Chapter Five

Sales promotion and follow-ups

Revision (1):Translation 质量可靠的产品 products of dependable (reliable) quality 会令贵方满意 to give you every satisfaction 承兑交单 documents against acceptance 在你们方便时尽早寄给我 to send us at your earliest convenience 期待着收到该产品的详情 to expect to have/receive full details of your products

Revision (1):Translation 给此产品报最低报价 to quote us the lowest price (best price/ most fa

vorable price/ rock-bottom price/ most competitive price/ keenest price) for this product

给下列项目报价 to quote for the items specified below 向你们定期订货 to place regular orders with you 价格和当今市场持平 the price is in line with the present market

Revision (2) What is the main difference between a quotation and an offer? A quotation is not an offer in the legal sense, that is, it can be

withdrawn by the seller (The seller can change the price quoted if situation changes). An offer is unchangeable if it is accepted by the offeree.

What is the main difference between a firm offer and a non-firm offer?

A firm offer is also called an offer with engagement. It is a promise to sell goods at a stated price within stated period of time known as validity period.

A non-firm offer, also called an offer without engagement, usually has no biding force upon the offerer and offeree and can be changed, revised and withdrawn at any time, so a non-firm offer functions as a quotation most of the time.

Questions for discussion

What is the purpose of a sales promotion? What suggestions can you give for

successful promotion of products? Can you list some points for attention in a

promotion letter?

Read and answer

What is a promotion letter?

What is a follow-up letter?

Suggested Answers A promotion letter is a letter aiming to persuade the

recipient to place an order for the writer’s products or services. It can be classified into two types: solicited and unsolicited sales letters.

A follow-up letter is a letter following an offer, an exhibition or a meeting etc. It usually aims to find out why the importer fails to place an order after receiving the supplier’s offer or why the expected answer is delayed. Its purpose is to ask why no order has been placed yet or to expect a new order.

Analyze the sample lettersDear Sirs,

Great interest was aroused at the recent Industry Exhibition

in London by the new Fei Yang Washing Machine. Numerous inquiries

and orders have also come. The new machine is the realization of every

washing machine -owner’s dream.

You are well aware of the shortcomings of ordinary washing

machines ------ rough outer covers and a tendency to make some noises,

just to mention some of the customers’ complaints. Our Fei Yang

Washing Machine offers you a machine that is beyond criticism in the

qualities and complete reliability.

We could tell you a lot more about the machine, but prefer you to

read the enclosed copies of reports from racing drivers, test drivers,

motor dealers and motor manufactures.

You are already aware of our terms of business, but to encourage

you to lay in a stock of the new machine, we will allow a special

discount of 5% on any order received on or before 31st May.

Your faithfully,

A prelude (some background information) for promotion

Selling points

Further information

Preferential terms

Analyze the sample lettersDear Sirs,

Thank you for your inquiry of August 16 concerning the supply of

machine tools.

We are pleased to inform you that we are the largest manufacturer

of machine tools in this country with a history of over 80 years. Our

products cover a wide range of specifications, well in the Middle East

and Southwest Asian markets. The quality and prices compare

favorably with those of similar products.

We are sending a price-list and full sales promotion literature for

your reference. We deem it to your benefit to push the sales of our

products in your market. And we are prepared to give a quantity

discount of 8% if your order exceeds 200 sets.

We suggest that you take advantages of the enclosed order form in

case you wish to make an immediate order.

Your faithfully,

Acknowledgement

Self-introduction

Advice and preferential terms

Further concrete advice

Analyze the sample letters

Dear sirs,

It was my pleasure to have met you at the Canton/Guangzhou Fair. You showed great interest in our Camel Wool Sweaters. Now two months have passed, but no inquiries or orders have come, so we are writing to ask if you still have interest in our products.

It may interest you to know that we have had several hundred

inquiries as the result of our exhibition. It gives us great pleasure to

send you our renewed catalog which contains all the detailed

information about the design you are interested in.

Your further inquiries or orders are anticipated.

Yours faithfully,

Julia Teal

Review of a previous contact

Giving new information

Expectation

Analyze the sample lettersDear Sir,

We notice with regret that it is some considerable time since we last

received an order from you. We hope this is in no way due to your

dissatisfaction with our service or with the quality of the goods we have

supplied. In either of these situations we should be grateful to hear from you,

as we are most anxious to ensure that customers obtain maximum

satisfaction from their dealings with us. If the lack of orders is due to

changes in the types of goods you handle, we may still be able to meet your

needs if you let us know in what directions your policy has changed.

