Inquiry Letter

A letter of inquiry asks someone for specific information. In some cases, such as a request for promotional material, the recipient will have a clear interest in responding to your letter. In other cases, such as a request for specific information on a product, the recipient may or may not be as motivated to respond quickly. Consequently, always make the tone of the letter friendly and make it easy for the recipient to identify and provide the information you need.


Tips for Writing an Inquiry Letter.

1. Make the letter very clear, and to the point. If you have more than 2 questions or points, make a list to improve readability.


2. Tell them what‘s in it from them. For example, if you are seeking information from a government body or an expert, you can offer to mention their help in a report.

Or if you are writing to find out about a product or a service, tactfully suggest that you may need to place an order later.


3. It‘s a bad idea to send a letter for information that you can easily get from somewhere else, like the Internet. You will need to spend some amount of time and money in sending this letter. So firdt try to find the information by yourself.


there are 2 types of inquiry letter

* Solicited: Sent in response to an advertisement, or any other direct communication.


* Unsolicited: Not sent in response to an advertisement. Because your letter is not expected, you need to make sure that it is very clear why you are writing it.



example for inquiry letter


March 28, 2009

Contact Name
Address
Address2
City, State/Province
Zip/Postal Code


SUBJECT:


Dear [CONTACT NAME],

I am inquiring on behalf of Petroleum Engineers, Inc. concerning the rates and terms of your automobile leasing contracts. We are interested in acquiring a fleet of 12 vehicles which includes: six full-sized, double-cab pick-up trucks with manual transmissions and six sedans with automatic transmissions. The vehicles will be used during business hours only and will remain on-site during the evening hours.

Please inform us of your monthly lease charges for the entire fleet and the limit on miles per year, per vehicle. We are interested in the price options available for a variety of automobile makes and models. If your company offers a maintenance agreement, please provide us with those specific details as well.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,




Your name
Your title
(800) 123-4567
youremail@yourcompany.com



referensi :

http://animo-antolog.blogspot.com/2009/11/macam-macam-contoh-inquiry-letter.html
http://www.businessletterguru.com/inquiry-letter.html

Style letter of business
communication of business
Business Communication is communication used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relaying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.
In business, the term communications encompasses various channels of communication, including the Internet, Print (Publications), Radio, Television, Ambient media, Outdoor, and Word of mouth.
Business Communication can also refer to internal communication. A communications director will typically manage internal communication and craft messages sent to employees. It is vital that internal communications are managed properly because a poorly crafted or managed message could foster distrust or hostility from employees.

Business readers expect to receive letters and memos that adhere to an existing format standard. There are several acceptable business letter styles available for use in the professional world. Three such business letter styles include:
• Modified Block Style: With this business letter format, the body of the letter is left justified and single-spaced. The date and closing, however, are in alignment in the center of the page.
• Block Style: when using this business letter format, the entire letter is left justified and single-spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.
• Semiblock Style: similar to the modified block business letter style except that each paragraph is indented instead of left justified.
Business Letter Format
There are several main sections that are consistent with every business letter format. When writing a business letter, be sure to include all components:
• The Heading: common with every business letter format, the heading contains your address and the date of writing.
• The Inside Address: included the name of the addressee, that person’s title or office, the name of the company or institution, and the full address
• The Salutation: the formal greeting appears two lines lower than the inside address.
• The Body: use the body of your letter to explain the situation and to make your request or response. Make sure it is done in a straightforward and concise manner.
• The Complimentary Close: the complimentary close is inserted three lines below the last line of the body. The most common formulas are: Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Yours truly, Yours sincerely.
• Your Typed Name: in all business letters, there are usually four lines between the complimentary close and the typed name as you intend to sign it.
• Your Signature: always use blue or black ink. Match your signature and your typed name.
• Special Notation: lowest on the page, always flush left. Includes common notations to indicate: carbon copies,enclosed documents, etc...

