3.1 Complete the letter with the following phrases:
could you also provide on
behalf of please place
a substantial
order the quality of your products
3.2 Below you will see parts of three letters of enquiry. Put the correct word or phrase in each blank. Choose from the following list. Use each item once only.
3.3 The following letter is the reply which Colin Davis writes to Pedro Jiminez (see ex. 3.1). There are a number of mistakes in it - sometimes incorrect spelling, sometimes grammatical or usage mistakes. Find the mistakes and write the correct word in the space on the right.
3.4 Mr Adriano Gornez, a buyer for a department store in Sao Paulo, Brazil, writes to a clothing
manufacturer asking for full details of the company's new range of shirts. He
is interested in placing a large order. Write a suitable reply to his enquiry.
3.5 Below you will see parts of three letters answering an
enquiry. Put the correct word or phrase in each blank. Choose from the following
list. Use each item once only.
3.6 Read the letter of enquiry below, and cross out the one sentence which does not fit in.
3.7 Write a suitable reply to the letter in ex. 3.6, following the guidelines below.
• thank TransChem for their enquiry, and express interest;
• briefly introduce the Vernon Morgan College of English (founded 20
years ago / high quality tailor-made language training for executives / etc.);
• mention the trainers and consultants (highly qualified / enthusiastic
and professional / experienced in the field / etc.) and mention clients
(AGROCHEM in Milan
and Petrosur in Valencia);
• mention social programme (opportunity to mix with local business
people);
• refer to enclosed prospectus;
• offer 20% discount on course fees for first group (12% on subsequent
groups of min. 10);
• close on an encouraging and optimistic note.
3.1 Replying to Enquiries
Any letter of enquiry to a business or organization
should be responded to promptly. A prompt reply is the basic etiquette that any
organization should follow.
The reply to an enquiry should have the courteous
thanking attitude, thanking the sender for their interest in your product or
service.
The reply should provide all the answers to the
questions in the enquiry letter. It should even answer implied questions and
unasked questions. The tone should be cheerful and the information complete.
Details of dates, price, quality and quantity etc., should be exact and
correct.
3.2 How to write a reply to an enquiry?
Step 1.Acknowledge receiving an enquiry or request
- Thank you for your letter of ... regarding / concerning / in connection with
...
- I refer to your enquiry about / relating to ...
- I have received your letter of ... requesting information about ...
Step 2.Explaining your actions taken as a
consequence of the enquiry
- I have (reviewed our available stock) ...
- We held a meeting on 1 March to discuss possible solutions.
- I have checked/looked into/investigated ...
Step 3.Make suggestions. Justify your
recommendations. - The best choice would be ... since ...
- I highly recommend ... as / due to the fact that ...
- ... would probably be more suitable because ...
- ... seems to suit you better although ...
- Perhaps you should choose ... even though ...
- I suggest that you (should) choose ...
- In view of the fact that ..., I would strongly recommend ... as ...
Step 4. Apologise and reject proposals
- While I appreciate your firm's need for this information, I regret that ...
- It will not be possible to ... for legal reasons. We are bound to ...
- Your proposal is of interest to us, and we have had consultations about it.
- However, we feel that it will not be in our interests to ... for reasons of
(privacy).
- We are concerned that ...
Step 5.Stipulate action, requested by the
sender - We shall arrange for ... by ...at the
latest.
- I shall see to it that ...
- Our company will arrange for ...
Step 6.Establish goodwill
- I hope this suggestion/information will be useful to you.
- I hope that this information will help you to make decisions on your order.
- I look forward to receiving your confirmation of ...
- I look forward to doing business with your company in the future ...
Step 7.Suggest further contact.
- Please feel free to contact me again if you have any further queries on ...
- Do contact me if you need further information.
- Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.