Definition of Inquiry letter
A letter of
request, also known as a letter or letters of interesting candidates, will be
sent to the companies. Letter of request is a letter from a prospective buyer
to the seller requesting information about the products offered. With the offer
of the seller will potential buyers will know the price, and the sale and
purchase, and a description of the goods or services to be purchased. This is
the purpose of the prospective buyer a written request to the seller.
When a
prospective buyer has to know the condition of the goods / services following
the price and terms of sale and purchase, of course he did not need to ask for
a quote from the seller. Letter of inquiry required in formal trade demand
formal procedures in writing. Letter of inquiry is often an early stage of the
business transactions. Through a letter of inquiry to ask a potential buyer or
to request information about the goods or services to be purchased. In
reaction, the seller explained the things he wanted to know the buyer, the buyer
did finally order and business transactions as the top buying and selling
process.
In the letter of demand
for the goods usually offer prospective buyers ask:
1. name and type of goods;
2. special characteristics
(specifications) of goods, namely, the type, size, quality, capacity and
others;
3. unit price.
4. Pieces;
5. method of payment;
6. means of delivery, and
7. ease that may be
obtained by the buyer, such as guarantees and other
In
addition to the above mentioned potential buyers asking price lists and
catalogs (if the items varied) and a technical description of the goods in the
form of leaflets or brochures. For items that allow, prospective buyers can
also request a sample of goods actually sent.
By letter of demand and
supply of services, prospective buyers can ask:
1. the form of services
that can be presented by the seller;
2. equipment used by the
seller as a support (if any);
3. price;
4. pieces and
5. method of payment;
In
demand service offerings, potential buyers can also request a price list
(according to the level of services to be provided). Usually all been included
in the prospectus which has been prepared by the company selling services.
Inquiry should not only be
submitted to one seller, but to some sellers. This step was taken so that the
price list and the information collected will be compared with each other to
determine which one best suit your desires and financial ability of prospective
buyers.
Different kinds of
enquiry letters
(a) Unsolicited enquiry
An unsolicited enquiry letter is written by a potential buyer interested
in the best bargain. He does it at his own initiative and convenience. He
writes to firms that sell the kind of product he requires or provides the kind
of service he needs, trying to elicit information on price / costs, quality,
availability and other terms of sale. An unsolicited enquiry, since it is at
the writer’s initiative has to be written in such a way that it gets the
required response.The letter should have the quality of completeness and
clarity. The writer should be able to give a complete idea of his requirement
and the reasons for his enquiry in clear terms. If the enquiry is long, the
writer can prefer to adopt a questionnaire format in the letter.
(b) A solicited enquiry
A solicited enquiry is in response to an advertisement / sales letter of
a seller. Already the buyer has some information on the product or service. He
requires further details. It is not as lengthy as an unsolicited enquiry. The
questions relate to particular areas of a sale / service. A solicited enquiry
may ask for a brochure / bulletin / catalogue or for a clarification of the
items mentioned in them.
(c) Enquiries asking for a favour
Certain letters of enquiry seek the favour of an information with or
without a commercial proposition. It may be merely seeking some information to
be used later. A business organisation may be seeking information from another
firm regarding credit worthiness of a businessman. A research scholar
particularly engaged in market research may send a letter of enquiry with a
questionnaire to a firm. Such enquiry letters should clearly spell out their
objectives.
Format of a Letter of Inquiry
Follow this format in writing a letter of inquiry :
a. In the first
paragraph, identify yourself and, if appropriate, your position, and your
institution or firm.
b. In the second
paragraph, briefly explain why you are writing and how you will use the
requested information. Offer to keep the response confidential if such an offer
seems reasonable.
c. List the specific
information you need. You can phrase your requests as questions or as a list of
specific items of information. In either case, make each item clear and
discrete.
d. Conclude your letter by offering your reader some
incentive for responding.
Example of Inquiry Letter :
Replies to Inquiries
Use the direct plan when you say yes to
an inquiry or request, and be sure to follow the suggestions listed
here in your reply.
1. Give the Exact Information Requested
· Say in
the first sentence that you are granting the request or answering the inquiry. A
common
error in answering inquiries is failure to answer some of
the questions asked. Prevent this common
error by marking on the letter of inquiry the points or questions to
be addressed. Before you send your reply,
double-check with the original letter to
see that each point or question has been adequately
covered.
