Lidovky.cz

Jak správně vyřizovat nabídky a dotazy?

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I toto pondělí vám Lidovky.cz ve spolupráci s jazykovou agenturou Skřivánek přináší pravidelnou lekci kurzu byznys angličtiny. Tentokrát si zopakujeme pravidla pro vyřizování nabídek a dotazů. Správné odpovědi naleznete opět na konci lekce.

Eurotel začal lovit na ulici. foto: Lidové noviny

Customers and suppliers meet in the business environment on a daily basis. That is why this article concentrates on both the offer and enquiry and tries to help both sides to prepare for this interaction. The first part will focus on the suppliers and their offers, the second part will focus on the customers and their enquiries.

Read through the following part and choose the best option for each gap:

Sales letter

Putting a brief sales letter together requires just a few rules to 1.______ to and 2.______ in mind before distributing it. A great sales letter must definitely have a 3.______ headline to catch the readers´ attention. The headline should be in bold and the 4.______should be larger than the rest of the text as its main task is to 5.______ the readers and make them want to read the offer.

1.a) stick        b) lean       c) glue

2.a) take         b) put         c) bear

3.a) caughtful b) catchy   c) catching

4.a) word       b) type        c) font

5.a) grab        b) crab       c) grape

Also, the page itself should attract the attention of its reader. A picture or a photo is a good strategy to do that as visual appeal is extremely important. The body of the letter should communicate with the reader and it has several functions. It should:

Have a look at the functions and fill in an appropriate verb:

1)____ trust

2)____ a story

3)____ a problem

4)____ objections with proof statement

Read through the next part and fill in the words from the box:

words: tone, mind, satisfaction, notes, deepen, point, typos, springboard, strike, proofread

Also, while writing the body of the sales letter, try to think like a prospective customer or client so that you have the customers´ needs in 1)____ and that you 2)____ a chord. You can also go through all your company marketing materials and make 3)____ of the things that are the most important. If you have some feedback from your customers, it can be a very good 4)____. Mention the benefits the readers will have from buying your product and remember that promising guaranteed 5)____ or money back will 6)____ the trust of your current or future customers.

Moreover, creating an atmosphere of urgency will lower down the option that the reader leaves the page and postpones or forgets about buying the product.
Generally, a sales letter should be short and to the 7)____. The message should be personalised but the 8)____ has to be professional. Before sending the letter officially to customers, make sure that it has been rewritten and 9)____ several times so that it does not have any mistakes, 10)____ or factual misinformation. If you manage to prepare and advertise good offer, you can swiftly expect a letter of enquiry.

Letter of enquiry

Making simple letters of enquiry depends on several factors. You should be aware of how well you know the supplier, whether the supplier is based in your country or abroad, and the type of goods you are enquiring about.

Match the adjectives and adverbs taken from the following paragraph with their antonyms.

1. Briefly                     a. imprecise

2. Prospective           b. at length

3. Particular               c. worst

4. Specific                 d. slowly

5. Best                      e. vague

6. Quickly                  f. agreed

First, when starting the enquiry, introduce your company briefly and mention some details before asking for information from your prospective supplier. If you are asking about some particular goods or services try to be as specific as possible. It is best to quote box numbers or catalogue references, etc to help the supplier quickly identify what product you are enquiring about.

Asking for samples is another option if you are uncertain about the product. If you decide to suggest terms and discounts you definitely can, but you must be prepared for a counter offer from your supplier.

The conclusion or the final part of the letter should involve phrases like I look forward to hearing from you soon or the possibility of substantial orders or any other business.

Sample letter of enquiry

___ The Sales Department
Rick´s Stationery Store
654 Washington Street
Glastonbury

Dear Sir/ Madam,

___We are a large legal company in the centre of London and we would like to know more about the services you offer. ___We would appreciate if you could send us your catalogue, price list and ___some samples of premium paper, envelopes and cross pens.

___ If they are of the standard we require, we will place a substantial order. ___We would also like to know if you offer any trade discounts.

Yours faithfully

___Peter Perk

Peter Perk
Manager

Match these headings with the particular parts of the letter:

1. Suggesting terms, methods of payment and/ or discount
2. Signature and name
3..Opening
4. Asking for details
5. Closing
6. Address of the supplier
7. Asking for samples/ patterns/ demonstrations

Test your knowledge HERE

Correct answers

Read through the following... 1 - a, 2 - c, 3 - b, 4 - c, 5 - a

Have a look... 1) establish, 2) tell, 3) solve, 4) overcome

Read through the next part... 1) mind, 2) strike, 3) notes, 4) springboard, 5) satisfaction, 6) deepen, 7) point, 8) tone, 9) prooofread, 10) typos

Match the adjectives.. 1b, 2f, 3e, 4a, 5c, 6d

Sample letter of enquiry...
_6__ The Sales Department
Rick´s Stationery Store
654 Washington Street
Glastonbury

Dear Sir/ Madam,

_3__We are a large legal company in the centre of London and we would like to know more about the services you offer. _4__We would appreciate if you could send us your catalogue, price list and _7__some samples of premium paper, envelopes and cross pens.

_5__ If they are of the standard we require, we will place a substantial order. _1__We would also like to know if you offer any trade discounts.

Yours faithfully

_2__Peter Perk

Peter Perk
Manager

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