Writing an Inquiry Business Letter for ESL Students

When you want to ask a business for more information concerning a product or service or for other information, you write an inquiry letter. When written by consumers, these types of letters are often in response to an advertisement seen in a newspaper, magazine, or commercial on television. They can be written and mailed or emailed. In a business-to-business setting, a companys employees can write inquiries to ask the same types of questions about products and services. For example, a company representative may want information on buying products wholesale from a distributor, or a growing small business may need to outsource its bookkeeping and payroll and want to contract with a firm. For further types of business letters, you can find examples of  different types of business letters to refine your skills for specific business purposes, such as making inquiries, adjusting claims, writing cover letters, and more. Hard-Copy Letters For professional-looking hard-copy letters, place your or your companys address at the top of the letter (or use your companys letterhead stationery) followed by the address of the company you are writing to. The date can either be placed double-spaced down (hit return/enter twice) or to the right. If you use a style that has the date on the right, indent your paragraphs and do not put a line of space between them. If you keep everything flush to the left, dont indent paragraphs, and put a space between them. Leave a line of space before your closing, and four to six lines of space for you to have room to hand-sign the letter. Emailed Inquiries If you use email, its easier on the readers eyes to have paragraphs with a line of space between them, so flush everything left. The email will automatically have the date of when it was sent, so you do not need to add the date, and youll need only one line of blank space between your closing and your typed name. Place your company contact information (such as your  telephone extension so someone can get back to you easily) at the bottom after your name.   Its easy to be too casual with email. If you want to appear professional to the business youre writing to, stick with the rules and tone of formal letter writing for the best results, and proofread your letter before sending it out. Its so easy to dash out an email, hit Send right away, and then discover a mistake upon rereading. Correct errors before sending to make a better first impression. Important Language for a Business Inquiry Letter The start: Dear Sir or Madam or To Whom It May Concern (very formal, used when you do not know the person to whom you are writing). If you know your contact already, thats better than being anonymous.Giving reference: With reference to your advertisement (ad) in... or Regarding your advertisement (ad) in...  Give the company context to why youre writing, right away.Requesting a catalog, brochure, etc.: After the reference, add a comma and continue could you please send me information on...Requesting further information: If you have more that youre seeking, add, I would also like to know... or Could you tell me whether...Summary call to action: I look forward to hearing from you... or Could you please give me a call between the hours of...Closing:  Use Sincerely or Yours faithfully to close.Signature: Add your title on the line following your name. An Example Hard-Copy Letter Your NameYour Street AddressCity, ST Zip Business NameBusiness AddressCity, ST Zip September 12, 2017 To Whom It May Concern: With reference to your advertisement in yesterdays New York Times, could you please send me a copy of your latest catalog? Is it also available online? I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, (Signature) Your Name Your Job TitleYour Company Name