Letter of Inquiry

How do I write a letter of inquiry for a product?

There are numerous situations in business that you need to inquire more information on a product. If you want to write an effective letter of inquiry to a supplier you want to conduct business with, we recommend that you check out this sample Letter of Product inquiry. This message will capture your suppliers' attention for sure!

Sample letter of inquiry requesting information:

Dear Mr./Mrs.,

We saw a demonstration of your latest {{product}}, at the {{event}} last week.

We were particularly interested in this product and might possibly also be interested in other electronic equipment which you manufacture.

Indeed, we specialize in importing state-of-the-art {{product type}} and selling them to luxury kitchen designers throughout {{area}}.

We would be grateful if you would send us your catalog with full technical specifications. Please state your best export prices, terms of payment, and the earliest date for overseas delivery. Do you provide after-sales service and spare parts?

We look forward to doing business with you for years to come.

Yours sincerely,

What should be included in a letter of inquiry?

Such an inquiry letter should be written like a standard business letter, and should not normally exceed one page. In recent years, letters of inquiry have become an important part of the fundraising process. Many foundations now prefer that funding requests be submitted first in letter format instead of a full proposal. Others are using preliminary letters of inquiry to determine if they have an interest in a project before accepting a full proposal. In either instance, it is important to recognize that a well-written letter of inquiry is crucial to securing funding for your project. An effective letter of inquiry is often more difficult to write than a full proposal.

The letter of inquiry should be brief—no more than three pages—and must be a succinct but thorough presentation of the need or problem you have identified, the proposed solution, and your organization's qualifications for implementing that solution. The letter of inquiry should be addressed to the appropriate contact person at a foundation or to its CEO and should be sent by regular mail.

An inquiry letter should include:

an introduction;
a description of your organization;
a statement of need;
your methodology;
a brief discussion of other funding sources;
and a final summary.

The introduction serves as the executive summary for the letter of inquiry and includes the name of your organization, the amount needed or requested, and a description of the project. The qualifications of project staff, a brief description of the evaluative methodology, and a timetable are also included here. This should not exceed one paragraph.

The organization description should be concise and focus on the ability of your organization to meet the stated need. Provide a very brief history and description of your current programs while demonstrating a direct connection between what is currently being done and what you wish to accomplish with the requested funding. You will flesh this section out in greater detail if you are invited to submit a full proposal.

The statement of need is an essential element of the letter of inquiry and must convince the reader that there is an important need that can be met by your project. The statement of need includes a description of the target population and geographical area, appropriate statistical data in abbreviated form, and several concrete examples.

The methodology should be appropriate to your statement of need and present a clear, logical, and achievable solution to the stated need. Describe the project briefly, including major activities, names and titles of key project staff, and your desired objectives. As with the organization description, this will be presented in far greater detail in a full proposal.

Other funding sources being approached for support of this project should be listed in a brief sentence or paragraph.

The final summary restates the intent of the project, affirms your readiness to answer further questions, and thanks to the potential funder for its consideration.

Download this Letter of Inquiry template now! After downloading and filling in the blanks, you can easily customize the style, typography, details, and appearance of your message.

DISCLAIMER
Nothing on this site shall be considered legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is established.

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