When answering yes to a request for an appointment or reservation, repeat in your letter all the
details such as date, time, and place.
The following letter shows an answer to
a request for a reservation:
Dear Mr. Ali,
We are happy to receive your registration form and deposit for the 21st Century Marketing Conference
to be held April 3-7 in Lahore.
The Lahore Hilton has set aside a block of rooms at
a special discounted rate for conference attendees.
The rate is Rs. 1000 for a single, Rs. 1500 for a
double. To make reservations, call 00 11 - 22 before
February 1.
Pakistan International Airlines is offering conference attendees up
to 40 percent off the regular fares. To
make flight reservations, call 800-684-4000, and refer
to identification number J0969.
When you arrive at the conference, be sure to register before noon on Monday, April 3,
so that you can
attend the 1:00 p.m. special roundtable discussion by market analysts.
Yours truly,
2. Express Appreciation for the Inquiry
Tell the customer, either directly or
by implication that you are glad he or she has written to you about
one of your organization's products or services. Write in
the spirit of service and goodwill. The tone of your
reply should express your appreciation.
3. Sell Your Organization or
Product
Put "sell" into every letter you write. An inquiry tells you that the customer was interested when he
or
she wrote, but what guarantee do you have that the interest is still "hot"? Stress the benefit of converting
interest into action.
4. End with a Positive Closing
If appropriate, offer to give further assistance, and end with a goodwill closing. When inquiries are clear,
concise, and specific, they are easy to answer.
Look at the following example. Immediately after
the request was received, the following reply was written.
Because all the customer's questions could be answered positively, the writer used the
direct approach.
Enclosed are samples of the paper we
recommend for letterhead stationery. We are happy to answer the questions in your
June 15 letter because the content and design
of your organization's letterhead create a first and lasting impression of your
organization.............
Dear Mr Hassan
Thank you very much for your letter of May 21
in which you request us to send you the latest Catalogue
and pricelist of our office supplies and equipment.
I send them this morning, by First Courier Service.
The Catalogue gives complete details of our products
I am sure you would find them as usual suitable to
your requirements.
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely
Replies to Persuasive Requests
It's easy to answer a persuasive request when you can say yes. A
smiling "Here it is" or "I'll be glad to"
just about sums up the reply. Follow the
direct plan and use the suggestions listed here.
1. Start with a Cheerful "Yes"
Open your letter with the good news that will make your reader happy:
"I'll be at the seminar to help in
any way I can. The solution to the problem of tax increases
is important to me too, and
I'm glad you planned the seminar".
If the request is granted grudgingly
or with reservations, you will probably lose the goodwill you could
expect to gain by saying yes.
2. Confirm Details of the Request and Acceptance
The confirmation can be included with the "Yes" in
the first paragraph, as in this opening sentence:
We are pleased to enclose the entrance requirements to our graduate business program.
Otherwise, the confirmation should follow in
the next paragraph and should repeat the details of the
request to be sure that reader and writer agree. For example, a letter accepting an invitation to
give a talk at
a meeting should confirm the day and date, time, place, subject, and length of
the talk. Or, if a contribution
is enclosed, the letter should state the
amount and purpose.
Offer to do More than Requested
The "something extra" may be
an offer to do more than requested.
For example, a professor is invited to speak at
a convention in Islamabad, with expenses paid but no fee.
The professor not only accepts, but also offers
to come at no expense to the nonprofit organization:
Since I will be in Islamabad that week on other business. I shall be happy to speak to the convention on Monday, May 1,
or Tuesday, May 2, at no
expense to your organization.
Model Letters
Gentlemen,
A few days ago I visited the office of
a large corporation in Karachi, and was much impressed with the
layouts of their various departments in which modular furniture is displayed. During my visit, I inquired
about manufactures of such equipment and was told that you have an
entire building in which various
modular furniture's and equipments are displayed.
I would like very much to visit your Exhibit Building. I can come any time that is
convenient for you.
If I do not hear from you to
the contrary, I will plan to visit you on Thursday, March 8.
Cordially yours,
Responding to a Request to Visit Showrooms
(In the same situation)
Dear Mr. Abid,
I am delighted to know that you are planning to visit us
on Tuesday, March 8. The Exhibit Building is
open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so you can come anytime.
I thank you for your interest.
Sincerely yours,
The example of replay for inquiry
letter:
