Preparing a professional export offer

Hamburg is the main trading hub for imports to and exports from Germany and Europe. The foreign trading houses receive many offers and enquiries every day. The following hints will help you to prepare a professional export offer and to market your products successfully.

Important points with regard to preparing a professional export offer

Every e-mail or letter you send will influence your image in a positive or negative manner. Your initial enquiry or export offer therefore should be unique and informative. General enquiries, often generated as part of mass mail-outs, are mostly answered by way of a standard letter or not at all. A clear indication that further information is available should always be included in your offer. Enclosing a brochure in pdf format is a useful way of supplementing your initial offer.
If you receive a reply or a specific enquiry indicating genuine interest, it should be dealt with individually, i.e. in such cases a professional offer is necessary. The content of your professional export offer should highlight the benefits to the (prospective) customer, without promising more than can actually be delivered. It should include clear details on all points that will form part of an eventual sales contract.

Checklist of the essential components of a professional offer to pre-empt further questions:

  1. Make sure you submit the offer on an official company letterhead, indicating the industry sector your company belongs to, P.O. box and street address, direct contact details for phone/fax/e-mail, banking details, and VAT registration number.
  2. Correct address of recipient (full trading name, contact person, country details)
  3. Unambiguous wording of the date (numerals for the day, letters for the month)
  4. Type of offer (firm commitment or non-binding/no obligation)
  5. Exact description of the goods or products offered (normal goods declaration, customs tariff no., presentation, packaging, brand, trademarks, etc.)
  6. References to any special features (quality seals/distinctions, possible uses, comparative advertising)
  7. Specific packaging details (CIF data, container quantities)
  8. Sales price along with delivery terms (currency, unit of sale, INCOTERMS)
  9. Delivery time based on your production capacity (no. of working days after confirmation of order)
  10. International payment conditions (credit rating, risk assessment, export credit insurance)