Not having heard otherwise, we assume that you are selling the same

range of sports goods and so enclose a copy of our latest illustrated

catalogue. We feel it competes favorably in range, quality and price with

the catalogues of other manufacturers. At the same time we take the

opportunity to mention that our terms are now much easier than formerly,

following the withdrawal of exchange control and other official measures

since we last did business.

Yours truly,

Hans Meyer

Review of past contacts (Background information)

Giving new and motivating information

A Task

Read the other samples to find something in common and then try to summarize the general structures of sales promotion letters and follow-up letters.

Another Task

Please read Section 5.4 quickly and then consider whether your findings are in agreement with the summary in the book.

Structure of a promotion letter (1) At the beginning, the writer refers to an inquiry

received or a communication exchanged before; (2) The second part introduces new selling points,

such as the good quality of products or favorable business terms available;

(3) In the third part, the writer may advise or move the reader to take advantage of the good chance and place an order.

(4) Some additional information (e.g. an introduction of his own company, other clients’ evaluation of his products) to ensure the reader that they can provide the best service.

Structure of a follow-up letter

A reference to a transaction, a meeting or an exchange of information in the past;

Asking tactfully why the expected inquiry or order has not come;

Providing additional information or preferential terms to stimulate the recipient’s interest in writer’s products;

A friendly close to end the letter, in which an expectation may be expressed.

Classroom activity

Please read and discuss with your partner about the task on page 94.

A Suggested answer

This is a good follow-up letter, in which the writer reviews what he has already done for the recipient first. Then he tries to impress the reader by sending him some further information in order to encourage this prospective client to place an order.

Exercise A1. We’d like to offer you our “Arrow” lines which reach a standard suffic

iently high to redound to your credit. 我方愿向您提供我们的“箭牌”系列产品， 该产品品质很高， 一定

会提高您的声誉。2. A fair comparison in quality between our products and those of othe

r suppliers will convince you of the reasonableness of our quotations.

将我方产品质量与其它供应商的产品质量进行公平对比后，你就会确信，我方的报价是很合理的。

3. If you then still feel you cannot accept our offer we hope it will not prevent you from approaching us on some future occasion.

如果贵方仍然认为不能接受我方的报价，我们希望这不会妨碍您以后与我们接洽。

4. The large number of repeat orders we regularly receive from leading distributors and dress manufacturers is a clear evidence of the widespread popularity of this brand.

我们经常从主要的零售商和服装制造商手中获得订单，这已清楚地表明该品牌广受欢迎。

Exercise A5. The prices quoted in our letter of 14 June leave us with only the smallest

margins, and are in fact lower than those of our competitors for goods of similar quality.

您六月十四日信函中的报价留给我们太小的利润空间，事实上，比其他销售同质量产品的竞争者的利润额度都低。

6. Should this trial order prove satisfactory to our customers, we can assure you that repeat orders in increased quantities will be placed.

如果这次试订单能使我们的客户满意，我方向您保证会向您再次订货，并增加订货量。

7. Since the article you require is not available for supply at present, we should like to recommend some similar ones as follows.

既然我们目前不能提供您所需要的产品，我们有意向您推荐如下的类似产品。

8. It is not our intention to rush you into a decision, but as this article is in great demand, we would advise you to avail yourselves of our offer in your own interest.

我方无意催促贵公司仓促做出决定 , 但是鉴于该产品市场需求巨大 , 因此我们建议你们从贵方的利益考虑充分利用好该报盘。

Exercise B

depend, final, personal, technical, involve, wholesalers, tend, stimulate, create.

advertising, effective, proved.

Exercise C Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you very much for your inquiry of (date).

In reply, we introduce our products as follows. The tests of our Galaxy air conditioners in 100 business offices have proved that installation of our conditioners in offices may increase staff efficiency by 8 percent, which means greater profits for companies. The price of our air conditioners is competitive, compared with that of similar products in the market, and payments can be made by installments. Besides that, we offer a good after-sales service, and our technical personnel can come to determine the air-conditioning needs of your office and do the installation for you.

In order to popularize these products, all the catalogue prices are subject to a special discount of 15% during this month only.

We are offering you goods of the highest quality on unusually generous terms and would welcome the opportunity to serve you.

Yours sincerely,

Exercise D Dear Mr. Jackson,

Thank you for visiting our booth at the Canton/Guangzhou Fair last April. At the Fair you expressed your interest in our products and said you would give us a decision whether you would order our goods after your discussion with your manager. Now two months have passed, but no reply has ever come. We hope this is in no way due to your dissatisfaction with the quality of our goods.

Since the end of the April/Spring Fair, we have developed some new designs for the European market, in which you may be interested. We are enclosing some photos of the new samples in this letter to let you have some idea of these newly-developed products.

If you would like some additional information about these new designs, please let us know. We would be very much pleased to be at your service.

Sincerely yours,