Chapter Fourteen Goodwill Messages

Section 1 Introduction Goodwill means what outsiders think about your company. All communication contributes to your and your company’s image. The creation of goodwill is an important part of all business messages. Some messages are exchanged purely in the interest of goodwill.

Section 2 Specimen Documents Specimen 1: Greetings One of the genuine joys of the New Year season is the opportunity it affords of expressing our appreciation to our friends. It has been a year of pleasant dealings, Mr. Jones. May the next 12 months bring you prosperity and happiness.

Specimen 2: A covering card message for sending gifts With compliments, twenty calendars for the year 2013 and ten pocket diaries.

Specimen 3: Letter of thanks I am writing to thank you for your kind hospitality during my recent trip to London. The factory tours and discussions were both instructive and interesting. It is always good to see how the products are manufactured and have the opportunity to exchange ideas about their demand. I hope that I will have the opportunity to return your kindness the next time you come to China. I look forward to seeing you at the next October Guangzhou fair.

Specimen 4: Apology for cancelling an appointment I am so sorry that I had to cancel our meeting yesterday at such short notice. As my secretary explained to you, an urgent matter came up which I had to deal with immediately. I understand our appointment has been rearranged for next Tuesday 12 May at Perhaps we can extend our meeting over lunch.

Specimen 5: A formal invitation (invitation card) The Directors of Wilcox International request the pleasure of the company of Mr and Mrs John Edwards at a Reception in honour of the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the company at Sea Club on Monday 10 November from 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m. R.S.V.P. Secretary of the Board Tel....

Specimen 6: A semi-formal invitation by letter, fax or We would like to invite you to attend the opening of our new factory on Friday 4 May. The opening ceremony will begin at 3 pm and end around 5 pm, after which there will be dinner at 7 pm. We hope you can find time to accept the invitation and look forward to seeing you.

Specimen 7: Formal message of congratulations on a promotion I would like to convey my warm congratulations to you on your appointment to the Board of Electrical Industries Ltd. My fellow directors and I are delighted that the many years of service you have given to your company should at last have been rewarded in this way. We all join in sending you our very best wishes for the future.

Specimen 8: Message of condolence to a customer I have just learned with deep regret of the death of your wife. There is not much one can say at a time like this, but all of us at Hawkins Metals who have dealt with you would like to extend our sincere sympathy at your loss. Please include us among those who share your sorrow at this sad time.

Specimen 9: Personal acknowledgement My mother and family join me in thanking you for your kind letter on the occasion of my father’s passing. We have all been greatly comforted by the kindness and sympathy of our relatives and friends. Both at home and in the hospital, where my father spent two weeks prior to his passing, the kindness and sympathy shown by everyone has been most overwhelming.

Specimen 10: Announcement of new acquisition Shanghai Sugar Cigarette and Wine, a subsidiary of Bright Food, is pleased to announce its recent acquisition of 70% of Diva Bordeaux’s equity shares, a world-class leading dealer of red wine. For the past five years, our corporate mission has been to become the leading pioneer and engineer of China’s wine culture. Our acquisition of Diva brings us one step closer to accomplishing this goal. As you may know, Shanghai Sugar Cigarette and Wine has already been involved in enhancing international business competitiveness. Not only will the acquisition expand our importation of Diva wine, but Diva will begin offering our makes of wine to their existing customers. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me or your sales representative.

Section 3 Useful Expressions I am delighted to accept your kind invitation to the opening ceremony on Friday 4 May at 3 pm. I regret that Mr Dunne is unable to accept the invitation to the opening ceremony on Friday 4 May, owing to a previous engagement. Thank you for your invitation. I would be delighted to take part in…

I am happy to accept your invitation to participate in … Thank you for your invitation, but, unfortunately, I’ll be in Paris that week. It is a long-standing engagement, which I am afraid I cannot alter. It was delightful seeing you at the fair. Please accept our warmest thanks for all the arrangements. On behalf of our group, I would like to thank you for your kind hospitality. It is now already a week since your marvelous party and this note of thanks is long overdue. Please convey our best wishes to Mr. Brown on his promotion.

May I offer you my sincere condolences on your recent loss. Please pass my sincerest sympathies on to his family. We were shocked/most upset to hear about the death of your partner, John Smith, and offer our condolences. He was a fine person and a well-liked man, who will be sadly missed by all who knew him. I send you my best wishes for a speedy recovery. As a token of our gratitude, we would like to present you with this small gift..