CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCITON Chapter 4 Replies and Quotations Confirming that you can help; ‘selling’ your product; suggesting alternatives; referring the customer elsewhere; catalogues, price lists, prospe[.]
Chapter 4: Replies and Quotations Confirming that you can help; ‘selling’ your product; suggesting alternatives; referring the customer elsewhere; catalogues, pricelists, prospectuses, samples; demonstrations, representatives, showroom visits; quotations; prices; transport and insurance costs; discounts; methods of payment; quoting delivery; fixed terms and negotiable terms; giving an estimate 4.1 Replying to letters of enquiry Opening Body: + Confirming that you can help + ‘Selling’ your product + Suggesting alternatives + Referring the customer elsewhere + Catalogues, price-lists, prospectuses, samples + Demonstrations, representatives, showroom visits Closing: 4.1.1 Opening * Mention your prospective customer’s name to show that you attend to him/her * Thank the writer for his/her enquiry Mention the date of his/her letter and quote any other references Thank you for your enquiry of June 6th 2010 in which you asked about… I would like to thank you for your enquiry of May 10 and am pleased to tell you that we would be able to supply you with the … We were pleased to hear from your letter of 10 Dec that you were impressed with our selection of … Thank you for your letter NJ 1691, which we received this morning 4.1.2 Confirming that you can help * Let the writer know if you have the product or can provide the service he/she is enquiring about We have a wide selection of sweaters that will appeal to all ages, and in particular the teenage market which you specified Our factory would have no problem in turning out the 6,000 units you asked for in your enquiry We can supply from stock and will have no trouble in meeting your delivery date I am pleased to say that we will be able to deliver the transport facilities you require We can offer door-to-door delivery services 4.1.3 Selling your products * Encourage or persuade prospective customer to business by mentioning selling points of product, including any guarantees you offer We think you have made an excellent choice in selecting this line and once you have seen the samples, we are sure you will agree that this is unique both in texture and color Once you have seen the Delta 800 in operation, we know you will be impressed by its trouble-free performance We can assure you that the Omega 2000 is one of the most outstanding machines on the market today, and our confidence in it is supported by our five-year guarantee 4.1.4 Suggesting alternative * If you not have what the enquirer has asked for, offer an alternative to him But not criticize the product he originally asked for …and while this engine has all the qualities of the mode you asked for, the ‘Powerdrive’ has the added advantage of having fewer moving parts, so less can go wrong It also saves on oil as it… The mode has now been improved, its steel casing having been replaced by plastic which is lighter, more durable and stronger Of course leather is an excellent material to work with in the upholstering of furniture but escalating costs have persuaded customers to look for something more competitive in price Fortunately, Tareton Plastics have produced an amazing substitute ‘Letherine’ which has the same texture strength and quality of leather but is less than a quarter of the cost The samples enclosed will convince you 4.1.5 Referring customers elsewhere * If you cannot handle the order or answer the enquiry, tell customer and if possible refer him elsewhere I regret to say that we no longer produce the type of stapler you refer to since we find there is no longer sufficient demand for it I am sorry we cannot be of help to you The book you mention is not published by us, but by Greenhill Education Ltd If you would care to write to them, their address is… We no longer manufacture pure cotton shirts as their retail prices tend only to attract the upper end of the market All our garments are now poly-cotton, which is stronger, needs little ironing, and allows variations in patterns However, if you are still set on pure cotton garments, we advise you to contact Louis Fashion Ltd at… Even if the product is yours, you may still have to refer the enquirer elsewhere I confirm that the product you require is one of ours, but since we are only able to deal with wholesalers, not retailers, may I refer you to R.T Depre SA, rue Montpellier 28, Paris…? 