You have found a supplier and want to know their prices and other conditions. Or you can choose from several suppliers and want to compare their offers. Anyway, first you need to ask them to provide you this information. So, let’s learn to write an inquiry in Russian.
Letter to a new supplier
If you never worked with this supplier before, the inquiry will be quite long and formal. You need to tell a bit about your company, explain why you write them and what you are looking for in the commercial proposal (prices, quantities, deadlines, characteristics of the product or service, etc.). Otherwise, you will have to correspond with them for the whole month to get all the details!
You often can write commercial inquiry by email. Or you can print a beautiful formal letter on paper, and attach its copy to the email. This way it looks more serious.
It is time for examples!
Manager of the restaurant writes to the tableware manufacturer
Professional development manager writes to the educational center
Letter to an old supplier
If you already work with this supplier, so they know your needs, and you know their conditions, there is no need to write a long, detailed letter. A telephone call or a short inquiry by email is enough. This letter, most probably, will be less formal. It depends on the relationships, ages, and ranks of an author and addressee.
In the following example, the author and addressee are almost of the same age and rank. Note, that author calls addressee only by her name (Елена). It is quite common nowadays (due to globalization). Many young people even don’t like to be addressed a more formal way. But there are still a lot of organizations, where the full name (including father’s name: Елена Ивановна) is only acceptable. You need to be quite observant to unintentionally not insult someone.
An analyst writes to the database provider.
Useful phrases
- в связи с (чем?) открытием нового ресторана
- на сайте компании «Лидер рынка» есть информация о (о чём?) о том, что…, о ценах
- наша компания очень заинтересована в (в чём?) профессиональном развитии своих сотрудников
- имели возможность (+ инфинитив) ознакомиться, узнать о…
- высоко оценили (кого? что?) продукцию, качество
- от лица (кого? чего?) компании, всех сотрудников компании
- прошу Вас (+ инфинитив) подготовить и выслать коммерческое предложение
- просим Вас (+ инфинитив) подготовить коммерческое предложение для нашей компании
- в приложении к письму Вы найдёте (кого? что?) необходимые наименования и количества, подробную инструкцию
- буду Вам очень благодарен за (кого? что?) быстрый ответ
- Заранее спасибо!
