05 October 2006

Purchasers need to build relationships and rapport with other departments to boost their image and demonstrate their purpose, according to a training specialist.

Jeraint Hazan, business development manager at training company Interact, said this was vital to generate trust between departments.

Addressing buyers at a CIPS Chilterns branch event last month, he said: "The success of a company is not based on the discounts you can achieve. It's about how we interact and communicate together."

Purchasers at the 'Marketing is everything' event were told to use what Hazan calls "the chat gap", which involves making conversation and taking an interest in what other departments and colleagues are up to. He warned purchasers against simply feigning interest.

Hazan said buyers should consider what it is they offer colleagues in other departments. "Marketing [your department] is about understanding your product," he said. "You have to be specific and know what your audience is looking for."

He suggested purchasers create a statement of what they can offer, both professionally and personally, and ensure they adapt it to make it appropriate to their audience.

SMoct2006