Commercial sales representative to after-sales service technician
A commercial sales representative already meets 64% of what the after-sales service technician role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
37.5/ 100
1 How much of what an after-sales service technician is expected to do is already part of a commercial sales representative’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 after-sales service technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An after-sales service technician role treats 11 of its required skills as things a commercial sales representative already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on merchandise features
- characteristics of products
- characteristics of services
- communicate with customers
- contact customers
- customer relationship management
What stands in the way is 5 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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An after-sales service technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a commercial sales representative background worth leading with.
- already held advise on merchandise features communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor after sales records information skills
- already held electronic and telecommunication equipment engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held implement customer follow-up communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held contact customers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held consumer protection services
All 17 carried skills, including the 11 the after-sales service technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 6 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 execute after sales activities required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- still to learn provide customer follow-up services required
- optional, not held provide information optional
- still to learn customer service required
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- still to learn maintenance operations required
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an after-sales service technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 customer service study this
- 02 execute after sales activities practise this
- 03 create solutions to problems practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held advise on merchandise features 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 customer relationship management knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
- already held guarantee customer satisfaction skill
- already held implement customer follow-up skill
- already held implement sales strategies skill
- already held product comprehension knowledge
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held consumer protection knowledge
- already held electronic and telecommunication equipment knowledge
- already held keep records of customer interaction skill
- already held monitor after sales records skill
- already held sales strategies knowledge
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held provide information optional
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
59 held skills the after-sales service technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse consumer buying trends skill
- not needed by the target role answer requests for quotation skill
- not needed by the target role apply social media marketing skill
- not needed by the target role beverage products knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out sales analysis skill
- not needed by the target role chemical products knowledge
- not needed by the target role clothing and footwear products knowledge
- not needed by the target role consumer goods industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role credit card payments knowledge
- not needed by the target role dairy and edible oil products knowledge
- not needed by the target role deliver a sales pitch skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate motivation for sales skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate products' features skill
- not needed by the target role develop media strategy skill
- not needed by the target role develop promotional tools skill
- not needed by the target role e-commerce systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role e-procurement knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations skill
- not needed by the target role glassware products knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role hardware industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role household products knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role international commercial transactions rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role keep records on sales skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role market pricing knowledge
- not needed by the target role media formats knowledge
- not needed by the target role media planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor media industry research figures skill
- not needed by the target role office equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role outdoor advertising knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform media outlets research skill
19 further entries not listed here
3 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 customer service required
- still to learn maintenance operations required
- optional, not held sales activities optional
Other moves recorded from commercial sales representative
Common questions about this move
Can a commercial sales representative become an after-sales service technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A commercial sales representative already covers 64% of what an after-sales service technician is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 11 of which the after-sales service technician role treats as required.
What skills does a commercial sales representative need to become an after-sales service technician?
5 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is customer service.
How hard is the move from commercial sales representative to after-sales service technician?
Its learning distance is 37.5 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.