[tab name=’Guidelines’]
Guidelines : Offering them for Supervisor
Offering Suggestions to Your Superiors
Guidelines and Alternate Phrases
- Summarize the problem or situation up front.
- Make your suggestion to correct the problem or improve the situation.
- Be as specific as possible, with details to persuade the reader that the matter needs attention and to convey the appropriateness of your suggestion.
- Keep your tone helpful rather than adversarial or judgmental.
- Do you agree this might solve the problem?
- What do you think of the idea?
- Does this suggestion merit further consideration?
- Are you interested enough in the idea that I should gather additional information?
- May I meet with you to discuss this further?
- Shall I do some further research on this?
- I bring this situation to light only to offer my help in finding the best solution to the problem.
- I’m sure you are aware of the problem, but I wanted to let you know of my concern and interest in improving the situation.
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 1′]
Example 1: Offering Suggestions to Your Superiors
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr. Dowsaki:
I’m writing to express concern over the rapidly changing marketplace. In my opinion, we are becoming noncompetitive because of inflexible policies regarding our credit terms. Recently we lost a $210,000 sale to BloGar, Inc. because our credit terms (30 percent down payment) were not competitive with those of Whitley Associates.
I strongly believe in Universal’s products, prices, policies, and people, but I think we must be more flexible in dealing with the customer.
May I make some specific suggestions to this end? I suggest that Universal:
• Review its credit policies in light of the terms now offered by our competition
• Communicate to its salespeople the reasons behind our credit policies so they may present them to the customer more effectively
• Assign a person at the local level who can authorize changes to policies in “exceptional” situations
I’ve attached a memo to my immediate supervisor detailing the circumstances of the BloGar situation mentioned above. This memo will illustrate the difficulties and delays in getting authorized approval for special customer situations.
I think I speak for all salespeople when I say our first concern is making the sale. I hope you’ll agree the above suggestions make sense in this changing market.
Sincerely,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 2′]
Example 2: Employee suggestion letter to supervisor
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Ms. Kolwalski:
I am writing to you concerning the recent decline in sales we have experienced. As I have not observed a decline in the volume of customers, I began to wonder what was causing this trend. I believe I have located one of the reasons.
When I was hired, I was thoroughly trained in all aspects of salesmanship by Mr. Kincaid, who was at that time my immediate supervisor. When Mr. Kincaid was transferred, he was not replaced. Rather, we were appointed various supervisors to monitor each shift. While all of the supervisors perform their jobs well, none of them has the authority to institute a training program like the one Mr. Kincaid had in place. That lack of training, coupled with many new employees inexperienced in sales, I believe, may account for the difficulties we have had in meeting our monthly sales goals.
Would you feel it was appropriate to reinstate Mr. Kincaid’s training policies? I still have much of the information he gave me, as do several of the supervisors. We feel we learned a great deal from Mr. Kincaid’s training; it has allowed us to consistently meet our personal sales goals, despite the overall trend of department sales in general.
I can make copies of all my training information available to you, if you are interested. I, and several of the supervisors, feel that the reinstitution of a formal training period for all new employees will benefit the company.
Sincerely,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 3′]
Example 3: Suggestion letter to supervisor
Memorandum
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT: Possible Institution of Employee Reviews
Mr. Rainey:
As you know, we are experiencing growth in our company, both in sales and in the number of employees we have hired to meet those sales needs. While I am as pleased about this growth as you, I am finding it increasingly difficult to be able to speak with all employees concerning their job performance. This has disturbed me, for I feel our employees have the right to receive timely evaluations so that they may tailor their performances accordingly. I believe, however, that I can offer a solution for this problem.
Starting next month, I would like to begin scheduled monthly meetings with all employees concerning their job performance. Attached to this memo is a sheet which each employee will receive at such meetings, with various tasks listed and their performance of those tasks rated, using a scale of excellent, good, fair, needs improvement, and N/A. I have also included an area at the bottom of the sheet where we can record noted achievements, and discuss possible employee goals for the month.
If you feel the need for formal meetings is warranted and the evaluation sheet is appropriate, I will begin scheduling for next month. I feel that this will not only inform our employees of our appraisal of their performance, but may also prove to be helpful when we are considering individuals for raises or promotions.
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 4′]
Example 4: Examples of suggestion letter
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Mr. Grauer,
Recently, we hired a brilliant marketing analyst, John Martinez. As you well know, John’s accurate assessments of certain market trends allowed our company to experience a massive increase in sales. I was pleased to have John working with my marketing team.
Today, however, I received John’s resignation. He stated that although he felt this was the best “team player” company he had ever worked for, our salary base was not competitive with the companies.
After checking around, I discovered that John’s appraisal of the salary situation is correct. We are currently paying him about $4,000 less per year than what the competition has offered him.
I hope that you agree John is too valuable of an employee to lose. I would therefore like to request authorization to increase his salary by $ 5,000 a year. Please understand I do not wish to get into a “bidding war” over John. I feel such an offer would keep him at the current level of pay offered in the metro area and do not intend to go higher than that. However, John believes in loyalty; were it not for family considerations I believe he would remain with us, despite the lower salary.
I appreciate your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 5′]
Example 5: Suggestion memos
Memorandum
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT: Ad Campaign For RRD-42
Ms. Marchand:
Recently I received a copy of the ad campaign for RRD-42. The ad is certainly eye catching and beautifully designed. However, I feel we may be missing the needs of our target audience, the pharmaceutical dealers.
