1、Inquiries and R 1234561.Basic knowledge of the process of doing businessA Inquiry EnquiryB Replies to inquiryQuotation/offerA B General enquirySpecial enquiryCounter offeracceptanceTerms of paymentOrders&their fulfillmentShipment,insuranceacceptancedecliningWhat is a business inquiry?nBefore buying
2、goods or services,you will have to find out,among other things,the business integrity of the company involved,whether the prices offered are reasonable,and if the liberal terms of payment are possible.You will,therefore,need to write to many companies asking for detailed information regarding the ma
3、rket development or production situation.These letters are Business Inquiry Letters.samplenGentlemen:nWe are interested in your Forever bicycles exhibited at theGuangzhou Fair.Can you supply them from stock?Our address isn260nCatu Avenue,S.E.nAtlanta,Geogia 30317,U.S.A.attentionn1.Tell where and how
4、 you have heard about the company to which you are writing.n2.Introduce your area of business,financial standing,and the potential market at your end.n3.State clearly what is needed.n4.Stress the importance of competitive prices that will lead to substantial orders in the future.n5.Refer to discount
5、s and other terms,such as method of payment and delivery requirements.n6.Conclude cordially with a request for an early reply.What are the replies?nA golden opportunity is present when a company receives a business inquiry.This is particularly true of an inquiry received from a potential customer wh
6、o is on the verge of placing an order.nTo seize the opportunity a reply should be sent,if possible,within 48 hours.If this is impossible,an acknowledgement letter should be sent saying that the inquiry is being studied and that a detailed answer will son arrive.Failure to reply quickly is a sure way
7、 to destroy goodwill and could cost a sale or even a customer.Dialogue1&2nA:Good afternoon.I am Mr.Brown,the Import manager of Atlantic Industries Ltd,Sidney,Australia.This is my card.nB:Good afternoon,Mr.Brown.My name is Mrs.Anderson,manager of the sales department.nA:Nice to see you,Mrs.Anderson.n
8、B:Nice to see you too,Mr.Brown.Wont you sit down?nA:Thank you.nB:What would you like,tea or coffee?nA:Id prefer coffee if you dont mind.nB:Is it your first trip to the Fair,Mr.Brown?nA:No,its the fourth time.nB:Good.Is there anything you find changed about the Fair?nA:Yes,a great deal.The business s
9、cope has been broadened,and there are more visitors than ever before.nB:Really,Mr.Brown?Did you find anything interesting?nA:Oh,yes.Quite a bit.But we are especially interested in your products.nB:We are glad to hear that.What items are you particularly inter-ested in?nA:Womens dresses.They are fash
10、ionable and suit Australian women well,too.If they are of high quality and the prices are reasonable,well purchase large quantities of them.Will you please quote us a price?nB:All right.Dialogue 2 nA:Im glad to have the opportunity of visiting your corporation.I hope to conclude some substantial bus
11、iness with you.nB:Its a great pleasure to meet you,Mr.Brown.I believe you have seen our exhibits in the showroom.May I know what particular items youre interested in?nA:Im interested in your hardware.Ive seen the exhibits and studied your catalogues.I think some of the items will find a ready market
12、 in Canada.Here is a list of my requirements,for which Id like to have your lowest quotations,C.I.F.VancouvernB:Thank you for your inquiry.Would you tell us the quantity you require so that we can work out the offers?nA:Ill do that.Meanwhile,could you give me an indication of price?nB:Here are our F
13、.O.B.price lists.All the prices in the lists are subject to our confirmation.nA:What about the commission?From European suppliers I usually get a 3 to 5 percent commission for my imports.Its the general practice.nB:As a rule we dont allow any commission.But if the order is a substantial one,well con
14、sider it.nA:You see,but I do business on a commission basis.A commission on your prices would make it easier for me to promote sales.Even two or three percent would help.nB:Thats something we can discuss later.Dialogue 3 nA:When can I have your firm C.I.F.prices,that is to say,the final offer,Mr.Lon
15、don?nB:Well have them worked out by this evening and let you have them tomorrow morning.Would you be free to come by then?nA:Yes.Ill be here tomorrow morning at 10.nB:Perfect.Our offer remains open for 3 days.nA:I dont need that long to make up my mind.If your prices are agreeable and if I can get t
