What to be a Senior Merchandiser means at Exploris : He is called a Project Manager, because new projects are the key to our future, and we wish our client to always consider we always take any of his need as a new challenge to us.. He is in charge of keeping healthy a portfolio of around 100 accounts, which are assigned to him. There are various situations : Current clients, who have already purchased products from Exploris. They have an order planned, which needs to be followed : 1. (new counter-sampling, to check that materials to be used are same as previous order, and to ensure that running changes, such as technical improvements on a complete range, have been understood and implemented by the supplier) 2. Issuance of proforma invoice 3. Order placing to the supplier(s), with the related quality requests and specification sheet 4. Production supervision (in time, and according to our Quality Standards), with our Technical Manager 5. Shipment and payment arrangement, with our Administration Manager We have around 5 to 10 % current orders, in permanence, among a portfolio of 100 accounts Active Projects, which are serious inquiries, related to a rather precisely defined product. These can come from companies who have contacted us on their own, or which we met on fairs (leads). These projects can also come from our Current clients. We need to get these projects become order : 1. Discuss with the client his need, to make it come close to one of our standard products we are mastering 2. Study all personalization of the product, with our Designer and our Technical Manager, to make it clearly understandable from the supplier, and make it possible without the risk for any misunderstanding 3. Develop, or subcontract to our Project Development Engineer, any completely new project on a never yet done type of item. 4. Ensure development of the new samples under cover of a confidentiality agreement with the supplier. 5. Discuss sampling results and product costs with supplier and client 6. Move the project into an order We have around 5 to 10 % active projects, in permanence, among a portfolio of 100 accounts Sleeping clients, which are current clients with no activity in terms of orders or new projects with us. We need to wake them up : 1. Inquire their satisfaction level after they receive our shipment, and their ideas or remarks about quality and functionality. Use some standard mails developed with our Marketing team, and adapted to their particular situation, and update the calendar of planned mails or calls. 2. Anticipate their needs for a re-order of a same product, or for an evolution of this product, to fit market trends evolution. Keep updated a calendar of planned mails or calls, to come in time 3. Take advantage of the inactivity period to learn more about the client, and prepare a schedule of promotions which can be attractive to him, for his different brands 4. Control a planning of information which can be sent to him, about the different happenings related to our company (new range, new newsletter…), to our industry (fairs) or to his own particular marketing events (sponsoring, new referencing…) to show our close partnership. We have around 30 to 40 % sleeping accounts, in permanence, among a portfolio of 100 accounts Inactive Projects, which are projects for current clients or leads, which did not come to an order, due to our unability to match the client’s desire, or which have been dropped by the client for whatever other reason. These companies know us now, so we need to use this first failed contact to make them spring back on another topic, or if they are already our client, not get the risk to lose further ground with them. 1. Inquire their reasons and satisfaction level about our service, to help us improve, and serve them better next time.. Use some standard mails developed with our Marketing team, and adapted to their particular situation. 2. Introduce them other product lines 3. Invite them to China, or book a meeting at next fair 4. Judge of the need to have this account downgraded into the “standard” basket of potential clients followed by the marketing and business development team, without a personalized service. We have around 40 to 60 % sleeping accounts, in permanence, among a portfolio of 100 accounts Leads are companies we have referenced in the industry, and that the marketing and business development team are trying to make come alive. Any new company localized through internet search, referral, or fairs is included. Once a lead is expressing a serious need, it is assigned to one of the Project Managers, according to the client style, or the Project Manager style or current work load. It then becomes an Active Project. A Project Manager at Exploris needs to have certain qualities : • Be extremely well organized and precise, to avoid omissions and misunderstanding • Have a good understanding of the company policy, and obviously agree with the methods we use • Be very patient, to be able to sustain stress in peak or key activity periods of the company • Be very polite toward suppliers, though be very tough to place the company interest first, then the client’s interest second, all before the supplier’s interest • Be quick, precise and well styled in the written communication with the client, to keep our company image and service ahead of the competition • Be able to sustain a friendly communication with the client over the phone or at fairs, to prevent him from looking elsewhere. • Be in full control of where he stands at any time on his portfolio • Be able to work as a teammate on all quality issues, or gathered information, to make the full team improve further • Be capable of planning in advance his actions and follow a dated work plan • Be capable of accurately inputting, reporting all actions, to enable the functioning of control and management tools to better prepare our scheduling and company development.
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