It has been my experience that dealers want to know as much about a new product as they can. While our ad is long on style, it is somewhat short on information. I hope you would agree that the following points should be addressed in our campaign:
• Multiple uses of RRD-42
• Length of testing time for RRD-42
• Possible side effects
Most of the ads featured in our target magazines contain information of this nature. As a member of the committee responsible for the approval of advertising, I appreciate the time you have taken to review my suggestions. Thank you.
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 6′]
Example 6: Internal correspondence letter
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Mr. La Porte:
As you know, I am what my co-workers jokingly call “a nettie” and I suppose there is some truth to that; I do spend part of each evening after work surfing various sites on the Internet.
My knowledge of the current trends on the Internet, has prompted me to inquire as to whether or not there are any plans to build a company web page. The numbers of people who access such sites is staggering. I honestly believe that the cost of building the page would quickly be offset by the increase we would see in inquires and sales.
I have compiled a listing of local Internet providers, as well as various small companies and individuals who build web pages, along with their fees. After visiting several sites, I feel I could recommend Jane Barry, Diana Blythe, and Mac McGinnis as the three top Web site builders, should you be interested in further inquiries.
I would be happy to discuss any of the technical aspects of maintaining a web site for the company if you are intrigued by the possibilities.
Thank you for your consideration of this suggestion.
Yours truly,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 7′]
Example 7: Offering them for Supervisor
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Ms. Ridout:
Recently, we have experienced problems in keeping up with the increase in volume of orders we are receiving. As supervisor, I know my order entry team is performing as quickly as they can. I do not believe the problem lies in employee unproductivity.
Rather, I believe the answer to our dilemma lies in the order entry software we are using. We are experiencing these difficulties:
• Slow system response–it sometimes takes more than a minute for a screen to appear.
• Frequent error messages and computer crashes as the system cannot keep up with the increase in work stations being added to the network.
• Inefficiency of the system in general; rather than using the keyboard and mouse, we have a system with over a hundred obscure commands which must be memorized in order to move from one field to another.
I suggest meeting with several software representatives to discuss their order entry programs and the expense involved.
I hope you will agree that updating the system is necessary for our company to adequately meet the needs of the consumer. I sincerely feel the gains in productivity and client satisfaction would offset the possible costs of such venture.
Sincerely,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 8′]
Example 8: Suggestion letter to supervisor
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Mr. Fargo:
I’m sure you will agree that the position of receptionist is far more important than many realize. Potential customers often have their first contact with the receptionist when calling to inquire about our services, and can sometimes receive impressions that do not accurately reflect our company’s attitude.
We are fortunate in this matter to have Beth. I have received many favorable comments on her helpfulness and pleasant demeanor. Lately, though, Beth has expressed the desire to learn more about dealing with dissatisfied customers. She realizes that she has the potential to diffuse the situation before transferring the call, but feels she has not yet discovered a satisfactory technique for doing so.
Rather than leaving her to “figure it out on her own,” I would like to suggest that Beth attend the upcoming seminar on effectively handling client complaints. I realize that this is a session meant for management trainees, but I feel that it would be helpful for Beth as well, and worth the registration fee. The more professionally she can handle various situations, especially ones involving unhappy clients, the more that will reflect well upon our company.
I appreciate your time and consideration of my request.
Yours truly,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 9′]
Example 9: Offering them for Supervisor
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Mrs. Burrow:
Recently we bid on the Phillips Technical job, which, I’m sure you remember, was valued at approximately $20,000. Unfortunately, the account went to a competitor. When I spoke with my contacts at Phillips, he told me although they respected our company and the quality of work we do, our prices are simply too high.
I know I don’t have to tell you what such an attitude toward our company could do to our sales. I would like to request a meeting to review this situation. Some suggested points for discussion are:
• Possible decrease in our profit margin to increase sales
• Offering discounts in labor, material or shipping charges for companies who do a substantial amount of business for us.
• Increasing our promotional campaigns, especially for service rates reductions
While it may seem at first that these ideas may decrease our profits, I believe they will actually bolster profits through an increase in sales and the securing of bids. I feel that our company needs a new plan of action to compete in the current market.
Sincerely,
[/tab]
[tab name=’Example 10′]
Example 10: Offering them for Supervisor
Memorandum
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT: Consistency in Client Mailings
Mr. Canton:
Recently, I have been informed by several of my clients that our mailings have been going out irregularly. Such a lapse is damaging to me as a sales representative.
I understand how busy our secretaries are. Often their job assignments for the day are a mile long, and I realize that mailings are not always a top priority. Because of this, I would like to make the following suggestion.
Our company has for several years been a supporter of the United Way program, and it has come to my attention that they offer employment possibilities, both full or part time, for those with physical or mental disabilities. When I spoke with Mark Meins at UW, he said he had a number of people who would be perfect for keeping our mailing lists current.
I feel that exploring this option would have several benefits.
• Support of the local UW foundation.
• Offer a job with flexible hours to someone interested in part time employment only.
• Keep our clients abreast of all new information.
If you are interested in checking into this possibility, Mark has asked that you call him. He’ll be happy to discuss the program with you.
[/tab]
[end_tabset]