Question

Topic: Career/Training

Looking To Transition From Sales To Marketing

Posted by Anonymous on 6/15/2013 at 7:36 PM ET 250 Points
I am currently looking to leap into a career in Marketing. My background is in sales and retail management and I have over 10 years of experience working for a consumer goods manufacture (5 years) and another 5 years working for a national retailer as a store manager.

I don't seem to have any issues getting interviews for sales roles, which tells me that my store reads more like a sales person than a marketing person.

Any advise from those who may have had the same sort of path in their career, and how you were able to bridge sales and marketing to launch your marketing career?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 6/15/2013 at 8:42 PM Accepted
    Value: add masses of value.
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 6/15/2013 at 8:48 PM Accepted
    One avenue is to create a business development (sales) position for yourself with a professional services boutique. I use the word "create" because many professional practitioners typically land new business themselves. But they frequently dislike this role and they are not particularly good at it. Look for a firm that fits under the broad umbrella of "marketing". Direct marketing firms, ad agencies, design firms, web development, seo or social media even PR firms, they can all use a sales professional like yourself. Once you begin landing accounts and getting to personally know the clients, you should have an opportunity to get involved with "account executive" work and build your knowledge base as you become a practitioner.

    Of course, this is the short version of a much longer discussion about any pitfalls, self-learning efforts and probably some mentoring help along the way. Just something to think about.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 6/15/2013 at 9:18 PM Accepted
    Steve Byrne's suggested approach sounds like a great strategy for you. Also, read books and articles about various aspects of marketing. They will help you with business and personal development. Starter book list here: https://bit.ly/9bnxbr
  • Posted on 6/15/2013 at 11:53 PM Author
    Thanks guys...that's gives me some direction as to where I need to go.

    I also forgot to mention that I've done a certificate in Social Media and Online marketing. So my primary focus is to find a position in the online marking realm. But I think I will take Steve's suggestion relevant position within an agency type setting. My previous sales background might just be a great foot in the door.
  • Posted by prhyatt on 6/20/2013 at 9:03 AM Accepted
    My career path was almost identical to yours. I worked in retail with a well-known clothing chain while I was getting my MBA, then went into consumer product sales with an international consumer packaged goods company. It was difficult to make the transition, but what helped most were the following:

    1. I took on added responsibilities with my sales team, with approval from my manager. I conducted some training and wrote presentation templates for the team to use when pitching new products. This gave me additional content for my resume.

    2. I did some pro bono work for a couple of non-profits that allowed me to demonstrate my marketing expertise.

    3. I used some of the marketing projects from my MBA work as examples on my resume (conducting a marketing audit, planning and conducting a research project, etc).

    I would suggest that you use your online and social media training to help your team or a community group plan and execute a strategy, then add this to your resume. If you worked on any projects during your certificate work, by all means include those in your resume.

    Good luck!

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