Business Letters

1000 of Business Letters with many examples. Improve your day to day business communications using our best business letters examples

24
Nov 10

Responding to Price Challenge



Example 1: Reply to wrong inovice letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Jackson:

We are glad you brought the discrepancy in your invoice to our attention. Upon review, we can see that you are absolutely correct. With the 5 percent bulk order discount, your total should have been $3,040 rather than the $3,200 we charged.

Our old billing software made discounts automatically. Several weeks ago, we installed new and supposedly more efficient software. It seems we are making a not so graceful transition to our new system.

I have voided the incorrect invoice, no. 2738-9030, and enclosed a corrected invoice, no. 6515-7820.

Please accept our apologies. We are working hard to ensure that these mistakes are not made in the future. Do not hesitate to call me if there is anything further I can do.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Apology letter for bill complain

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Allen:

We strive to provide the highest quality detergents and service to our customers in the tri-county area. However, oversights happen on rare occasions, and, unfortunately, this is one of them.

Thank you for your letter inquiring about your January statement. We have gone back to our files, and it seems your concern was justified. When our salesperson made out your order he forgot to note the special price I quoted you of $6.99 per gallon for 40 gallons. Thus, your order was processed as a full price order of $7.74 per gallon.

We apologize. We quoted you the lower price as a gesture of our appreciation for your business. The sentiment and the quote still stand. I have enclosed a corrected statement.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,


24
Nov 10

Challenging Prices



Example 1: Sample letters for incorrect bill

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Mason:

Thank you for delivering our spring order so promptly.

In looking over your invoice, we noticed a discrepancy between the price you quoted us over the phone and the price on our invoice.

The original quote was $3.20 per unit, for a cost of $3200.00 for 1000 units. Minus the bulk order discount of 5 percent, the quoted price was $3,040.00 total. It appears our invoice price did not subtract a bulk order discount, thus the price is $3,200.00.

Could you review our invoice, and let us know what the correct price is? We will hold payment until we hear from you.

We chose your company because, based on your quote, we believed you could give us the lowest price. We understand that accounting errors occasionally happen. We hope we can resolve this matter in a timely fashion and move ahead with our business relationship.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Request letter for billing error

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Richardson:

Could you take another look at our January statement, order number 73892? We understood that our price would be $6.99 per gallon of detergent #19965-29. Our statement charges $309.60 for 40 gallons of detergent at $7.74 per gallon.

We suspect that this is one of those billing errors that happens to every business occasionally. Once our accounting department receives a revised statement, we will be happy to proceed with payment.

We appreciate your services and hope we can settle this confusion without delay.

Sincerely,


24
Nov 10

Responding to Order Challenge



Example 1: Apology letter for worng delivery

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Rollins:

Thank you for bringing the mistake in your order to our attention. Our warehouse manager accidentally switched your mailing label with that of a customer in Boise. We are taking steps to prevent such mix-ups in the future.

A special express order of 100-4 inch brass hinges and 40-5 inch hinges is being shipped today. Enclosed is a corrected invoice. Please send us the shipping bill for returning the incorrect order to our warehouse.

Thank you for you patience. We regret any inconvenience we may have caused.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Reply to wrong order delivered letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Rosado:

We are sorry you received grade B eggs instead of grade A.

Upon reviewing our records, we found that the order we took from you over the phone reads “grade B,” so clearly we misunderstood your original order. In order to prevent any confusion in the future, we ask that you fax your orders to us at (382)555-8732.

We will send a driver to your kitchen first thing Thursday morning to deliver the grade A eggs and take back the grade B eggs.

Enclosed is a corrected invoice. Please accept our apologies. If there is anything else we can do to rectify the situation, please call me.

Sincerely,


24
Nov 10

Challenging an Order



Example 1: Sample complain letter for wrong received order

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mrs. Hoffman:

The shipment we received from you today was not what we expected.

According to our records, Allen Palmer placed an order with Christine Knapp for 100 4 inch brass hinges, item no. 674568, and 40-5 inch steel hinges, item no. 457834 on October 18. However, the shipment we received contains 400-4 inch brass hinges.

Clearly, there’s been a mix-up. Our accounting department will hold the invoice until we receive a new shipment and a corrected invoice.

Enclosed is a copy of our invoice no. 900348 and a copy of our order records. Once we get your authorization for shipping charges we will return your shipment by Eagle Package Express.

