Here are the Magical Ways to Ask for a Purchase Order in an Email (With Samples Emails)

Do you intend to ask for a purchase order in an email? Here are the magical ways to ask for a purchase order in an email.

Well, asking for a purchase order means you want to make that sale a success. Therefore, to request a purchase order through email should take more persistence and care than preparing a regular professional email.

Giving persistence and care means that there are key areas we need to focus on when preparing an email request for a purchase order. Having a proper understanding of these facts will undoubtedly help you in writing the email efficiently.

At the end of this, you will find some magical sample emails that can help boost your request mails’ response rate for the purchase orders. So, why are we waiting for further? Let’s dig in.

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How Can We Define The Purchase Order For A Better Understand?

Before requesting a purchase order, it is essential to understand what it is, what it contains, and its purpose. The proper understanding of those facts will never let you down when you prepare to ask for a purchase order in an email.

What Is The Purchase Order?

A purchase order’s primary purpose is to confirm agreed order details (quantity, price) and payment conditions. The buyer sends this letter to officially notify the supplier or manufacturer to begin processing and delivering the relevant order after agreeing on all the matters at the purchase time.

It is also the sale confirmation document for the seller. The buyer should have included the purchase price, the number of items, delivery date, payment terms in the purchase order.

These facts show how important it is to ask for a purchase order in an email for both buyer and seller.

What Is The Purpose Of The Purchase Order?

The primary purpose of a purchase order is to confirm agreed order details (quantity, price) and payment conditions.

A legitimate purchase order also allows the buyer to place an order with the supplier before payments. So, the supplier could deliver or ship the goods purchased to the buyer on credit terms. The purchase order acts as the legal protector of its risk for the supplier.

However, there is no rule that a supplier should send goods or services under credit terms if they receive a purchase order. The understanding and agreement between both parties affect selling the goods or services on credit terms.

Besides, the purchase order allows you to track the inventory management and payments of the relevant order. It is also the best medium to transmit order details between the two parties. Both parties can use the purchase order in case of order issues as it includes all the details related to the order.

In simple meaning, the purchase order can give some assurance for your payments or your purchases.

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Is It Appropriate To Ask For A Purchase Order In An Email?

Yes, no doubt, you can ask for a purchase order in an email. Email is one of the effective methods used in professional communication since the professional world embraced the Internet. It has been a cornerstone of business communication for many years.

Also, an email request for a purchase order reflects the professionalism of the company as well. You don’t need to worry; it is not a rude thing to request a P/O. Making such a request also gives your customer a confirmation about the company’s seriousness and interest in this sale.

Requesting a purchase order from a new customer also can jeopardize the prospecting sales. The way you handle such situations like this may appear as an attempt to push the customer to place an order unnecessarily. If your customer feels that way, it could adversely affect your sales. It can also give the impression that you don’t trust the buyer who trusts you.

What Are Things You Should Consider Before Preparing Request Mail For A Purchase Order?

You may not know the reason for not getting the purchase order from the customer. Also, you may want to speed up the ongoing process of the order. Here are the best things you can do before asking for a purchase order in an email to avoid unpleasant experiences.

01. Try to Call them First.

It is not enough just to request a purchase order via email, which is a crucial step in your sales process. Try to understand why the purchase order is still delayed. Give them a follow-up call and understand the prospective customer’s objections and what is holding them from sending you a PO. And answer to those obstacles before you lose your sales opportunity.

02. Understand Your Prospecting Buyer Well

Even if the purchase order is an essential factor in a sale, your buyer may not have had such an experience before. In such cases, you can request a sales order in an alternative way. You can also provide some support for setting it up.

Otherwise, your customer may move to another supplier due to difficulties in processing the purchase order. In such cases, it is not a good idea to request a purchase order via email.

03. Be Kind & Flexible

You may receive a confirmation email expressing a buyer’s desire to buy your service or goods. If that doesn’t make enough for you, get used to notifying the buyer in a very flexible way with appreciating their order (Mostly if you are at a start-up stage).

You can say, “I am very grateful for this opportunity. As soon as I receive the purchase order to confirm your purchase, I will be happy to begin work on the order.”

04. Offer Alternatives

Do not always confine yourself to one frame. Find ways to keep your risk to a minimum when providing your service, even without a purchase order. Because the countries, institutions, or individuals may differ in how they conduct business transactions.

For example, as a freelancer, you hope to provide a translation service. But in the country where your customer is will not place a purchase order on such a small transaction. In such cases, you must have alternative ways of accepting the offer without giving up.

In such cases, it is better to use a different method to confirm the order than to ask for a purchase order in an email.

05. Make An Arrangement

Maybe you may receive several orders from the same customer each month. In such cases, it is best to discuss with your customer and ask to prepare only one purchase order, including information on all orders, once a month.

How Do You Ask For A Purchase Order In An Email? (Sample Templates)

Here are few tips for writing request mail for a purchase order;

• Choose a well directive, attention-grabbing subject line.

• Begin with a proper greeting. (E.g. – “Dear {client_name/client’s work postion}”)

• Keep the email body short and stay on the topic of asking for the purchase order.

• Ask about the purchase order in a fleeting manner. Even a short but friendly email message can do the trick for you.

• Ensure the purchase order is emailed as soon as, or soon after, starting the job when accepting a large job.

Here is the sample email that freelancers can use to prepare the request mail for a purchase order.

The sample email below directly addresses the concerned matter and helps to ask for a purchase order in an email straightforwardly.

Some people will appreciate things with more facts. So, you can use the following example to address such customers. This sample email is a bit lengthy, and it may be more appropriate to send a letter like this if you don’t know the best approach to ask for a purchase order in an email.

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What Other Things That You Can Do Without Requesting A Purchase Order?

There is no doubt that it is better to start work with a purchase order, whether your sales are small or large. But you should be able to make your sale a success, even without a purchase order.

Because not placing a purchase order does not mean that the buyer is a fraud. So you can do the following to protect yourself and deal with situations like this without losing your opportunity.

Try To Get The Terms Confirmed In Writing

If your customer is not accustomed to providing a purchase order to suppliers, at least try to get the terms confirmed in writing to deliver your goods or services. Inform your customer that the document should include the details of purchases, prices, quantities, delivery dates, and payment terms.

Send Them A Quote For Their Approval

You can ask your customer whether they prefer that you send them a quotation for approval or do they plan on sending you a purchase order. That way, you provide them with the choices while reflecting that you are not willing to work without a properly written document.

Clear Offer And Acceptance Is A Legally Binding Contract

Suppose you are dealing with a reputable company with a record of payments or have confidence in that company. In that case, a clear offer and acceptance email will suffice to confirm the purchase. Don’t hesitate to work on such occasions if you are confident with your client.

Ensure that you clearly understand the price, delivery conditions, and other terms before you start. Also, keep copies of your email correspondences in a separate folder because the email correspondence can create a legally binding contract between two parties.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are a beginner or an expert, it is best to work with a purchase order when selling goods or services. A proper purchase order provides better security and assurance for the transaction. It also assists both the buyer and the seller in managing the inventory and confirming the order.

This article is based on experiences and research materials that I use to ask for a purchase order in an email. If you have a different opinion when requesting a purchase order via email, please comment below. It can be beneficial to other readers reading this. Also, if you have any questions about my article, please do so.

An article I wrote earlier may also help you more in professional email writing. You can read it from the below link.

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