16、he commission I want,I can place the order right away.nB:Im sure youll find our price most favorable.Elsewhere prices for hardware have gone up tremendously in recent years.Our prices havent changed much.nA:Im glad to hear that.As Ive just said,I hope to conclude some substantial business with you.n
17、B:We shall be very pleased.Is there anything else I can do for you,Mrs.Anderson?nA:Im buying for chain department stores in Canada.They are also interested in Egyptian carpets.Could you introduce me to the person in charge of this line?nB:Certainly,Ill make an appointment for you with Mr.Jordan of t
18、he Egypt National Native Produce and Animal By-products Import and Export Corporation.nA:Thank you very much.Words and Expressions promising 有希望的，有前途的 initial 最初的na long-term contract 长期合同 grant 批准，给予nsubstantial 数量大的大量的 nsubject to our confirmation 以我方确认为准ncovering 有关的 chain department store 连锁百货店n
19、receipt 收到；收据 a ready market 市场畅销ndo business on a commission basis 做有佣金的买卖nprice sheet/price list 价格单 firm offer/tentative offer 实盘/议盘nas a rule 通常，一般来说 C.I.F Vancouver 温哥华到岸价nquotation 报价，标价 enquiry 询价 nshowroom 展示厅，陈列室 hardware 五金制品nTheres no indication of price.没有标明价格。ncommission 佣金 sales litera
20、ture 销售说明书nspecification 规格 F.O.B.prices 离岸价，船上交货价Notes 1.We would be obliged if you would?n obliged感激”这是商业信函中的客套话，在请求对方做某事时，常用这个句型。另外，表示“感激”的句型还有：na.We would be thankful(grateful)if you would?nb.We would appreciate if you would?nc.It would be appreciated if you would?n2.C.I.F.是 Cost Insurance Freig
21、ht 的缩写，其意思是“成本、保险费加运费”。n3.have confidence in 对有信心n4.hear from 收到的来信n5.place an order 订货n6.make a delivery 交货nA Specimen Lettern nDear Sirs:n nThank you for your letter of 25th September.n nAs one of the largest dealers of garments,we are interested in ladies?dresses of all descriptions.We would be g
22、rateful if you would give us quotations per dozen of C.I.F.Vancouver for those items as listed on the separate sheet.In the meantime,we would like you to send us samples of the various materials of which the dresses are made.We are given to understand that you are a state-owned enterprise and we hav
23、e confidence in the quality of Chinese products.If your prices are moderate,we believe there is a promising market for the above-mentioned articles in our area.n nWe look forward to hearing from you soon.n nYours faithfully,nCanadian Garment Co.Ltd.Canadian Garment Co.Ltd nSubstitution Drillsn n1 A:
24、Were quite interested in your down coats.How about the supply position?n nB:For most of the articles in the catalog,we have an ample supply./All the articles displayed here are available/Generally speaking,we can supply from stock.n2 A:I dont need to remind you that the market has become very compet
25、itive.the competition has become pretty keen.you must be able to compete with rival firms.n nB:Youll find our prices are very favorable./very competitive./most acceptable.nA:Do you quote F.O.B.or C.I.F.?n nB:We usually quote on an F.O.B.basis./a C.I.F.basis/the basis of C.I.F.terms landedn4 A:Could
26、you make offers for the items listed in your catalogue?Would you give me an offer for Item No.7?May I have your offer of Model ZX 102?n nB:Heres the price list,but the prices are subject to our final confirmation./Here it is,but the price is subject to your confirmation before Friday./Here you are,b
27、ut the offer is based on immediate acceptance.n5 A:How long will you leave your offer open?valid on the tablen nB:Its valid for three years./Its good for twenty-four hours only./Itll remain firm until Friday.n6 A:We want to find out if you can supply walnut meat.article No.16 is available.nB:Walnut
28、meat is in high demand these days./As far as this item is concerned,the supply cannot meet the demand.n7 A:Any chance of scraping up a small quantity?n nB:To be honest,weve sold out./tell the truth,the supply has run out./put it simply,we have nothing on handn8 Well keep your order on file.When the
29、next supply comes in,well get in touch with you./Well keep your requirement in mind.When new crops come in,well let you know./Well inform you as soon as we have new supplies in the near future.n9 There is just a limited quantity for the time being.nin the long run nat present nTodayn10 Would you quote me your lowest prices for the goods at present?nMay I ask nMay I known11May I ask the price of the product?ncostnexpense nchargeWish you a happy weekend!