Thank you for helping us clear this up.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Order complain letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Logan:

There seems to be a mistake with the eggs you delivered to our kitchen on Friday. Our records show we ordered a gross of grade A eggs on April 11. The gross of eggs we received under order number 872-038983 on the 14th were grade B.

We are grateful for your good service and understand that mix-ups can happen. Your prompt attention to this matter would be appreciated. We are concerned that we cannot afford the cooler space to store the grade B eggs beyond Thursday.

We will pay our invoice as soon as we receive the grade A eggs. Please arrange a pick-up time with Gerald McAndrews, our stock supervisor. He can be reached at 555-2885, ext. 385.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,


24
Nov 10

Thanks For Service



Example 1: Sample letter of thanks to suppliers

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Ms. Alfred:

While filing your invoice today, I looked back in our records and realized that you have been our chemical supplier since 1987. Rarely is a business relationship so long and fruitful.

When we started working together, we ran our entire operation out of the tiny lab in Mayville. At the time, you had only one delivery truck and a part-time driver. Now our eight labs in six counties are served by your fleet of trucks. Your service has allowed us to expand our capabilities while maintaining the highest level of quality.

We were reminded how much we value your service this March when your consultants helped our laboratory staff review our chemical handling procedures. Your conscientious service has made our lab safer and more efficient.

We thank you. Here’s to 10 more years.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Appreciation letters for suppliers

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. O’Brien:

As we reach the end of our reorganization, I want to let you know how much we value your service.Your flexibility and patience this year in the face of changed orders, changed delivery dates, and new payment procedures made our transition easier.

Thank you for your extra effort. Please convey our appreciation to your delivery drivers and office staff.

Sincerely,


24
Nov 10

Responding To Bids Invitation



Example 1: Bid invitation letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Sewell:

Thank you for requesting our bid for your packaging supply. We look forward to the opportunity to earn your business for another year.

We can offer you the same delivery schedule as we did this year, with only slightly higher costs for the packaging materials. Our prices for next year are as follows:

Cost per Item Estimated Total
Unit Units Cost

$.20 9” x 12” padded envelope 400 $80.00

$.27 7” x 7” x 8” 750 $202.50
unassembled cardboard box

$.35 12” x 12” x 8” 330 $115.50
unassembled cardboard box

$.05 3 color shipping label 2000 $100.00

Your cost per month would be $498.00, only $23.00 dollars more than what you pay now. Considering the hefty price increases of our competitors, we are confident that we will continue to be the best packaging supplier for your company.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Reply letter to customer for bid invitation

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mrs. Taylor:

We appreciate the opportunity to bid for Merrimount Hospital’s oxygen.

Chem Co. can offer oxygen for $.55 per cubic foot on orders over 1,000 cubic feet. We charge an additional $1.00 for every container under 12 cubic feet. Our delivery service is free with orders over 100 cubic feet. If, as you estimate, Merrimount Hospital uses 1,500 cubic feet per month, the cost would be $825.00, not including additional small canister fees.

Our oxygen and canisters meet or exceed all federal health and safety standards. Every canister undergoes a thorough inspection before it leaves our facility.

We hope our bid is suitable and we can do business together in the future. If you have any questions, please call me.

Sincerely,


24
Nov 10

Request for Bids From Suppliers



Example 1: Request bid letters

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mrs. Mullen:

We appreciate the service you have offered us the last two years. In order to ensure we are getting the lowest possible prices, we request your bid for our packaging supply needs.

Please send us your bid based on supplying the following each month:

• 400-9” x 12” padded envelopes

• 750-7” x 7” x 8” unassembled cardboard boxes

• 330-12” x 12” x 8” unassembled cardboard boxes

• 2,000-3 color shipping labels

Your price total should indicate the cost of packaging supply for one year, beginning January 1.

We will evaluate the bid based on cost as well as flexibility of delivery schedule. Please submit your bid by November 15.

Sincerely,

Example 2: Letter to suppliers for bids

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Osborne:

We are soliciting bids for our oxygen supplier for next year. Merrimount Hospital uses approximately 1,500 cubic feet of oxygen per month.

Please give your price per cubic foot of oxygen. Include all delivery costs in your calculations, plus any extra fees charged for smaller canisters.

Provided the oxygen and canisters meet all federal health and safety standards, we will choose a supplier based on the lowest cost.

In order to consider your bid, we must have it before December 3.