4.1.6 Catalogues, price-lists, prospectuses, samples * Enclose current catalogues and price-lists If prices are subject to change, tell customer If you are sending samples, let your customer know they will follow the letter immediately by separate post Please find enclosed our current catalogue and price-list quoting c.i.f prices Kobe The units you referred to in your letter are featured on pp 31-34 under catalogue numbers Y32 – Y37 When ordering, could you please quote these numbers? The samples you asked for will follow by separate post We have enclosed our booklet on the Omega 2000 and are sure you will agree that it is one of the finest machines of its kind It can be adapted to your specifications and details of this are on page 12 under the heading ‘Structural Changes’ We have sent you our summer catalogue which unfortunately is only printed in English However, we have enclosed a German translation for the relevant pages (41 – 45) and hope this will prove helpful …and we have enclosed our price-list but should point out that prices are subject to change as the market for raw materials is very unstable at present 4.1.7 Demonstration, representatives, showroom visits * Certain products need demonstrating company might send a representative, or suggest customer visits agent, stockiest or showroom We have enclosed all the details about the Laren welder, but feel that a demonstration will give you more of an idea of its capabilities We would therefore like to invite you to our centre in Birmingham where the equipment is set up so that you can see the machine in action As the enclosed illustrated booklet cannot really show the efficiency of the Farnon word processor, can we send our representative to you with a model of the machine, and he can give you a demonstration? If you are interested in a visit, please fill in the enclosed pre-paid card and return it to us The enclosed catalogue will give you an idea of the type of sound equipment we produce, but may we suggest that you visit our agent’s showrooms in Rotterdam where you can see a wide range of units? The address is… 4.1.8 Closing * Always thank customer for writing, also encourage further enquiries Once again we would like to thank you for writing to us and would welcome any further points you would like us to answer Please write to us again if you have any questions, or call us at the above telephone number I am sorry we not have the model you asked for, but I can promise you that the alternative I have suggested will certainly meet your expectations, and remember we offer a full guarantee for three years We hope to hear from you again soon, and can assure you that your order will be dealt with promptly 4.2.3 Discounts * Manufacturers and wholesalers sometimes allow discounts, e.g trade discount to sellers in similar trades; or a quantity discount for orders over a certain amount; or a cash discount if payment is made within a certain time, or a loyalty discount when firms have a long association We allow a 3% discount for payment within one month The net price of this mode is £7.50, less 10% discount for quantities up to 100 and 15% discount for quantities over 100 We not normally give discounts to private customers but because of your long association with our company we will allow you 20% off the retail price The prices quoted are c.& f Yokohama but are subject to a 20% trade discount off net price, and we will allow a further 20% trade discount off net prices for orders of more than 2,000 units 4.2.4 Methods of payment * When quoting terms, require or at least suggest, any of several methods of payment (letter of credit, bill of exchange, etc.) If you would send us your personal cheque for the amount quoted, we will then send the article by registered mail Payment for initial orders should be made by sight draft, payable at Den Norske Creditbank, Kirkegaten 21, Oslo cash against documents 4.2.5 Quoting delivery * If the enquiry specifies a delivery date, confirm that it can be met, or if not, suggest an alternative date …and we are pleased to say that we can deliver by December 1st for the Christmas rush As there are regular sailings from Liverpool to New York, we are sure that the consignment will reach you well within the time you specified We have the materials in stock and will ship them immediately we receive your order As there is a heavy demand at this time of year for heaters, you will have to allow at least six weeks for delivery We could not deliver within two weeks of receipt of order, as we would need time to prepare the materials However, if you could let us have a month, we could guarantee delivery within that period 4.2.6 Fixed terms and negotiable terms * It is possible to quote terms in two ways: by stating your price and discounts without leaving room for negotiation… All list prices are quoted f.o.b Southampton and are subject to a 25% trade discount with payment by letter of credit The prices quoted are ex-works, but we can arrange freight and insurance if required, and unless otherwise stated, payment is to be made by 30-day bill of exchange, documents against acceptance * … or suggesting that customer could write again and discuss them We usually offer an 18% trade discount on f.o.b prices, and would prefer payment by irrevocable letter of credit Normally we allow a 23% trade discount off net prices with payment on a documents against payment basis Please let us know if this arrangement is satisfactory