Топик: Examining english business letters

Топик: Examining english business letters

EXAMINING ENGLISH BUSINESS LETTERS

Now let's turn to the practical point of writing business letters. They  may be divided into official and semi-official. The first kind of letters is characteristic  of  those  people working in  business:  an executive,  a department manager,  a salesman, a  secretary  or  a  specialist  in   business   and technology. But also many people may want to buy something, to accept an invitation or to congratulate somebody - this  is  a kind of semi-official letters.  The first kind  of letters may in turn be subdivided into such groups as:  inquiries, offers, orders, and  so  on.  I  am  going  to examine this group more carefully looking at the correspondence of Chicago businessmen and English manufactures.

Example 1.

MATTHEWS & WILSON

Ladies' Clothing

421 Michigan Avenue

Chicago, III.60602

Messrs GRANT & CLARKSON

148 Mortimer Street

London WIC 37D

England                                  October 21, 1993

Gentlemen:

We saw  your  women's  dresses  and suits at the London Fashion Show held in New York on October 17.  The lines you showed for teenagers, the  "Swinger"  dresses  and trouser suits would be most suitable for our market.

Would you kindly send us your quotation for spring and  summer clothing that  you  could  supply  to us by the end of January next. We would require 2,000 dresses and suits in each of  the sizes 10-14,  and  500 in sizes 8 and 16.  Please quote c.i.f. Chicago prices. Payment is normally made by letter of credit.

Thank you for an early reply.

Very truly yours,

P.Wilson.Jr

Buyer

.

This is undoubtedly an import inquiry letter. In the first part of a  letter  there  is  a  kind  of  introduction  as  a prospective customer  approaches supplier for the first time ,and it  is  from  this  part  that  we  found  out  that   the correspondents are engaged in textile industry.

The second   part   expresses   request   for   detailed information about the goods in question, their prices and terms of possible transaction.

In this   example   we   come   across  the  abbreviation concerning the terms of delivery, that is commonly accepted  in the business  world.  It is interesting to know what this kind of abbreviations means:

c.i.f. - cost, insurance, freight.

If consignment  is  to  be  delivered  according to c.i.f., then the supplier insures  the  goods  and pays for the whole delivery.

f.o.b. - free on board.

If consignment  is  to  be  delivered  according to f.o.b., then  the  supplier pays for transportation to port,  steamer or air shipment and dispatch; and the customer  pays  for  onward  transportation and insurance.

f.o.r. - free on rail.

It is   the   same   as  f.o.b.,  but  for  railway transportation.

c & f - cost and freight.

If consignment  is  to  be  delivered  according to c & f, then the supplier pays for the whole delivery and the customer - for insurance.

It is worth mentioning here  that  the  whole  letter  is written in  a  highly  polite  way,  nevertheless  it is quite precise and sticks to the point.

Example2

GRANT &CLARKSON

148 Mortimer Street

London W1C 37D

MATTHEWS & WILSON

Ladies' Clothing

421 Michigan Avenue

Chicago, III.60602                                   30th October, 1996

Dear Sirs,

We are pleased to make you an offer regarding our ‘Swinger’ dresses and trouser suits in the size you require. Nearly all the models you saw at our fashion show are obtainable, except trouser suits in pink, of which the smaller sizes have been sold out. This line is being manufactured continuously, but will only be available again in February, so could be delivered to you in March.

All other models can be supplied by the middle of January 1997, subject to our receiving your form order by 15th of November. Our c.i.f. prices are understood to be for sea\land transport to Chicago. If you would prefer the goods to be sent by air freight, this will be charged extra at cost

Trouser suits sizes 8-16 in white, yellow, red, turquoise, navy blue, black

Sizes 12,14 also in pink                      per 100 $2,650.00

Swinger dresses sizes 8-16

in white, yellow, red, turquoise, black           per 100 $1,845.00

You will be receiving price-list, cutting of our materials and a colour chart. These were airmailed to you this morning.

Yours faithfully,

F.T.Burke

Export Department

As you can clearly see it we face  the  second  phase  of business correspondence  -  the  answering letter.  It is very important, because it adjusts the  relationships  between  two partners. It does not only characterise the company,  but also advertises it.  The purpose of the letter is to  persuade  the partner that you are the best in business.

