Commercial sales representative to technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment
A commercial sales representative already meets 79% of what the technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
29.3/ 100
1 How much of what a technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment 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 technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment role treats 26 of its required skills as things a commercial sales representative already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- 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 7 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 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment 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 demonstrate motivation for sales management skills
- already held types of aircraft engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held keep records on sales information skills
- already held implement customer follow-up communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held contact customers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held keep records of customer interaction information skills
All 26 carried skills, including the 26 the technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 7 missing skills fall into 5 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 industrial tools required
- still to learn machinery products required
- still to learn supervise sales activities required
- still to learn manage schedule of tasks required
- still to learn provide customer follow-up services required
- still to learn capital goods industry required
- still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 capital goods industry study this
- 02 industrial tools study this
- 03 machinery products 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 26 skills that carry over
- 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 marketing strategies 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 types of aircraft knowledge
- already held types of maritime vessels knowledge
- already held use customer relationship management software skill
0 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
50 held skills the technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment 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 advise on merchandise features skill
- not needed by the target role analyse consumer buying trends 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 consumer protection knowledge
- not needed by the target role credit card payments knowledge
- not needed by the target role customer relationship management 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 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 and telecommunication equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- 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 household products knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs 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 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 after sales records skill
- 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
- not needed by the target role perfume and cosmetic products knowledge
- not needed by the target role process payments skill
10 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 capital goods industry required
- still to learn industrial tools required
- still to learn machinery products required
Other moves recorded from commercial sales representative
Common questions about this move
Can a commercial sales representative become a technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A commercial sales representative already covers 79% of what a technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 26 of which the technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment role treats as required.
What skills does a commercial sales representative need to become a technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment?
7 required skills are missing, plus 0 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is capital goods industry.
How hard is the move from commercial sales representative to technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment?
Its learning distance is 29.3 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.