Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

product managertosales manager

A product manager already meets 24% of what the sales manager role asks for. The move turns on 31 required skills not yet in the profile.

From product manager
24%
Overlap1
To sales manager
13 Skills carried over
31 Required, not held
81.8 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

24%

Learning distance A rebuild

81.8/ 100

1 Share of the sales manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the product 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 manager role treats 11 of its required skills as things a product manager already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • analyse consumer buying trends
  • carry out sales analysis
  • consumer goods industry
  • integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy
  • manage profitability
  • market pricing

What stands in the way is 31 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 13 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 product manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy management skills
  • already held pricing strategies business, administration and law
  • already held market pricing business, administration and law
  • already held manage profitability management skills
  • already held carry out sales analysis information skills
  • already held consumer goods industry business, administration and law

All 13 carried skills, including the 11 the sales manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 49 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 12 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 strategic foundation in daily performance required
  • required, not held make strategic business decisions 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 accounts optional
  • optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
  • optional, not held recruit personnel optional
02 information skills 7 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held produce sales reports required
  • required, not held analyse business plans 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
  • 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 6 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held corporate social responsibility required
  • required, not held sales argumentation required
  • required, not held brand marketing techniques required
  • required, not held content marketing strategy required
  • required, not held marketing mix required
  • required, not held sales department processes required
  • optional, not held customer segmentation optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held public relations optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 6 supplementary
  • required, not held implement sales strategies required
  • required, not held align efforts towards business development required
  • required, not held develop professional network 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 collaborate in the development of marketing strategies optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held liaise with managers 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 13 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held analyse consumer buying trends skill
  • already held carry out sales analysis skill
  • already held consumer goods industry knowledge
  • already held integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy skill
  • already held manage profitability skill
  • already held market pricing knowledge
  • already held perform market research skill
  • already held pricing strategies knowledge
  • already held sales strategies knowledge
  • already held study sales levels of products skill
  • already held track key performance indicators skill
  • already held manage budgets 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
18 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 collaborate in the development of marketing 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 international business optional
  • optional, not held liaise with managers optional
  • optional, not held manage accounts 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
49 held skills the sales manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on communication strategies skill
  • 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 analyse economic trends skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
  • not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
  • not needed by the target role circular economy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role combine business technology with user experience skill
  • not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
  • not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role create prototype of user experience solutions skill
  • not needed by the target role define technology strategy skill
  • not needed by the target role design customer experiences skill
  • not needed by the target role design management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role develop business plans skill
  • not needed by the target role develop communications strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role develop new products skill
  • not needed by the target role develop product design skill
  • not needed by the target role develop promotional tools skill
  • not needed by the target role develop revenue generation strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role draw conclusions from market research results skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure products meet regulatory requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
  • not needed by the target role follow production schedule skill
  • not needed by the target role identify market niches skill
  • not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
  • not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
  • not needed by the target role manage feedback skill
  • not needed by the target role manage product testing skill
  • not needed by the target role manage production systems skill
  • not needed by the target role manage the customer experience skill
  • not needed by the target role manage the handling of promotional materials skill
  • not needed by the target role maximise sales revenues skill
  • not needed by the target role organise participation in local or international events skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
  • not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
  • not needed by the target role persuade clients with alternatives skill
  • not needed by the target role plan product management skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare market research reports skill
  • not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge

9 further entries not listed here

10 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 sales argumentation required
  • required, not held brand marketing techniques required
  • required, not held content marketing strategy required
  • required, not held marketing mix required
  • required, not held sales department processes required
  • optional, not held customer segmentation optional
  • optional, not held international business optional
  • optional, not held public relations optional
  • optional, not held statistics optional
Index

Other moves recorded from product manager

Full index of moves from product 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.