Business developer to sales 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.
87.5/ 100
1 How much of what a sales manager is expected to do is already part of a business developer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the sales manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A sales manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things a business developer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse business plans
- brand marketing techniques
- carry out sales analysis
- develop professional network
- sales strategies
- study sales levels of products
What stands in the way is 36 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
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.
- 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 · What you may need to learn
The 51 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn set sales goals required
- still to learn supervise sales activities required
- still to learn coordinate marketing plan actions required
- still to learn create annual marketing budget required
- still to learn define measurable marketing objectives required
- still to learn identify potential markets for companies required
- still to learn integrate marketing strategies with the global strategy required
- still to learn integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
- still to learn make strategic business decisions required
- still to learn manage profitability required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn motivate employees required
- still to learn plan marketing campaigns required
- still to learn 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
- still to learn produce sales reports required
- still to learn analyse consumer buying trends required
- still to learn analyse customer service surveys required
- still to learn analyse external factors of companies required
- still to learn analyse internal factors of companies required
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn evaluate marketing content required
- still to learn perform market research required
- still to learn 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
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn market pricing required
- still to learn sales argumentation required
- still to learn consumer goods industry required
- still to learn content marketing strategy required
- still to learn marketing mix required
- still to learn pricing strategies required
- still to learn sales department processes required
- optional, not held customer segmentation optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- still to learn implement sales strategies required
- still to learn align efforts towards business development required
- still to learn impart business plans to collaborators required
- still to learn 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
- still to learn prepare visual data required
- optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional
1 further area in the appendix
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.
- 01 corporate social responsibility study this
- 02 implement sales strategies practise this
- 03 market pricing study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- 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
- optional, not held statistics optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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
- 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.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn market pricing required
- still to learn sales argumentation required
- still to learn consumer goods industry required
- still to learn content marketing strategy required
- still to learn marketing mix required
- still to learn pricing strategies required
- still to learn sales department processes required
- optional, not held customer segmentation optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- optional, not held statistics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a business developer become a sales manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A business developer already covers 16% of what a sales manager is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 6 of which the sales manager role treats as required.
What skills does a business developer need to become a sales manager?
36 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is corporate social responsibility.
How hard is the move from business developer to sales manager?
Its learning distance is 87.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.