The Fashion Buyer's Audience

You have five major "audiences" - five groups of people to whom you, as a fashion buyer, must convey facts and ideas, and from whom you must elicit response and a return flow of information and opinions. These are:

• customers
  
  
• the people who help you serve those customers -salespeople, department managers, assistant buyers
  
  
  
  
• resources
  
  
• the executives to whom you are directly responsible
  
  
• other store executives and staff employees with whom you work - advertising, display, personnel, for instance.
  

There are other audiences, but these five are the ones most directly connected with your activities, and with whom effective communication is most essential.

Learning the Language

Each person has his own language, his own values, his own standards. These are not necessarily identical with yours.

Take the trouble to address each person in terms of his own interests, goals, and responsibilities. People do not always have the imagination and flexibility, nor do they always have the time and willingness to translate what you say into such terms for themselves. If you want to get your message across, then it is up to you to adjust to your audience. Take the trouble also to evaluate what you hear in terms of the other person's interests. If his values differ from yours, words may have different implications for him than they do for you.

If you are not sure of the other person's language and values, ask questions. Pin his message down in terms that have concrete meaning for you.

For example, suppose a vendor says he gives "advertising support" to a group of styles. To him, the term may mean buying space in national media. To you, it may mean allowances to permit you to advertise the style or line locally. If you pin your question and his answer down to store cooperative advertising allowances, however, there will be clear communication.

Spelling Things Out

Good communication means spelling out, itemizing, listing, what is wanted or what needs to be explained, instead of assuming that the other person will understand correctly any points you didn't mention. For example, it isn't enough simply to tell an advertising copywriter, or a salesperson, or a customer, that scarves in a certain group are "long". Good communication means spelling out that the length is a new one and is part of a current lean "look"; it means pointing out that the scarf can be worn outside coats as well as tucked in; it means announcing that the scarf has become a dramatic element of the costume.

Good communication means saying "tomorrow at 9" or "tomorrow at noon", instead of "tomorrow". It means specifying "by our afternoon truck", instead of "as soon as possible". It means being explicit and complete.

Good communication applies to the questions you ask, as well as to the announcements you make. For example, suppose you ask for suggestions about a "better stock arrangement" for your department. Each person you ask would answer in his own terms.

Salespeople might suggest step-saving arrangements. Vendors might suggest more prominence for their respective lines. The store architect might answer you in terms of harmony with other departments. The protection manager might reply in terms of preventing shoplifting. The merchandising manager might consider potential sales per square foot of space.

And perhaps what you actually meant, but failed to communicate, was: "How can I rearrange this stock so as to create an area in which to highlight a few new, exciting styles"? Or "How can I arrange the stock to make quick eyeball checks possible"? To get useful answers, communicate clearly in your questions.

Putting It on Paper

There are dozens of occasions when you will have to communicate via the written word - when requesting an ad, when alerting salespeople and department managers in outlying units to the arrival of new merchandise, when requesting action from resources, etc.

Although the telephone and personal contact certainly are important in business, the written message has its advantages. Among them:

• a dated record of what has been asked or stated
  
  
• a duplicate for file or follow-up
  
  
• accuracy -since you are supplying a carefully prepared notation rather than depending upon the possibly incomplete notes that the recipient of an oral message would make
  
  
• politeness, since your message does not interrupt a conversation or other activity, as a visit or phone call might
  
  
• time-saving, since you do not have to wait for the other person to be available to talk
  
  
• ability to reach many people with identical messages through distribution or posting of copies
  

Improving your command of the written word is thus an important part of developing your skill in communication.

Good Business Writing

Anything written for business purposes, whether it is a casual memorandum or a published announcement, should have certain qualities:

• Clearness: Absolute simplicity of style helps to insure clarity. Keep sentences straightforward. Use words you are sure the reader will understand. Use the other person's "language". Avoid any private or technical terminology that may be unfamiliar to the reader.
  
  
• Completeness: Put all the needed information on paper. For example, if you are writing to a vendor about one of his invoices, give him the date and amount and his invoice number. If you are writing about one of your orders, give the date, number, amount, date of shipment. If you are mentioning a style number, include a few descriptive words as well, to prevent possible con fusion.
  

Also, be careful to include all pertinent details. If you are complaining of a damaged shipment, for example, mention whether or not the carton was received damaged, and if so, whether or not this was reported to the carrier.

• Courtesy: Even in the briefest, most routine message, make room for a word of thanks or other indication of interest.
  
  
• Conciseness: Make your point quickly. Almost any first draft has twice the number of words it needs. Slash unnecessary and colorless words; omit superfluous details and remarks.
  
  
• Character: Your business message should reflect your personality. You can accomplish this by your choice of words, using expressions from your own everyday speech in place of stereotyped phrases. Try "Wonderful news"! or "We have a first"! sometime, instead of "This is to inform you".