Educational Procurement Journal - March 2008 - (Page 14) COMMUNICATION I Haven’t Seen Your Face in a While… G by Valerie Rhodes-Sorrelle, C.P.M., A.P.P. Grand Valley State University awesome tool. However, I am asking you to ask yourself these questions: Do I know a little about the goods and/or services that I’m purchasing? Do I have a general understanding of the operation and needs of my customers, and would a meeting or telephone call be a better means of communicating in order to obtain needed information? It’s sometimes hard to find out this information through e-mail alone. Remember, getting to know your customer doesn’t necessarily mean you are currently working on a project for them. You can take the initiative to just stop by their office and let them know that you are available for any upcoming projects and/or to answer any purchasing policy and procedure questions that they may have. This is just another opportunity for your Purchasing department to be more visible to your campus community, thereby creating and showing value and your Purchasing department’s commitment to serve. Information discussed in this article is about things already known. However, we sometimes get so busy that we take what we think is the quickest or easiest form of communicating with others though it may not always be the best. Communicating with others in whatever form we choose is simply how we get things done, how we accomplish goals, and how we express our wants and needs. As Purchasing professionals, sharpening our communication skills should be an ongoing process. We need to look at each situation to determine the best communicating tool to use. Our communication technique and style can not only make or break a deal when it comes to negotiating terms and conditions, but also can affect our relationships with our campus departments. We can have a positive effect on the people we come in contact with when we show our FACE and show that we care about their needs. ood communication skills are one of the most important tools we need in order to live our lives with others. How we communicate is equally as important as to what we communicate. There are many forms of communication. I would like to discuss a few that we as Purchasing professionals often use and some, well we don’t, but should consider using more often: Let’s look at e-mail. I understand that it’s easy and often a quick way to get a message to someone. But when you’re sitting right next to someone or in the next office, would it really kill you to get up out of your chair and go have a conversation with them? Just asking. How about this scenario? You pick up the telephone to ask someone a question. The person doesn’t have the answer but will get back to you. This sounds great. However, he/she then asks you to e-mail them a reminder of your question. Don’t you wonder why they didn’t write the question down during the conversation? Wouldn’t writing the question down while listening be better customer service? Besides, maybe an e-mail message isn’t the best form of communicating the question. We all agree that you can get many things accomplished through the use of e-mail and the telephone. However, face-toface communication with your customers both internally and externally is very important. Sometimes e-mail messages can be misinterpreted and/or misunderstood by the person reading them. A quick meeting on a subject followed by an e-mail to confirm the meeting discussion can be much clearer than just an e-mail alone. Besides, sometimes it can take several e-mail messages just to understand the message originally sent. There are opportunities to learn more about the product and/or service you are purchasing – as well as getting to know the person you are assisting – with face-to-face communication. You should take advantage of as many face-to-face opportunities as you can because it helps to build relationships and expand your knowledge, which in turn can make you a little more valuable. The old saying, “Knowledge is power,” can sometimes be true. I’m not saying that face-to-face meetings are necessary for every question, contract agreement, or bid you are processing. Nor am I saying never use e-mail, because e-mail is an Valerie Rhodes-Sorrelle is a buying specialist at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. She is currently the president of the NAEP Michigan Region and serves on the NAEP Editorial Board. Valerie is also a member on E&I’s (Educational and Institutional Cooperative Purchasing) Strategic Sourcing Committee. e-Mail: rhodesv@gvsu.edu 14 EDUCATIONAL PROCUREMENT JOURNAL www.naepnet.org | March 2008 http://www.naepnet.org
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