This letter  contains  the  quotation  in  reply  to   an inquiry. In lots of similar letters the quotations are simply prices and another information asked for.  But this sample  is quite the  opposite:  it  shows  the  customer that he met the sales-cautious businessman,  who  uses  every  opportunity   to stimulate his   correspondents   interest   in  his  goods  by including the  sales  message. And  the  assurance  that   the customer will  receive  personal attention is read between the lines. In order to draw the attention of the customer  to  the products in  question  the  supplier  offers  "cuttings of our materials and a colour chart".  On the whole a firm  offer  is subject to  certain  conditions,  a deadline for the receipt of orders, or a special price for certain quantities.

Example 3.

A business  transaction often starts with an inquiry which may later be followed by an order.

Both inquiry  and  order are meant to arose and stimulate business activity on the part of recipient. They are typically asking letters.  Orders  convey  the  writer's intention to do business with his correspondent,  usually to  buy  some  goods from them.

MATTHEWS & WILSON

Ladies' Clothing

421 Michigan Avenue

Chicago, III.60602

GRANT &CLARKSON

148 Mortimer Street

London W1C 37D                                      November 4, 1996

Gentlemen:

Thank you for your quotation of October 30. We have pleasure in placing an order with you for

1,900 ‘Swinger’ dresses                             at Price: $38,745

in the colours and sizes specified below:

Delivery: air freight, c.i.f., Chicago

We shall open a letter of credit with your bank as soon as we receive your order acknowledgement. Please arrange for immediate collection and transport since we need the dresses for Christmas.

Very truly yours,

Wilson

Buyer

It is indisputably an import order,  and as we can notice placing orders is simple from the  point  of  view  of  letter writing. The  fact  is  that usually the purchasing department or the buyer  fills  in  an  order  form.  But  in  this  case the correspondent  prefers  to write a letter in order to make certain points  quite  clear.   There   are   special   import regulations which  are touched upon in the last paragraph:  it is necessary to complete formalities and  to  stress  delivery instructions.

It should  be  mentioned  here  that  the  supplier must send order  acknowledgement as an answer to order promptly  to thank his customer for the order and to confirm it.

If some conditions have  changed,  the  customer  must  be notified. In   the  case  the  goods  ordered  are  no  longer available, a substitute may be offered.

Example 4.

What follows the order acknowledgement is the  advice  of dispatch.

GRANT &CLARKSON

148 Mortimer Street

London W1C 37D

MATTHEWS & WILSON

Ladies' Clothing

421 Michigan Avenue

Chicago, III.60602                     20thNovember,1996

Dear Sirs:

We have pleasure in notifying you that your credit was confirmed by our bank yesterday, 19th November. We have had the 1900 ‘Swinger’ dresses collected today for transport by British Airways to Chicago on 25th November.

Enclosed is our invoice for the goods in question plus the extra charges for air freight, packing list to facilitate customs clearance at your end, certificate of origin, air waybill and insurance policy.

Hoping that this initial order will lead to further business, we are

Yours faithfully

F.T.Burke

Export department

The first  thing  to be done before writing such a letter is to examine carefully whether the partners account is  valid or not.  So in the first paragraph we come across phrase "your credit was confirmed by our bank yesterday".  Air shipment for "Swinger" dresses is also mentioned here.

The next paragraph deals with  the  documents  which  are necessary while   importing   goods:  Invoice  packing  lists, certificate of origin, air waybill and insurance policy. As it is the  initial  order  by  MATTHEWS  &  WILSON,  the  GRANT & CLARKSON hopes to encourage them to place further  orders,  so their last phrase sounds very polite.

Example 5

No matter  how  efficient  a  business  firm tries  to be, mistakes will happen.  There might be a misunderstanding about the goods   to  be  supplied;  sometimes  the  consignment  is dispatched too late or delays are caused in transit; defect is discovered when  the equipment is put into operation and so on.

Therefore a letter with the complaint expressed is sent.