Sincerely,


24
Nov 10

Replying Positively

Guidelines : Replying Positively

Replying Positively to Suggestions

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

  • Express appreciation for the suggestion, initiative, and interest shown.
  • We appreciate your interest in writing to us.
  • Thank you for taking the time to put your ideas on paper for us.
  • We appreciate your initiative in suggesting a change in upholstery fabrics for our interiors.
  • We always enjoy hearing from our customers, and your letter was no exception. Your suggestion for the new plants around the building has merit in a climate such as ours.
  • State what action you plan to take on a good suggestion.
  • Let me forward your idea to the responsible manager and she will be in touch shortly.
  • Summarize the benefits gained and your appreciation for a suggestion you can use.
  • We think this idea should save us almost $10,000 next year alone. We commend you for this farsightedness.
  • You are so right in your analysis of the situation. We can certainly count on at least an extra hour’s productive time each day. We appreciate your calling the matter to our attention.
  • We will not lose sight of what you have contributed to the company in a way that you have probably considered “a small matter.” We don’t. It’s an excellent idea, and you deserve much credit for this.

Example 1: Reply positively to a suggestion

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State Zip

Dear Walter:

Marge Caldwell and I were pleased to talk with you last week about the problems you see in the marketing campaign we have planned to launch this spring. We appreciate your usual candid appraisal of the reactions you anticipate from field employees.

We have given careful consideration to the concerns you raised and have passed on our notes of the discussion to the responsible vice president. After he has time to review them, I will get back to you about how we can put these changes into effect with your people.

Please keep me informed about any other developments in your research–both formal and informal.

Regards,

Example 2: Samples of replying positively to suggestion letters

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State Zip

Dear Mel,

Thanks for your August 6 letter with copies to Roger Tamson and Phil Lewis. We appreciate the time you took to write us about this lead with Aramco. Dedicated employees like you keep us on our toes.

Our team will certainly follow up on the possibility of working with Aramco in connection with the canal construction. A contract with them could mean a substantial part of our 19– revenue.

Thanks,

Example 3: Positive response to suggestion letter

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Benton:

Thank you for writing us about changing our operations to remain open 24 hours a day. The idea has come up for discussion from time to time, but we have never been quite able to measure the customer’s need for such coverage. You raise some provocative points in your letter, and we plan to give round-the-clock scheduling more careful attention. In fact, we are now toying with the idea of sending out a questionnaire in our monthly statements to find more ways to improve services to our customers.

We take your letter as a welcome show of loyalty and interest. Thank you for letting us know how to better meet your needs.

Cordially,

Example 4 : Reply letter

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. Gelvin:

Tom Carter and I were impressed with your suggestions for an Employee Incentive Plan. Your commitment to company excellence was evident when we read the thoughtfully written memo you sent us. I agree with your assessment that our sales and thus our profits could improve with an incentive plan in place.

Tom and I have studied your specific recommendations for implementing a plan based on an individual meeting or exceeding goals set by management for them rather than setting competitive group goals. We like this idea; it stresses improvement without creating an unhealthy level of competition between co-workers, and prevents suspicious of favoritism.

We have passed your ideas along to the vice president. She is enthusiastic, but has asked for you to prepare an example of possible employee goals and rewards. Would they include extra days off, certificates or prizes.

Please prepare a report for the vice-president. If possible, can you have it to her by the end of the week at the latest? She would like to meet with you at 10:00 a.m. on Monday to discuss the matter further. Thank you for the commitment you have shown to the company.

Yours truly,

Example 5: Example of reply letters

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Ms. Alcott,

We have reviewed your report offering discounts on shipping for those customers who spend $120,000 or more a year with our company. We are pleased to inform you the board is seriously considering your suggestion.

Your projected figures of the cost versus the capital gains were impressive, and made a strong case for the implementation of such a project.

We commended you for your initiative.

Yours truly,

Example 6: Suggestion reply letters

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State, Zip

Mrs. Parks:

We appreciate the suggestion we received from you concerning the redistribution of payments of long time customers who have traditionally had good payment histories.

Mr. Moss is agreeable to the suggestion, particularly your recommendation of a requirement that companies must have been working with us for at least five years, and that the redistribution of payments be made on a case-by-case basis after consultation with Mr. Phillips in customer accounts.

Mr. Moss will be meeting with myself, Mr. Farmington, and Mr. Parks on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. As you are the originator of this plan, we feel that it is important for you to be there also. Please arrange your schedule accordingly.

We look forward to developing this idea with you.

Regards,

Example 7: Replying Positively

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Gary:

I received your memo and am enthusiastic about the idea of a weekly brainstorming meeting for staff. Given the creative nature of our work, I am surprised that no one has thought of doing this before!

