[Closed] Moving from Operational to Commercial role at work

You just need to realise that the only product that your business is required to actually produce is profit.

Everything else the company does is incidental to this and is merely a means to an end.

This is often a difficult concept for operational folks to grasp.

If you look at every decision you make  and action you take through the prism of "How is this going to make or save money?" then you won't go far wrong.

You just need to realise that the only product that your business is required to actually produce is profit.

And you need to tell them that you realise it, for the purposes of getting the post. Their fear is that you will be always wanting the perfect engineering solution regardless of commercial merit. If you tell them that you aren't stuck with this mindset then you are one important step to reassuring them.

With the proviso that you won't compromise on Elf 'n' safety because, morality aside, killing or maiming someone costs a lot more in the long run.

Edit - in the marketing department that's probably not so relevant. Although paper cuts can be brutal.

I've done just this transition over my career. Started off as an apprentice then transition to the design office where my illusions about design engineering were smashed...it's not about clever and creative engineering solutions, it's about designing within very strict and prescribed design rules as defined by the specification, the industry regulation and whatever testing/commissioning criteria you have to achieve. Also often you are working  on one very small part of the much bigger machine, so very quickly got bored of that. Then moved to manufacturing R&D which was a bit more like it, but shop floor and union mentalities were archaic so soon got p-'d off with constantly crossing swords with unions who were constantly looking for reasons not to do work when I was pushing to do more and more. Then had a stint in pure commercial working and negotiation service contracts, which was OK, but a bit too contracty, which is not my natural forte.  Then spent over 10 years in an operational role, on the front line delivering engineering and logistics solutions to actual customers in the field. Loved it and nothing can really replace it, but wanted my weekends and holidays back so now find myself in product marketing.

I actually love this job - you get to work with the entire product/service solution rather than just parts of it. You work with customers and understand how the actual real world works. support sales activities, in-service activities, work to achieve profit and cash management so has a business element to it too. Its a proper jack of all trades jobs and people from an engineering or operational background make very good marketing people...you need to be able to speak with credibility, and there aint nothing more credible than someone who has actually been there and done it as opposed to someone who has studied it in a class-room or lecture theatre.

In terms of  preparation, personally I have had to completely re-wire my thinking and approach. Marketing is far more strategic, you can't just get stuck in like you can with an operational role, also it is difficult to see what contribution you are actually making as your actions are not necessarily instantly delivering something tangible in the real world...it's all stuff that goes into the mix and contributes to an end result at some point in the future. Commercial awareness is something that can be learned...it's not rocket science and actually engineers and people working in operations do have commercial awareness...they're always looking for to work within budgets and deliver to a cost...looking for innovative solutions to deliver the service in the most effective and efficient manner...you just need to draw these attributes out during any interviews or discussions.

I'm a few years into my role now and I do really enjoy it, it is very different but you can and will adapt and when you do your previous experience will be of great value.

There are plenty of people in the commercial world who know commercial stuff....not many, in fact hardly any,  who know commercial stuff and engineering/operational stuff, and as the old saying goes...you can teach an engineer to be an accountant, but not an accountant to be an engineer (so you can interchange accountant with commercial/marketing), so eventually you will be one of those unusual and valuable people who can do both.

Good luck.

As above, it's simply about the ability to generate and grow revenue/profit and from a marketing perspective, develop current relationships, create new ones as well as seeking ways to save cost / improve customer service / extend product offering. Main focus of any role should be on making sure you keep / grow business with existing customers as it costs 5x as much to find new ones.

Thanks for the advice, it's pretty much what I thought but it's good to have the reassurance that I'm on the right track. Any buzz words that I should be aware of (I'm sure there's hundreds)? I now know what a play book is which I hadn't come across before!

Master how to ringfence the unicorn

As above, it’s simply about the ability to generate and grow revenue/profit and from a marketing perspective, develop current relationships, create new ones as well as seeking ways to save cost / improve customer service / extend product offering. Main focus of any role should be on making sure you keep / grow business with existing customers as it costs 5x as much to find new ones.

That's only half of it. Marketing is one of the most misunderstood functions in any organisation. You also will probably be involved/responsible for generating market analysis/forecasts/insights that the business might be looking to base their future strategy on...for example it is marketing that has the biggest influence on the product design and direction of the next big product...get it wrong and no matter how good your sales team are you're stuffed...you can't push a bad product. You also have to manage reputation and perception in the market place, so might be involved in external communications and talking to people like the press/media, investors and financiers who are bankrolling the funding of your next product.

Many a good company has been sunk by poor marketing despite having good products. Companies like Tesla and Apple are first and foremost about marketing...everything else is secondary. There is nothing particularly innovative about their product or technology, neither company has invented anything of any particular significance, but people are convinced they are special because of successful marketing and they're prepared to pay a properly pretty penny for it (say's me typing this on an overpriced iMac...but it's so lovely and shiny), It's been an eye opener for me, that is for sure. Whether your prepare to admit it to yourself or not, we're all suckers for marketing and our purchasing decisions are driven by it.

Whats the drive for the role change?

Career progression and wanting a more responsible role?

Dislike of your current role?

Or is it the salary?

If its the last, do the sums first 🙂  Will you still get overtime? Do you have perks as an engineer, such as using a company vehicle for commuting?   Do you want a desk job under the eyes of your manager as opposed to the (limited) freedom of a mobile engineer?

Whether your prepare to admit it to yourself or not, we’re all suckers for marketing and our purchasing decisions are driven by it.

Apart from TJ. He isn’t.

The reason for wanting  the change is for career progression and a more responsible role. I feel like I contribute a tiny, albeit valuable, part to the overall company success but the more I've been researching the advertised role the more its something I think I'd really really enjoy. I love my role at the moment and would be quite happy carrying on as I am if I don't get this one but equally I'd relish the challenge if I did!