[tab name=’Guidelines’]
Guidelines : Decision Not to Do Business
Declining to Do Business
Guidelines and Alternate Phrases
- Thank the reader for his or her interest in your product, service, or organization.
- Thank you for contacting us about the research work you have underway.
- We appreciate your writing us about the products you saw advertised recently.
- Thank you for phoning us about the availability of your staff to complete the Sycon project.
- We appreciate having the opportunity to review the materials you sent us about your organization.
- Your interest in Sycon Instruments is flattering.
- Thank you for inquiring about our bidding process and the projects now underway.
- Your offer to help us complete the Lybednon work is generous and tempting.
- We’ve heard a great deal about your organization and are flattered you would think of contacting us about ….
- Your information arrived today; thank you for considering our products and services in your marketing and distribution plans.
- Your future plans sound exciting; thank you for offering to make us a part of them.
- Lead into your statement of refusal by first outlining your reasons for the decision. Then state your turndown as positively and tactfully as possible.
- We have already made prior commitments for contracting such work.
- We think a decision to narrow our focus to one company such as yours would limit our future plans. Therefore, to keep our options open with regard to…, we have decided to ….
- The information you provided on your work with valves interests me a great deal; however, there is currently no formal procurement requirement or open solicitation for this effort.
- The research you mention in your letter has to do with hydroponics and greenhouse systems. Our emphasis here is primarily on solid substrate mediums rather than hydroponics. The bulk of the work you mentioned is being conducted at other locations.
- As you may imagine, we can foresee a possible conflict of interest in that ….
- Therefore, to avoid all appearances of favoritism, we have decided to ….
- Our experience in similar situations tells us there could be legal ramifications if we were to join hands in ….
- Because of the politics of the situation and the impression this relationship might leave with our own employees, we must decline the opportunity to ….
- Suggest either that it may not be in the best interest of your reader to do business with you under the circumstances or he or that she should devote efforts elsewhere.
- We believe you could formulate a much better arrangement if you contacted some of our competitors who do not perform this work in-house. The price compares very favorably with other products of lower quality than yours; I suggest you raise your price before offering the product line to a more suitable distributor.
- I’m afraid we simply do not do the volume of business you would expect for your profit margins on an exclusive arrangement.
- If I were you, I’d refurbish the equipment and housing and offer it to a buyer in the local market. Possibly such a buyer could pay you more than we could because of the logistics and distance involved.
- We think you’ll find our philosophies too restrictive for your future plans.
- We fear our structure here would be limiting to your creativity in solving many problems.
- You deserve freedom to make pricing choices, and our current arrangement would limit that freedom.
- I’m sure you would be concerned with copyright infringement possibilities, so rather than create confusion over these issues, we think it best to decline.
- Offer any referral, if possible, for the product or service.
- In the event you want to contact other divisions, I have attached a list of contact names.
- Perhaps you can check listings in the Dallas area for nonprofits in a position to take advantage of your work.
- I want to take this opportunity to wish you well in your efforts to contact other interested organizations.
- Elaine Turnbolt may be more interested than I in such a program.
- Perhaps Booker and Charles Ltd. could offer you more exposure than we could. Feel free to use our name in contacting them.
- Let me make one suggestion: Humbolt, Inc. would seem a likely candidate for this service.
- Have you thought of offering your service to Humbolt, Inc.?
- Despite our inability to work out clear, unambiguous arrangements, we wish you success with the project.
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[tab name=’Example 1′]
Example 1: Sample letter for Decision Not to Do Business
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr. Abrams:
Thank you for your interest in submitting a proposal for the construction work to be done at our Brownsville plant.
The project requires very specialized equipment and technical expertise available from only a few sources we’ve currently identified. The limited information you provided in your letter does not justify delaying our decision on this project in order to receive your full proposal. However, if you would like to discuss your ideas with agency representatives before expending extensive preparation time on later projects, we suggest you contact Raymond Fraiar at ext. 3458. If he considers your capabilities to be in line with our needs for this project, he then can add your name to the bidder’s list for similar projects.
Our company fosters and encourages new and innovative ideas relevant to our mission requirements, and we encourage you to contact other branches of our agency to identify other ventures you may be interested in pursuing.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 2′]
Example 2: Letter for Decision Not to Do Business
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr. Sanchez:
Thank you for contacting us once again about your information service, Direct Communications. We recognize the quality improvements and cost reductions your organization has achieved over the past few years within many companies around the nation.
After reevaluating your material, we still believe the content is “nice to know” but have difficulty in measuring its value to our organization in light of our production cost of the series. Most of the information has become available to us through other channels.
We know, too, obviously you have some costs in offering the information to us even on a complimentary basis; at the least, the coordination of new issues takes your valuable time. Therefore, our decision to no longer accept, produce, and distribute this information will probably afford you opportunity to apply your efforts to companies that can and will schedule workshops based on your series.
You have our very best wishes with the series. We hope your complimentary arrangement leads to many profitable training sessions in organizations with a budget larger than ours.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 3′]
Example 3: Example Sample letters for Decision Not to Do Business
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mrs. Steinbach:
We have a great respect for the work you did on the Chagrin Lake clean-up, and we are pleased that you thought of our company for chemical supplies.