I will be sending out a memo today to all employees letting them know that brainstorming meetings will begin at 8 a.m. Monday. Since these meetings are your idea, I would like you to organize and led them.

Keep the ideas coming!

Regards,

Example 8: Replying positively to suggestion

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Tammy,

Thank you for the thought and work you have put into your report on rectifying mistakes in customer order entry. From now on, all our customer service representatives will offer the following as appropriate compensation for customers:

• Immediate call-in of orders rather than computer entry

• Free 2nd day or overnight air freight

• Delivery of merchandise by an available customer representatives for local companies

• 10 percent discount on next order for severe mistakes

Naturally, we hope as few mistakes as possible occur, but we agree with your position that our representatives must be able to handle the situation appropriately. You have given them the means to do so, and are to be commended for it.

Yours truly,

Example 9: Suggestion letters

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. Kellogg:

The committee has reviewed your telemarketing sales plan for a new line of software. Obviously, your previous experience as a telemarketer has allowed you to prepare an effective approach. Because of this we are pleased to inform you that we intend to have our telemarketers follow all six of the steps you have outlined.

We would like to discuss the possibility of you hosting a presentation for each telemarketing shift. The presentation should coach telemarketers on how to use the steps effectively, and how to deal with resistant potential customers.

We feel that the telemarketers, and indeed, the whole company, will benefit from your proposal. Congratulations are in order.

Sincerely,

Example 10: Letter for accept suggestion

Company Name or Letterhead

Address

City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee

Address

City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. McPhee:

We are pleased to inform you that we have accepted your proposal for a company newsletter, with you in charge of the project. After we examined the choices you presented for formatting, we feel that the third example would best suit our needs.

We appreciate the foresight you have shown in gathering enough topics of interest to cover the first three newsletters. We also value the time you took in locating persons who would be interested in being contributors . We will be approaching each of the individuals you mentioned, as well as distributing a memo asking for volunteers to proofread.

Would a staff meeting on Friday afternoon be acceptable to you? That will allow you to enlist enough people to begin having newsletter planning sessions, and for you to distribute various assignments.

We look forward to your first publication.

Regards,


24
Nov 10

Replying Negatively











Guidelines : Replying Negatively

Replying Negatively to Suggestions

Guidelines and Alternate Phrases

  • Repeat enough details of the suggestion so the reader knows you have given it proper attention.
  • If you cannot use the suggestion, explain under what conditions you might reconsider.
  • Should we have need of an outside legal firm, I’ll keep the name of your acquaintance on file in my office.
  • If the situation seems to be changing in the next few months, I’ll get in touch with you for more details about your idea.
  • If our budget does call for an increase a couple of years down the line, I’d like you to bring this to my attention again then.
  • If we do decide to eliminate the Ohio division, this idea would make perfect sense at that point. Keep it in the back of your mind for that occasion.
  • If sales should pick up in the next year, however, we would want to reconsider these value-added suggestions. They do have merit.

Example 1: Replying negatively to suggestion

[Subordinate has suggested that closing meetings be eliminated.]

Memorandum

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT: Monthly Closing Meetings

Bill, I received your note about the last closing meeting. Although the meeting you attended may not have been as productive as we all would have liked, we are all attempting to identify and resolve problems associated with this area of responsibility. To do this, we need the insight and cooperation of MIS and of all the accounting units; therefore, I feel to eliminate completely the closing meetings would be premature at this time.

Let me assure you we are trying to make the format as productive as possible. And as encouragement for the future, let me emphasize that when all the closing structure falls into place, we likely will have no further need for these meetings.

I appreciate your interest in the closing project, and please continue to advise me of any other concerns about our progress.

Example 2: Reply negatively to a suggestion

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Fitzroberts:

Thank you for your nice letter of March 2, suggesting how to avert the coming economic depression in the oil and gas industry.

We sincerely hope, as I’m sure you do, such a downturn will not materialize. I’ve given your conclusions serious thought; however, I believe we have spent as much time and money as we can justify in following these public-work projects.

Thank you for thinking about our welfare.

Yours truly,

Example 3: Samples of replying positively to suggestion letters

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State Zip

Dear Mr. Jordan:

Thank you for your letter concerning the use of actual customers in our advertising commercials.

Dreyton has not recently used non-actors in our television ads. We attempted this several years ago when actual Dreyton service station dealers were used to play the role of dealers.

I will forward your letter to our advertising department to make our representatives aware of your availability should they use “real customers” in future commercials.