MATTHEWS & WILSON

Ladies' Clothing

421 Michigan Avenue

Chicago, III.60602                      November 22, 1996

GRANT &CLARKSON

148 Mortimer Street

London W1C 37D

Gentlemen:

Thank you for your delivery of ‘Swinger’ dresses which were ordered on November 4. However we wish to draw your attention to two matters.

Of the red dresses supplied one lot of 100(size 12) included clothes of a lighter red than the other sizes. Since we deliver a collection of various sizes to each store, it would be obvious to customers that the clothes are dissimilar. In addition the red belt supplied does not match these dresses. We are returning two of these by separate mail, and would ask you to replace the whole lot by 100 dresses size 12 in the correct colour.

As far as your charges for air freight are concerned, we agree to pay the extra costs which you invoiced. However your costs for packing and insurance must have been lower for air cargo, and we request you to take this fact into consideration and to make an adjustment to the invoice amount. Would you please send us a rectified invoice, reduced accordingly.

We look forward to your dealing with these questions without delay.

Very truly yours.

Wilson.

If this   kind   of   letter  is  sent  the  customer  is understandably annoyed,  nevertheless there  is  no  reason  to write an  angry letter of complaint.  In the EXAMPLE 5 there are two complaints:  the first is about the "Swinger"  dresses colour and  the second - about the fact that air freight seems too expensive to MATTHEW & WILSON.

From this  letter  we see that the results are better for the correspondent takes the trouble to explain  his  complaint clearly and proposes ways in which matters can be put right.

Example 6.

Letters that  are  written  in  response to claims may be called adjustments. These letters are among the most difficult to write  as  they  require  under all circumstances patience, tact, and diplomacy.  You will not lose your customer  if  you react at his claim promptly.

GRANT &CLARKSON

148 Mortimer Street

London W1C 37D

MATTHEWS & WILSON

Ladies' Clothing

421 Michigan Avenue

Chicago, III.60602                   2nd December, 1996

Dear Sirs:

The colour of the dresses about which you complain is indeed lighter than it should be. Apparently this was overlooked by controller responsible. Please accept our apologies for the oversight.

We are sending you a new lot by air this week, and would ask you to return the faulty clothes at your convenience, carriage forward. Alternatively you may keep this lot for sale as seconds at a reduced price of &1,120.

You are perfectly correct in saying that packing and insurance costs are normally less for cargo sent by air. May we remind you, however, in this case your request to send the goods by air was made at very short notice. It was not possible for us to use the lighter air freight packing materials, as most of the dresses were ready for shipment by sea freight (please see our letter of 9th November). Furthermore, our insurance is on an open policy at a flat rate, and depends on the value of the goods, not the method of transport. For these reasons our invoice No.14596 dated 15th November 1996 is still valid, and we look forward to receiving your remittance when due.

Yours faithfully

Burke

The suppliers  show  their understanding of situation and express their willingness to adjust it.  They say exactly what steps they are going to take,  because a disappointed customer cannot be put off with mere apologies - he is entitled to  know how the mistake will be remedied.  The supplies convince their partners that they are really interested in  maintaining  good will. They  try  to  avoid negative statements,  and what even worse, accusations;  they  never  forget  that  it  is   their customer who keeps them in business.

Even when they  write  their  customers  about  rejecting their claim  on air freight,  they try to give logical reasons for the refusal.

CONCLUSION

The conclusion  that  therefore  suggests  itself is that writing of business letters is highly complicated science.  It is not  enough  for  a  good  business  letter writing to know lexics and grammar,  but you should comprehend the whole range of such things as: occasions on which the particular letter is written, the style of letter, useful expressions, and accepted idioms.

There are certain rules which not everybody  could  learn since they  have  to  be  felt by correspondents.  Letter writing requires long practice and experience.  Those who write letters should always remember,  that what makes the letter attractive and therefore  promotes  one's  business  is  not  always  the message of the letter, but it is the manner and style in which the message is written.

The "golden rule" that must be followed by every business correspondent is that the official letter  should  be  formal, courteous, tactful, concise, expressive, and to the point.

Bibliography

1.GOWERS, ERNEST The complete plain words

2.Naterop Business Letters for All.