Practical Writing for Business English,Jia Yan Foreign Language School of Kaifeng University,Unit Three,Establishment of Business Relations,Teaching Objective of Unit Three,Learn to know how to establish business relations through letters; Understand the channels for getting business information; Master the principles of writing this kind of letters and using these principles into practice; Master the words, phrases, and sentence patterns most frequently used in establishing business relations; Write a suitable letter for establishment of business relations.,General Introduction,It is not easy to do business with customers in other countries because a foreign trade firm doesnt know them very well. For importers, they dont know where the sellers are and for exporters, they dont know where the buyers are. In doing international business, a foreign trade firm needs extensive business connections to open up, maintain and expand its business activities. Therefore, the establishment of business relations is one of the most important undertakings in the field of foreign trade. Establishing business relations is the first step in international trade. Writing letters to new firms or customers to establish business relations is a common practice in foreign trade. If a newly established firm wishes to open up a market to sell something or buy something from firms in foreign countries or an old one wants to enlarge its business scope and turnover, the manager of the firm must first of all find out whom he is going to do business with. Usually, information like this can be obtained through the following channels.,Channels for Establishing Business Relations,Banks Chamber of Commerce at home and abroad Commercial Counsellors Office Export promotion organization: eg. China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Government department: Such as Department of Commerce Trade Directory Internet Friends in Business Circle Advertisements in different media Exhibitions and Trade Fairs Export Commodities Fair: eg. Guangzhou Fair Marketing investigation Enquiries received from foreign merchants Mutual visits,Writing Requirements,Having obtained the desired names and addresses of the firms from any of the above sources, you may start sending letters or circulars to the parties concerned. This type of letter is an outgoing letter and may be called a “First Enquiry”. The purpose of writing this kind of letter is to get the receiver to respond positively so you need to give complete information about yourself and to build good-will. Generally speaking, this type of letter is written as follows:,Tell the reader where and how you obtain the name and address of their company; Purpose of contacting the company (establish business relations); Introduce yourself such as the area of business, financial standing, (if you are an importer); As an export, offer some information about your products such as the quality, the competitive price, discount and other terms (if it is necessary) which can lead to future business; As an importer, tell what commodities you are interested, and the potential market at your end, and the organization which can be a reference for your financial position and business standing; Conclude cordially with a request for an early reply.,After receiving a letter for establishing business relations, you should keep in mind the key points listed below: First, answer it in full; Second, answer it without the least delay; Third, write with courtesy so as to create goodwill and leave a good impression on the reader. Writing requirements for this kind of letter: 1) Thank the writer for the letter received; 2) Answer the letter in details about the things the writer inquired; 3) Additional information to promote the business. For exporter, it is necessary to tell the importer what else you have for export; for an importer, it is necessary to submit your banks name so that the exporter can get the information about your financial position and business standing.,Some times for some reasons the importer cannot establish direct business relations with the exporter, when writing letters like this, first you should show your appreciation to the writer, then give your reasons to inform the importer why you cannot do it, the last give your suggestions to do business in another way.,Sample Letters,Exporters Inquiry to Establish Business Relations,Crescent Trading Co. Ltd 118 Road F. 1. Shanghai China Tel: (021) 589801798 Fax: (021) 58981799 Email chinawugmail.com May 4, 201- Western Chemical Company 5721 Cordova Street Windsor ON N7C 3T7 Canada Dear Mr. Faulkner We owe your name and address to the Commercial Counsellors Office of the Chinese Embassy in Canada that you are the main importer of Pharmaceutical Chemicals in your country, and at present you are interested in purchasing such kind of goods from China. We are very glad to inform you that we specialize in both Industrial and Pharmaceutical Chemicals, and