of photographs knowledge
not needed by the target role printed goods processes knowledge
not needed by the target role services marketing knowledge

6 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 customer service required
required, not held relationship marketing required
optional, not held accounting techniques optional
optional, not held competition law optional
optional, not held consumer goods industry optional
optional, not held employment law optional

Index

Other moves recorded from product and services manager

Full index of moves from product and services manager

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.