Thank you for your interest in our company and your kind remarks.

Very truly yours,

Example 4: Negative response to suggestion letter

Memorandum

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT: Expansion Of Employee Library

Nick, I received your suggestions concerning the expansion of our employee library. Your point concerning the increase in idea generation we could experience was a valid one, and I agree with it.

Unfortunately, the funds for such an expansion are not available at the present time. I will, however, take your request to the budget planning committee. It is possible that they may be able to allocate funds from next year’s budget for library expansion.

Example 5: Reply letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Ms. DeBeers:

I have received your suggestions for a new voice mail system, and value the initiative you took in researching alternative systems and reviewing them for us.

Our current voice mail system, though, is part of our overall phone services package, which includes our fax machine and networked phone system. In order to change our voice mail, our company would have to go with a completely different service for all of our needs.

I’m sure you can understand our reluctance to change such a large system because of one component. I have instead registered our complaints concerning the voice mail system to the phone company, and they have scheduled a service technician to repair it tomorrow morning. Please let me know if you continue to experience problems.

Regards,

Example 6: Suggestion reply letters

Memorandum

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT: Increase In Vacation Leave Length

Kara, I appreciate the points you made concerning most firms’ current policies of granting a full two weeks vacation to all employees. I must tell you there are no plans to change the policy at this time.

Let me explain the rationale behind the policy. As you know, we are required to grant full pay to all employees while they are on vacation. Because of this, we have instituted an increase in the number of days an employee is granted for vacation time based on the amount of time the employee has worked for our firm. While this may seem unfair or constraining at first, let me point out that after a certain point in your career with us, you can receive up to four weeks paid vacation, whereas other firms will still allow you only two.

We feel those employees who remain with us through the years are deserving of such increases; they should not be limited to only two weeks vacation time when you consider the amount of time they have devoted to us. I’m sure you will agree that long-time employees’ loyalty is worthy of such recognition.

Example 7: Decline suggestion letter

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Todd:

I have reviewed your suggestions concerning our payment plan and value the time you took preparing your suggestion for my review. While I agree that our payment system may seem inflexible, there are certain problems with the floater payment plan you outlined in your memo. These problems are not due to flaws in the system itself, but rather to the design of several of our other departments.

For example, instituting a floating payment plan would be almost impossible for our accounting staff with our current method of bookkeeping. They are required to have all accounts fully up-to-date at the end of each month for review; with floating payments they would no longer be able to do so.

Floating payments would also cause problems for our collections department. With the floater payments, they would not have a firm due date for past due account evaluation.

I realize that as a salesperson, you will sometimes be in a situation where the only way you can get the sale is through an alternate payment plan. Please call me if you are in such a situation. I can from time to time authorize alternate payment plans, particularly for long-time clients.

Regards,

Example 8: Replying Negatively

Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State, Zip

Date

Addressee
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear Mr. Case:

Thank you for your candid letter stating your apprehension about the quality of water since the Bio-Gen Plant opened last year.

Please be assured that Bio-Gen is as concerned about the environment we live in as you are. After all, our families and children live here also.

In order to ensure that we are not polluting the town’s water source, we are participating in a government funded program, whereby we are subjected two one to three random tests of the water by our plant. Enclosed is a record of all the tests that have been conducted since our opening, as well as monthly tests done by the county at our request the year before we began our operations. Bio-Gen is proud to say that we have in no way contaminated the water. In fact, you will discover that we even helped rid the lake of an organic toxin through the use of natural methods prior to the opening of our plant. This toxin was discovered during the county’s testing.

If you have further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Cordially,

Example 9: Decline suggestion samples

Memorandum

TO:

FROM:

DATE:

SUBJECT: Change In Employee Uniform

April:

We received your letter proposing a new employee dress code. Your point that the uniforms are difficult to maintain, out-dated in appearance, and downright uncomfortable met with much sympathy from the management, almost all of whom have had to wear the same uniform at one time or another.

Unfortunately, we cannot change the dress code. Only the Corporate Headquarters has that authority.

Since you felt so strongly about the issue, we faxed your letter to Corporate Headquarters, along with letters from the entire management team supporting your position. We would like you to encourage your fellow employees to write also; Ms. DeVeirs would be happy to fax any letters that are brought to her desk. Perhaps we can get the Head office to change their dress code to something that is more practical.


24
Nov 10

Offering them for Supervisor












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.

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,

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,

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.

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,

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.

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,

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,

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,

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,

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.