Table 1Transition record

technical sales representativetocommercial sales representative

A technical sales representative already meets 62% of what the commercial sales representative role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

From technical sales representative

62%

Overlap1

To commercial sales representative

40 Skills carried over

8 Required, not held

51.7 Difficulty2

Career overlap Strong match

62%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

51.7/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 Share of the commercial sales representative role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the technical sales representative 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 commercial sales representative role treats 24 of its required skills as things a technical sales representative already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

answer requests for quotation
apply technical communication skills
characteristics of products
characteristics of services
communicate with customers
contact customers

What stands in the way is 8 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 40 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A commercial sales representative role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a technical sales representative background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held credit card payments business, administration and law
already held demonstrate motivation for sales management skills
already held office equipment business, administration and law
already held types of aircraft engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held e-procurement business, administration and law
already held electronic and telecommunication equipment engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 40 carried skills, including the 24 the commercial sales representative role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 36 missing skills fall into 9 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 4 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held advise on merchandise features required
required, not held identify customer's needs required
required, not held maintain relationship with suppliers required
required, not held prospect new regional contracts required

optional, not held deliver a sales pitch optional
optional, not held provide advertisement samples optional
optional, not held work with advertising professionals optional
optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
optional, not held show diplomacy optional

02 business, administration and law 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held consumer goods industry required
required, not held customer relationship management required

optional, not held outdoor advertising optional
optional, not held advertising techniques optional

03 information skills 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held carry out sales analysis required

optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
optional, not held stay up to date with social media optional
optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
optional, not held monitor media industry research figures optional
optional, not held perform media outlets research optional

04 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations required

05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 6 supplementary

optional, not held beverage products optional
optional, not held clothing and footwear products optional
optional, not held dairy and edible oil products optional
optional, not held glassware products optional
optional, not held production processes optional
optional, not held solar products optional

06 arts and humanities 3 supplementary

optional, not held media formats optional
optional, not held media planning optional
optional, not held types of media optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a commercial sales representative 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 40 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held answer requests for quotation skill
already held apply technical communication skills skill
already held characteristics of products knowledge
already held characteristics of services knowledge
already held communicate with customers skill
already held contact customers skill
already held demonstrate motivation for sales skill
already held demonstrate products' features skill
already held ensure client orientation skill
already held ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
already held guarantee customer satisfaction skill
already held have computer literacy skill
already held implement customer follow-up skill
already held implement sales strategies skill
already held keep records of customer interaction skill
already held keep records on sales skill
already held produce sales reports skill
already held product comprehension knowledge
already held prospect new customers skill
already held record customers' personal data skill
already held respond to customers' inquiries skill
already held sales promotion techniques knowledge
already held sales strategies knowledge
already held use customer relationship management software skill
already held ICT software specifications knowledge
already held chemical products knowledge
already held consumer protection knowledge
already held credit card payments knowledge
already held e-commerce systems knowledge
already held e-procurement knowledge
already held electronic and telecommunication equipment knowledge
already held electronic communication knowledge
already held implement marketing strategies skill
already held international commercial transactions rules knowledge
already held issue sales invoices skill
already held market pricing knowledge
already held office equipment knowledge
already held speak different languages skill
already held types of aircraft knowledge
already held types of maritime vessels knowledge

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 management skills 3 supplementary

optional, not held develop media strategy optional
optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
optional, not held process payments optional

08 services 2 supplementary

optional, not held household products optional
optional, not held perfume and cosmetic products optional

09 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held hardware industry optional

28 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held beverage products optional
optional, not held clothing and footwear products optional
optional, not held dairy and edible oil products optional
optional, not held deliver a sales pitch optional
optional, not held glassware products optional
optional, not held household products optional
optional, not held media formats optional
optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
optional, not held outdoor advertising optional
optional, not held perfume and cosmetic products optional
optional, not held provide advertisement samples optional
optional, not held stay up to date with social media optional
optional, not held work with advertising professionals optional
optional, not held advertising techniques optional
optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
optional, not held develop media strategy optional
optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
optional, not held hardware industry optional
optional, not held media planning optional
optional, not held monitor media industry research figures optional
optional, not held perform media outlets research optional
optional, not held process payments optional
optional, not held production processes optional
optional, not held show diplomacy optional
optional, not held solar products optional
optional, not held types of media optional

16 held skills the commercial sales representative role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
not needed by the target role agricultural equipment knowledge
not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
not needed by the target role electronic business knowledge
not needed by the target role hardware, plumbing and heating equipment products knowledge
not needed by the target role industrial tools knowledge
not needed by the target role machinery products knowledge
not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
not needed by the target role mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products knowledge
not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
not needed by the target role perform customers’ needs analysis skill
not needed by the target role provide customer follow-up services skill
not needed by the target role sales activities knowledge
not needed by the target role supervise sales activities skill
not needed by the target role textile industry machinery products knowledge

16 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 consumer goods industry required
required, not held customer relationship management required
optional, not held beverage products optional
optional, not held clothing and footwear products optional
optional, not held dairy and edible oil products optional
optional, not held glassware products optional
optional, not held household products optional
optional, not held media formats optional
optional, not held outdoor advertising optional
optional, not held perfume and cosmetic products optional
optional, not held advertising techniques optional
optional, not held hardware industry optional
optional, not held media planning optional
optional, not held production processes optional
optional, not held solar products optional
optional, not held types of media optional

Index

Other moves recorded from technical sales representative

Full index of moves from technical sales representative

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.