Connecting with others (Pt. 1)
The most important skill a vendor manager has is the ability to connect with others. A VM spends their day coordinating people with opposing interests. Those that succeed are able to find common ground and entice the parties to inhabit that ground. Those that fail are not able to do so. Those that fail miserably drive the parties from the common ground into opposing bunkers.
The connection skill-set is not difficult to build for those so inclined. Guy Kawasaki returns to this topic time and time again. Two of his best posts relate to what he calls “schmoozing” but that I would call “relationship building” (‘schmoozing’ has conotations of bald self-interest whereas ‘relationship building’ reflects the symbiotic nature of the act) and ‘effective emailing‘.
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By saying that the most important skill is being able to connect with others, you are really saying everything depends on the manager’s personality (which encompasses attitude, enthusiasm, communication skills, patience, etc.) I agree with you.
The points in your post could also refer to people good at contract negotiations. The trick in both cases is realizing that there really aren’t two sides…everybody involved has one overriding goal which is to either establish a business relationship or keep one running smoothly.