III. Sales Letter

THE FINANCIAL TIMES

Incorporating the financial news

Telephone Bracken House

City 8000 Cannon Street

Telegrams London, U.C.4

Finantimo, London, Telex

LFS/GS 26th October, 19...

Dear Sir,

Although you must surely know THE FINANCIAL TIMES, you may not know it as a regular daily reader. Yet it is for European business leaders such as yourself that the regular reading of THE FINANCIAL TIMES can be of most value. It will equip you with the extra knowledge on British and international matters which you require as a supplement to your own national press reading.

The enclosed brochure will give you some idea of the kind of paper we are publishing, but nothing can take the place of handling the paper in your office, or your own home, and judging its usefulness to YOU solely on its merits, over a period. This is what we would like you to do, at our expense, and without the slightest obligation on your part. Please complete the enclosed postcard and return it to us and we will do the rest.

We will be really disappointed if you cannot see your way to co-operate with us by affording us the very real pleasure of sending you a complimentary copy of THE FINANCIAL TIMES for two weeks.

Yours faithfully,

For THE FINANCIAL TIMES,

Leonard F. Shapland,

CIRCULATION MANAGER.

P. S. There will be others in your office who will benefit - not least in their knowledge of Commercial English usage - by reading our newspaper day by day.

Ill. Orders

Replies to Offers—Orders

Replies to Offers

When a prospective buyer receives an offer, he will examine it carefully and perhaps compare it with offers from other suppliers. If the terms of the offer suit him, he will place an order. An order following a firm offer, provided it is placed on time and constitutes an unqualified acceptance of the offer, results in a contract. If the offer was made without engagement, there is no contract unless buyer's order is accepted by the seller.

Sometimes certain points in the offer have to be clarified or additional information has to be obtained from the supplier before the buyer can place an order. (By making his offer clear and complete, the supplier can save his customer and himself time and trouble.)

If the buyer cannot make use of the offer, he should, as a matter of politeness, inform the seller of his refusal.

Perhaps the buyer is interested in the goods offered, but does not agree to the prices or terms proposed by the seller. In such cases he may try to obtain concessions from the supplier or make a counter-offer. When the supplier receives a counter-offer, he must decide whether or not he wants to accept it.

Orders

Orders are placed either in response to an offer, as mentioned above, or on the buyer's own initiative, without a preceding offer. In the latter case, the buyer declares that he is prepared to buy certain goods if they can be supplied at the prices and on the terms stated.

The order which opens business between two firms is called the first order or initial order. Orders for goods previously bought from the same firm are repeat orders or re-orders. A trial order is an order for a small quantity for testing purposes, which is followed by a larger order if the buyer is satisfied with the quality of the goods, or if he finds that there is a market for them. Advance orders are placed in advance of the time when delivery is desired. A standing order is an arrangement with the supplier, according to which the supplier delivers goods in specified quantities at certain intervals until further notice.