Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Technical sales representative in chemical products to commercial sales representative

A technical sales representative in chemical products already meets 50% of what the commercial sales representative role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From technical sales representative in chemical products
50 % overlap
Partial match
To commercial sales representative
25 You already bring
9 Still to learn
76 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

63.1/ 100

1 How much of what a commercial sales representative is expected to do is already part of a technical sales representative in chemical products’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 commercial sales representative role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A commercial sales representative role treats 23 of its required skills as things a technical sales representative in chemical products 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 9 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 25 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 in chemical products background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held demonstrate motivation for sales management skills
  • 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
  • already held record customers' personal data information skills

All 25 carried skills, including the 23 the commercial sales representative role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 51 missing skills fall into 9 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 7 supplementary
  • still to learn advise on merchandise features required
  • still to learn identify customer's needs required
  • still to learn maintain relationship with suppliers required
  • still to learn 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
  • optional, not held speak different languages optional
02 business, administration and law 3 required, 7 supplementary
  • still to learn sales strategies required
  • still to learn consumer goods industry required
  • still to learn customer relationship management required
  • optional, not held e-procurement optional
  • optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held office equipment optional
  • optional, not held outdoor advertising optional
  • optional, not held advertising techniques optional
  • optional, not held credit card payments optional
03 information skills 1 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn 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
  • still to learn ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations required
05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 10 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 electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
  • optional, not held glassware products optional
  • optional, not held types of aircraft optional
  • optional, not held types of maritime vessels optional
  • optional, not held electronic communication optional
  • optional, not held production processes optional
  • optional, not held solar products optional
06 management skills 4 supplementary
  • optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
  • optional, not held develop media strategy optional
  • optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
  • optional, not held process payments 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 25 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 use customer relationship management software skill
  • already held chemical products knowledge
  • already held implement marketing strategies skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 arts and humanities 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held media formats optional
  • optional, not held media planning optional
  • optional, not held types of media optional
08 information and communication technologies (icts) 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
  • optional, not held e-commerce systems optional
  • optional, not held hardware industry optional
09 services 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held household products optional
  • optional, not held perfume and cosmetic products optional
  • optional, not held consumer protection optional
42 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
  • 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 e-commerce systems optional
  • optional, not held e-procurement optional
  • optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
  • optional, not held glassware products optional
  • optional, not held household products optional
  • optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
  • optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held media formats optional
  • optional, not held monitor after sales records optional
  • optional, not held office equipment 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 types of aircraft optional
  • optional, not held types of maritime vessels 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 consumer protection optional
  • optional, not held credit card payments optional
  • optional, not held develop media strategy optional
  • optional, not held develop promotional tools optional
  • optional, not held electronic communication 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

2 further entries not listed here

4 held skills the commercial sales representative role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • 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 provide customer follow-up services skill
  • not needed by the target role supervise sales activities skill
29 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 pick up Tier
  • still to learn sales strategies required
  • still to learn consumer goods industry required
  • still to learn customer relationship management required
  • optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
  • 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 e-commerce systems optional
  • optional, not held e-procurement optional
  • optional, not held electronic and telecommunication equipment optional
  • optional, not held glassware products optional
  • optional, not held household products optional
  • optional, not held international commercial transactions rules optional
  • optional, not held market pricing optional
  • optional, not held media formats optional
  • optional, not held office equipment optional
  • optional, not held outdoor advertising optional
  • optional, not held perfume and cosmetic products optional
  • optional, not held types of aircraft optional
  • optional, not held types of maritime vessels optional
  • optional, not held advertising techniques optional
  • optional, not held consumer protection optional
  • optional, not held credit card payments optional
  • optional, not held electronic communication 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 in chemical products

Full index of moves from technical sales representative in chemical products

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a technical sales representative in chemical products become a commercial sales representative?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A technical sales representative in chemical products already covers 50% of what a commercial sales representative is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 23 of which the commercial sales representative role treats as required.

What skills does a technical sales representative in chemical products need to become a commercial sales representative?

9 required skills are missing, plus 42 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is advise on merchandise features.

How hard is the move from technical sales representative in chemical products to commercial sales representative?

Its learning distance is 63.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.