How should I write an English email? Templates for requests

Business people who work for companies that are considering expanding overseas or that have transactions with overseas companies will also have the opportunity to prepare a quotation in English. It is important not only to know the words and grammar, but also to prepare the quotation based on the wording and cultural differences that are suitable for business documents.

In this article, we will introduce useful English expressions such as how to create a quotation and templates for request / sending emails.

"Quotation" in English is Cost estimate / Quotation

There are two types of quotation notation in English. First, let's look at the differences between them.

Cost estimate
Translated literally, it is a price estimate. In business terms, it means a rough estimate, and it is a rough estimate based on the necessary processes, quantities, and costs. The accuracy of the rough estimate in Japan is -25 to + 50% of the final estimate, but it varies depending on the country of business and the company. Therefore, it is a good idea to remember the rough estimate "Rough estimate" that will cause price changes.

Quotation
Translated literally, it's an estimate. In business terms, it means a formal quote or a final quote, which is a final quote that is accurately priced. Sometimes referred to as Final estimate, Quotation is more common.

How to write a quote in English

There is no big difference between the contents of the English quotation and the Japanese quotation. Therefore, it is recommended to create it based on the Japanese quotation.

In this chapter, we will introduce notes and example sentences on how to write for each of the following items.

・ Title

・ Issuer

・ Date

・ Expiration date

・ Customer information

・ Total amount

・ Breakdown

・ Supplement

・ Contact information

title

For the title, use a concise expression that means an estimate.

・ Quotation
・ Cost estimate

For a rough estimate, write Cost estimate, and for a final estimate, write Quotation. If you have a specific product, you can write Quotation for 〇〇 (a final quotation of 〇〇) without any problem.

Publisher

Enter the company information of the publisher. For English quotes, it is common to write the publisher information at the top of the first sheet. It is an image that the publisher information is written near the title. The contents include the company name, address, telephone number, email address, website, business registration number, etc. as necessary. Please note that the address is written in a different order from Japanese.

〒123-4567 Minato-ku, Tokyo 〇〇 1-2-3 △△ Building 10th floor
△△ building, 10F, 1-2-3, 〇〇, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 123-4567

As shown in the example sentence above, the English address should include the country name at the end, including the building name and floor number.

Date / expiration date

It is also important to include the expiration date along with the date the quote was issued. Without an expiration date, you may be mistaken for being able to trade for the stated amount indefinitely.

Estimated date: Quotation date: 30 September 2021
Expiration date: Validity of quotation: 31 October 2021

You can specify the expiration date by adding the above example sentence to the bottom of the title. You can also write This quotation is valid for a month from the date above. At the end of the quote.

Please note that there are American and British dates, and the order is different.

American style: September 30, 2021
British style: 30 September 2021

The American style is mainly used in the United States and Canada, and the British style is widely used in European and Asian countries. Another point is that in formal business documents, the month is not abbreviated as Sep, but as September.

Customer information

Customer information is written in the order of department name, company name, and address.

TO
Marketing department
○○ campany
1-2-3 Rd. Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand

Depending on the company, the delivery address and billing address of the item may be different, so please check in advance. In the invoice sent after the quotation, the Ship to of the shipping address and the Bill to of the billing address are described as the customer information.

Total amount / breakdown

In most cases, the total amount and breakdown will be listed in the table even in the English quotation. Create a table using words like the ones below.

In some cases, a remarks column is provided in the table to write detailed information on discounts. You may want to bold or emphasize the total amount for clarity.

supplement

If necessary, create a supplementary item at the end of the quotation.

The buyer is responsible for all charges and fees associated with bank transfers.

Terms of Returns and Refund Policy: within 7 days after the arrival of your order

In addition to the above example sentences, supplementary items can be described as follows.

contact address

It is helpful to write the contact information in the quotation so that we can respond smoothly to inquiries from the other party. You can also improve your company's impression by adding a sentence to thank you for your request for quotation.

hank you for your inquiry. (Thank you for your request)

If you have any questions about this quotation, please contact us at abcd@ef.com. (If you have any questions about this quote, please contact abcd@ef.com)

How to create an English email to send a quote

Next, I will summarize how to create an English email to send a quote. The point is to create content that is conscious of business etiquette while incorporating content that the other party is interested in. In this chapter, we will introduce notes and example sentences on how to write for each of the following items.

・ Address

・ Writing

・ Appeal of own products

・ Expectations for orders

・ Follow-up

・ Conclusion

・ Signature

address

If the recipient is clear, include the name of the person in charge. If you don't know, use nuanced English such as job title and person in charge.

Dear Mr. Johnson, (Johnson)
Dear Accounting Manager, (Accounting Manager)
To Whom It May Concern, (Person in charge)

Whenever possible, write the address as the person in charge or job title. If you cannot identify it by all means, capitalize the beginning of the word to make it a polite address suitable for business documents, such as To Whom It May Concern.

Export

Write a thank-you note for the request for quotation.

Thank you for your request for a quotation.

Thank you for your interest in our products.

Next, I will tell you that I have attached the quotation, which is the main subject.

