Business Letter Writing
2. Enquiries and Replies to Enquires
3. Orders and Execution of Orders
4. Packing and Despatch
5. Invoicing, Accounting and Settlement of Accounts
6. Shipping and Forwarding
7. Banking and Payments in Foreign Trade
8. Insurance
9. Complaints and Replies to Complaints
Secretarial
Vocabulary
Exercises
Abbreviations used in business letters:
Inst. (instant)
Ult. (ultimo)
Prox. (proximo)
BTW (by the way)
F2F (face to face)
FCOL (for crying out loud)
FWYW (for what it’s worth)
FYI (for your information)
GG (got to go)
GOK (God only knows)
IMHO (in my humble opinion)
IMO (in my opinion)
OTOH (on the other hand)
PLS (please)
TAFN (that’s all for now)
TTFN (ta-ta for now)
Note the abbreviation usage in the following sentences:
1. We are in receipt of your esteemed letter of the 27th ultimo.
2. We beg to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the 15th inst.
3. Your favour of the 25th ult. has come to hand this morning.
4. We have before us your esteemed favour of the 10th inst.
5. Your letter of the 19th ult. came into our possession yesterday.
CHAPTER 2.
ENQUIRES AND REPLIES TO ENQUIRES.
Most letters of enquiry are short and simple, so much so that many firms have adopted the practice of sending printed inquiry forms, thereby eliminating the need for a letter. As a prospective buyer, the writer of an enquiry states briefly and clearly what he is interested in and this is all the receiver of the letter needs to know. It is rather different when the object of your enquiry is to obtain a special price for regular orders, or selling rights in your area. In cases like these you are asking for concessions, and you have to “sell” your proposal, to the supplier. This requires much more skill than does the writing
of a routine enquiry. A first enquiry – a letter sent to a supplier with whom you have not previously done business – should include:
1. A brief mention of how you obtained your potential supplier’s name. Your source may be an embassy, consulate, or chamber of commerce; you may have seen goods in question at an exhibition or trade fair; you may be writing as a result of recommendation from a business associate, or on the basis of an advertisement in the daily, weekly or trade press.
2. Some indication of the demand in your area for the goods which the supplier deals in.
3. Details of what you would like your prospective supplier to send you. Normally you will be interested in a catalogue, a price list, discounts, methods of payment, delivery times, and, where appropriate, samples.
4. A closing sentence to round off the enquiry.
Opening lines:
1. Your name has been given us by the British Chamber of Commerce in Paris;
2. The British Embassy in Copenhagen has advised us to get in touch with you concerning…
3. We saw your products demonstrated at the Hanover Fair earlier this year and would like to know whether…
4. Messrs. B. and D. of Bletchley, who we understand have been doing business with you for some years, inform us that you may be able to supply us with…
5. We have seen your advertisement in last Sunday’s Observer, and would be grateful if you would let us have details of…
6. Your ad. in this month’s issue of the Shoemaker states you that can offer.
Indicating the state of the market
1 . There is a brisk demand here for high-quality shirts of the type you manufacture.
2.
(No Ratings Yet)