Letter Templates
Library Online features a large assortment of letter templates to help you achieve your desired message when writing business letters.
Here you will find letter templates that will consistently give your company a professional image. There is a large selection of example business letter styles covering the most common business situations, written by business professionals
1. Return Address: If your stationery has a letterhead, skip this. Otherwise, type your name, address and optionally, phone number. These days, it's common to also include an email address.
2. Date: Type the date of your letter two to six lines below the letterhead. Three are standard. If there is no letterhead, type it where shown.
3. Reference Line: If the recipient specifically requests information, such as a job reference or invoice number, type it on one or two lines, immediately below the Date (2). If you're replying to a letter, refer to it here. For example,
• Re: Job # 625-01
• Re: Your letter dated 1/1/200x.
4. Special Mailing Notations: Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate. Examples include
• SPECIAL DELIVERY
• CERTIFIED MAIL
• AIRMAIL
5. On-Arrival Notations: Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate. You might want to include a notation on private correspondence, such as a resignation letter. Include the same on the envelope. Examples are
• PERSONAL
• CONFIDENTIAL
6. Inside Address: Type the name and address of the person and/or company to whom you're sending the letter, three to eight lines below the last component you typed. Four lines are standard. If you type an Attention Line (7), skip the person's name here. Do the same on the envelope.
7. Attention Line: Type the name of the person to whom you're sending the letter. If you type the person's name in the Inside Address (6), skip this. Do the same on the envelope.


8. Salutation: Type the recipient's name here. Type Mr. or Ms. [Last Name] to show respect, but don't guess spelling or gender. Some common salutations are
• Ladies:
• Gentlemen:
• Dear Sir:
• Dear Sir or Madam:
• Dear [Full Name]:
• To Whom it May Concern:
9. Subject Line: Type the gist of your letter in all uppercase characters, either flush left or centered. Be concise on one line. If you type a Reference Line (3), consider if you really need this line. While it's not really necessary for most employment-related letters, examples are below.
• SUBJECT: RESIGNATION
• LETTER OF REFERENCE
• JOB INQUIRY
10. Body: Type two spaces between sentences. Keep it brief and to the point.
11. Complimentary Close: What you type here depends on the tone and degree of formality. For example,
• Respectfully yours (very formal)
• Sincerely (typical, less formal)
• Very truly yours (polite, neutral)
• Cordially yours (friendly, informal)
12. Signature Block: Leave four blank lines after the Complimentary Close (11) to sign your name. Sign your name exactly as you type it below your signature. Title is optional depending on relevancy and degree of formality. Examples are
• John Doe, Manager
• P. Smith
Director, Technical Support
• R. T. Jones - Sr. Field Engineer
13. Identification Initials: If someone typed the letter for you, he or she would typically include three of your initials in all uppercase characters, then two of his or hers in all lowercase characters. If you typed your own letter, just skip it since your name is already in the Signature Block (12). Common styles are below.
• JAD/cm
• JAD:cm
• clm
14. Enclosure Notation: This line tells the reader to look in the envelope for more. Type the singular for only one enclosure, plural for more. If you don't enclose anything, skip it. Common styles are below.
• Enclosure
• Enclosures: 3
• Enclosures (3)
15. cc: Stands for courtesy copies (formerly carbon copies). List the names of people to whom you distribute copies, in alphabetical order. If addresses would be useful to the recipient of the letter, include them. If you don't copy your letter to anyone, skip it.


Tips:
• Replace the text in brackets [ ] with the component indicated. Don't type the brackets.
• Try to keep your letters to one page, but see page 2 of this sample if you need continuation pages.
• How many blank lines you add between lines that require more than one, depends on how much space is available on the page.
• The same goes for margins. One and one-half inch (108 points) for short letters and one inch (72 points) for longer letters are standard. If there is a letterhead, its position determines the top margin on page 1.
• If you don't type one of the more formal components, don't leave space for them. For example, if you don't type the Reference Line (3), Special Mailing Notations (4) and On-Arrival Notations (5), type the Inside Address (6) four lines below the Date (2).



















December 1, 2008


Ms. Anna Brown, Chair
Department of Linguistics
Right State University
1415 University Drive
Felicity, OH 45435

Dear Ms. Brown:

I want you to know you have an exceptional employee, Jane Doe, in your support division. Her calm, patient manner was a great help to me when my frustration was at an all-time high. Her knowledge of the software and her remarkable problem-solving abilities are rare indeed. If the quality of a firm's employees is an indication of future success, then Doe Corporation has a very bright future.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

John Do

Enclosure

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