5. Manage their deadlines

A CFM merchant will go one step further in not only keeping track of deadlines for various activities that they need to do, but also act as a consultant and advise the buyer of the deadlines that the buyers need to keep for activities owned by them to ensure on time delivery of goods. For example if your order involves an accessory which the buyer is going to develop directly with the trim supplier, as a CFM merchant, you will remind the buyer of the timelines they have for developing this trim and the latest by which they should approve the accessory with the trim supplier, so you get it in time for the order.

6. Communication! Communication! Communication!

One cannot stress enough about the essential communication skills which are a must have for CFM merchandisers. You have to be comprehensive, precise and crystal clear in your communication with the customer. Since majority of business communication happens via email today, some of the crucial things to remember while composing emails are-

• Write self explanatory subject line
• Use simple active sentences, instead of 'jalebi' paragraphs
• Write in points
• Answer all questions and then anticipate any further questions that might come up and answer those as well at one go
• Make specific date commitments, instead of 'asap', next week kind of open ended commitments, and of course you keep them as well
• Consolidate all issues in one email instead of doing back and forth via several emails
• Avoid using 'urgent' and 'important' for every email you write and use it sparingly for it to have any meaning.
• Be careful whom you put in 'to' box and who in 'cc' box instead of doing a blind 'reply all'
• When angry with a customer, by all means express it in email with all your might to get it out of your system, BUT DO NOT SEND IT, instead keep it in your drafts folder. Redraft it an hour later with a cool and rational mind.
• Do not write in bold fonts. It's simply rude and loud
• Do not go overboard with inserts in your email with multiple colours! Stick to the two insert rule and then draft a new email to avoid confusion.
• Think before you press the send button! Because once that's done, you have no control over where your written email might land up. So be careful.

Other than written communication skills, oral and non verbal communication is another important skill to develop. You cannot go wrong with a 'thank you' and an 'apology' so use these magic words as often as you can. Understand the subtle nuances of body language and the tone of voice while communicating. Sometimes, its not what you say, but how you say it that matters.

A good thing to know with customers is you cannot win an argument with them. Do not even attempt it. Instead approach the issues with an agreement frame of mind and look for win-win resolutions. Put your point across, but before that make the customer know that you have understood their point of view. A simple trick like, replacing the use of but with an and in your sentences can do the magic in terms of how you can resolve conflicts faster. Try it.

7. Do not forget the internal customers

My dad taught me this early in life- 'clever is one who gets his work done'. A CFM merchant will apply all the skills that he uses with the external customer on the all important internal customers as well. These are the people within your own organisation across the departments, your own vendors etc. Building rapport and good relationship with people around you, helps in getting your work done faster. In the cross functional environment, you cannot survive without this skill. Appreciate good work done by others in public, and criticise in private. Be clear in communicating your expectations and above all be transparent and honest in your dealings.