We have attached our quotation as a PDF file.

Attachments are called attached files in English. It's a common term in business email, so it's useful to remember.

Appeal and expectations for orders for in-house products

In order to connect the request for quotation to the purchase of the product, you can easily add the text of the appeal of your company's product or add the expectation to the order. However, please avoid writing in long sentences as it will have the opposite effect if the appeal is over.

This is the most popular product in our company.

We look forward to receiving your order.

Look forward to verb + ing means "I'm looking forward to it." It is a term often used in business situations and daily conversation.

follow up

Contains information about your inquiry. It is also useful to contact us for follow-up at a later date if necessary.

If there is anything unclear, please feel free to contact us. (If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us)

I will follow up with you. (I will follow up with you at a later date)

If you want to feel free to contact us, you can use the expression don't hesitate, but the literal translation is "don't hesitate" or "don't hesitate", so some people may feel uncomfortable. If you want a natural sentence, the phrase feel free to contact is recommended.

Conclusion / Signature

Finally, write the closing sentence and signature. It is convenient to prepare some fixed phrases for the closing greeting. You may also write it in conjunction with the follow-up text.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Before signing, add the Japanese words "respect" and "grass". Since there are no words that correspond to "Dear Sir" or "Omitted" at the beginning of the sentence, write only the end of the sentence.

Best Regards,
Sincerely yours,

Best Regards can be used for internal and external business emails. Sincerely yours is more polite than Best Regards. Finally, if you specify your name and company name in that order, the English email for sending the quotation will be completed.

English words and expressions that are useful when creating a quote

We have summarized English words and expressions that are useful when creating a quote. Knowing these words will make it easier for you to create a quote with just a few arrangements.

How to create an English email requesting a quote

When requesting a quote, you can create an English email in a short time by deciding the format in advance. In this chapter, we will introduce example sentences that can also be used as templates and notes on how to write them.

・ Subject
・ Address
・ Writing
・ Request for quotation and reason for request
・ Conclusion with deadline
・ Signature

subject

The title uses expressions that make it easy to convey the content of the email.

Request for quotation
RFQ for ○○ ( Request for quotation for ○○ )

RFQ is an acronym for Request for quotation. Since Request for quotation is a basic phrase when requesting a quote, there is no problem using Quotation for the title at the time of rough estimation. If you want to emphasize that it is a rough estimate, request for cost estimate makes it easier to convey the intention to the other party, but it is not a very common expression for the title.

address

Basically, enter the name of the person in charge. If the person in charge is ambiguous, use the job title. Below is an example of the name of the person in charge, the name of the position, and the name of the department in charge in English.

Export

In the export, tell that you are interested in the other party's product.

We are considering ○○. (We are considering ○○.)

We would like to purchase ○○. (We would like to purchase ○○.)

There is no need for acronyms or seasonal greetings such as "Dear Sir". In the English email, let's talk about the product straightforwardly.

Request a quote

There are various expressions for requesting a quote, but try to keep the text as simple as possible.

We would like to get your quotation.

Please quote us for 〇〇. (Please quote us for 〇〇)

In the business scene, use a more polite would like to instead of want to. Also, if you have specified the number of items or have a desired delivery date, let us know as well.

item code: 123-456
Quantity: 10 pieces
Desired delivery date: 10 November 2021

Conclusion / Signature

When requesting a quote, specify the deadline you would like to receive a reply.

We would appreciate it if you could send us a quotation by 10th October 2021.

I would appreciate it if you could ~ is a polite expression of the request. The conclusion and signature are as follows.

Sincerely yours,
Hanako Nihon

Be sure to put a comma "," after the closing greeting. For signatures, add the department name or company URL as needed.

English words and expressions that are useful when requesting a quote

We have compiled English words and expressions that are useful when requesting a quote. Knowing these words will help you to request a quote smoothly.

English expression when refusing a quote

If you decline the quote provided, please list in the following order.

・ Thank you for making an estimate ・ Communicate your
intention to decline ・ Tell
the reason for refusal ・ State your
future prospects

Below are some example sentences that you can use to decline.

We appreciate your quotation for ○○. (Thank you for your quotation about ○○)

However we are afraid that we must decline your proposal at this time. (However, we are very sorry, but we would like to decline this proposal.)

Unfortunately it doesn't fit our budget. (Unfortunately it didn't fit within our budget)

I hope we can meet at another time.

English expressions when negotiating unit prices

If you want to keep costs down from the quote provided, consider unit price negotiations as well. Understanding the market price and getting a quote from a competitor makes it easier to proceed with price negotiations.

Could you offer a discount? (Can you offer a discount?)

We were wondering if we could get a discount on a bulk order.

It is convenient to use the following expressions in addition.

If you want to say "cheap price", use expensive, better price, good price, etc. instead of cheap price. When negotiating a price cut, it will be easier for the other party to respond if you tell them that you are attracted to the product and want to buy it, rather than just writing about the price.

Conclusion

Quotations in English are required to be prepared based on the wording suitable for business documents and cultural differences. The more money you deal with, the more you may be worried about mistakes and misunderstandings.