Real-Life Communication
As the owner of your business, Seaside Boats, you have designed
a website to showcase some of the boats that you have built in the past. On
the site, you feature three of the best boats you have built, customer comments
and a few of the types of plans you will build.
The website also links
to many of your suppliers and even to the personal pages of past customers.
As an additional draw, you have added a few fun facts about boats and boatbuilding
to the page.
The other essential ingredient on your site is your contact
information. You have listed your regular mail address, your phone numbers
and your email address. And you get a lot of email from potential customers
asking questions about your services.
One such email came in this morning.
You must answer the questions the potential customer has asked. She wants
to know how long it takes you to build a 17-foot schooner, what the cost of
the schooner would be and if she can make an appointment to view more of your
plans.
It takes you about three months to build a 17-foot schooner.
The cost to the customer will be about $15,000, depending on the features
she would like and the type of plans she chooses. You would love to meet with
her, and you have an open schedule for the next week.
Write a return
email to the potential customer, whose name is Dahlia Markem. Be sure to answer
her questions, and to write the letter just as you would a professional letter
on paper. As is always the case in any business communication, be sure to
use proper punctuation, spelling and grammar.
"We use email extensively
with customers and suppliers," says Fred Apstein. He is a custom boatbuilder.
"You must maintain a clear line of communication so that there are no misunderstandings
about what you are going to do and what the customer can expect."