Although we are mostly known as a chemical supplier, we do, in fact, have a team of safety technicians working out of our Essex facility who specialize in hazardous materials spills. To avoid a conflict of interest, we are unable to sell products to other clean-up companies who operate within our regional district.
Both New Belton Chemicals and Valley Chem have comparable lines of clean-up chemicals. I am sure they would be happy to discuss their stock items and prices.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 4′]
Example 4: Example letters of Decision Not to Do Business
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr. Metzger:
Thank you for contacting us about the shares available in Mountain Top Enterprises. Mountain Top is on the cutting edge of climbing technology, and an investment in the company would be a great opportunity to get involved in the latest product advances.
Unfortunately, we have to decline your offer. We recently purchased an interest in Rock World and feel any investment in another climbing-related business would be inappropriate.
Jim Harbaugh at Peak Outfitters mentioned that he knew of several investors looking for a similar opportunity. You are welcome to use our name in contacting him.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 5′]
Example 5: Decision Not to Do Business Letter
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Ms. Clayton:
We appreciate your bid on the Eastman Plaza project. Welsh & Sons is known as one of the most reliable contracting companies in Chicago, and your offer was certainly attractive.
Unfortunately, we foresee a conflict of interest. We understand that you are working on the plans for the West Avenue Arena, which is coming before the zoning board for approval May 11. You were probably unaware that Steve Bryes, our vice president of operations, was recently appointed to the board. I am sure you understand that in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety, we are unable to accept your bid for consideration.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 6′]
Example 6: Business Letter for Decision Not to Do Business
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr. Riess:
We are gratified by Trans Link’s interest in retaining our services during your upcoming Federal Transportation and Safety Board investigation.
We regret that we cannot accept your offer, however. Presently one of our partners is prosecuting a case on behalf of the Interstate Highway Office, a division which reports to the FTSB. We are afraid that Trans Link would be placed in an awkward position by having our lawyers defend against an organization so closely associated with one of our present clients.
I have enclosed a list of other firms with expertise in this area whom you may want to contact. In particular, Bob Mitchell of Hartman & Alexander has experience with several similar cases.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 7′]
Example 7: Decision Not to Do Business Letter
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Miss Odessa:
Thank you for inquiring about our promotional product needs. We were impressed with the pins and flags you made for the Westerville Bicentennial Celebration.
We regret, however, that we will be unable to take advantage of your promotional mouse pads. Upon review of your manufacturing specifications, we can see that the production of your plastic components involve the release of CFCs into the air. We are concerned that purchasing such products would strain our relationship with one of our clients, Earth Health Action.
We wish you the best in contacting other interested companies.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 8′]
Example 8: Letter of Decision Not to Do Business
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Ms. Bixby:
Thank you for thinking of us for the graphics on the Lemon Burst Soda Web site.
Without your permission to use the copyrighted images from their print campaign, we are unable to take on the project. We cannot justify the resources it would require to create graphics of comparable quality. Design work of such a nature is more expensive and time consuming than a small operation like ours can handle.
Best wishes with the project. We will keep an eye out for Lemon Burst on-line.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 9′]
Example 9: Decision Business Letter
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr. Johannsen:
Thank you for phoning us with regard to purchasing diesel fuel for your Eastlake plant.
We deliver less than 100 gallons only in rare instances when there are a number of other small deliveries within close proximity. Our tanker trucks are equipped to handle 1,000 gallons. Unfortunately, we cannot afford the expense of sending a driver to Eastlake with less than 100 gallons of fuel.
Can I suggest you contact a smaller local distributor like Freedman Oil?
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 10′]
Example 10: Letter for Business Decision
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Ms. Miller:
We are honored that the Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association would consider holding their annual meeting at Roundtop Hotel and Conference Center.
We routinely host groups of your size and larger. However, our facility is not equipped to handle hot food service. I am afraid we simply do not have the resources to offer the kind of banquet your members desire.
I have attached a list of hotels which would be better able to accommodate you. We hope you will enjoy your stay in Cincinnati.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 11′]
Example 11: Sample of Decision Not to Do Business Letter
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mr. Jacobs:
We appreciate your interest in our steel products. Brenton Metals specializes in the molding of special alloys used in military and aerospace machinery. Unfortunately, we do not have the capabilities to do the intricate assembly or soldering that you require.
Have you contacted John Barry at Penna Steel? They may be more suited to your needs.
Sincerely,
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[tab name=’Example 12′]
Example 12: Decision Not to Do Business
Company Name or Letterhead
Address
City, State Zip
Date
Addressee
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Mrs. Escobal:
You are kind to remember us when considering where to store your boat this winter.
We are sorry to say that the marina units at our Harborpoint facility are full to capacity. These spaces are usually reserved in advance by mid-August, but this year they were gone before July.
With the increased interest in boating, we are looking into the costs of expanding our marina facilities in order to accommodate an additional 100 boats during the winter months.
We’ll keep you posted on further developments.
Sincerely,
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