BUSINESS LETTER WRITING 1.4

 BUSINESS LETTER WRITING 1.4

[Various Types of Letters]

C. Product Enquiry Letters

We write an inquiry when we want to ask for more information concerning a product, service or other information about a product or service that interests us. These letters are often written in response to an advertisement that we have seen in the paper, a magazine, a commercial on television when we are interested in purchasing a product, but would like more information before making a decision.  

Important Language to Remember

The Start: Dear Sir or Madam 
To Whom It May Concern - (very formal as you do not know the person to whom you are writing)

Giving Reference: With reference to your advertisement (ad) in...
Regarding your advertisement (ad) in ...

Requesting a Catalog, Brochure, Etc.: After the reference, add a comma and continue - ... , would (Could) you please send me ...

Requesting Further Information: I would also like to know ...
Could you tell me whether ...

Signature: Yours faithfully - (very formal as you do not know the person to whom you are writing) 

An Example Letter:

   

D. Reply to an Enquiry Letter

  Acknowledging receipt of an enquiry/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 … 

Explaining action taken as a consequence of the enquiry
- I have (reviewed our available stock) … 
- I have checked/looked into/investigated (the possible approaches) …

Making suggestions / justifying recommendations / pointing out pros and cons
- The best choice would be … since …
- I highly recommend … as / due to the fact that …
- … would probably be more suitable because …
- I suggest that you (should) choose …
- In view of the fact that …, I would strongly recommend … as …

Apologising and rejecting proposals
- While I appreciate your firm’s need for this information, I regret that …
- 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). 

Stipulating action requested or to be taken
- We shall arrange for … by …at the latest. 
- I shall see to it that …
- Our company will arrange for …

Establishing goodwill and suggesting contact
- I hope this suggestion/information will be useful to you.
- I hope this information will prove useful to you.
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- I look forward to receiving your confirmation of …
- I look forward to doing business with your company in the future …
- Please feel free to contact me again if you have any further queries on …
- Do contact me on XXXXXXXXX if I can be of further assistance. 

[to be continued...]

BUSINESS LETTER WRITING 1.3

 BUSINESS LETTER WRITING 1.3

[VARIOUS TYPES OF LETTERS] 

A. Letter of Job Enquiry

A letter of enquiry is when you are approaching a company speculatively, that is you are making an approach without their having advertised or announced a vacancy.

Opening Paragraph

Introduce yourself briefly and give your reason for writing. Let them know of the kind of position you are seeking, why you are interested and how you heard about them.

Paragraph 2

Show why their company in particular interests you, mention your qualifications and experience along with any further details that might make them interested in seeing you.

Paragraph 3

Refer to your enclosed CV and draw their attention to any particularly important points you would like them to focus on in it.

Closing Paragraph

Thank them, explain your availability for interview and restate your enthusiasm for their company and desire to be considered for posts that might as yet be unavailable.

This sample letter of enquiry is a good base from which to start searching your job, See the Samples below and modify them as per your own flavour.

Sample:

[Employer's Name and Title]
[Employer's Address]Dear [Name of hiring manager]

I have been informed of a job opportunity as [specific position or area you are applying for] by [name of referrer]. I am very interested in such a position because [qualifications or related work & interests].

I am currently employed at [name of organisation] as [title of position].

or

I have just graduated from [name of academic organisation].[Achievements related to the position]

I look forward to discussing this job opportunity further and how I can contribute to the success of [name of organisation].

Sincerely,[sign your name ][type your name ] 

B. Job Acceptance Letter

Congratulations on your new job! Now write the perfect acceptance letter. An acceptance letter provides proof of what you believe to be your terms of employment before you actually begin work. Although you will often accept a job offer in person, it is a good gesture and a wise practice to formalize it with a letter.

How to write a letter to accept a job offer:

• Begin your acceptance letter by thanking whoever sent you the job offer, and then make it clear that you have decided to accept it.
• Use your acceptance letter to restate the basic terms of employment as you understand them, including hours per week, salary, and benefits.
• Restate what instructions you were given regarding such details as your starting date, work hours etc.
• Request clarification in your acceptance letter of any terms of employment that were vague in the interview or that concerned you afterwards.
• Express how much you look forward to filling this new position and mention one or two aspects of the job you will especially enjoy.
• Make sure your acceptance letter is professional-looking; check it carefully for grammatical mistakes, typographical errors, and misspelled words.

(Kindly see the SAMPLE…)

 [to be continued...]