Business Letter Writing

BEL 432 BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

Purpose of a Business Letter

A business letter is a formal way of communicating between two or more parties. There are many different uses and business letters. Business letters can be informational, persuasive, motivational, or promotional. Business letters should be typed and printed out on standard A4 white paper.

Elements of a Good Letter

1. The most important element - your ability to identify and write to your audience.
o If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid using highly technical terms that only engineers would understand.

2. Make sure you present your objective in a clear and concise manner.
o most people will not have the patience to sit there and guess the meaning of your letter. o just get to the point without going into unnecessary details

3. Remain professional.
o even if you are writing a complaint letter, remain polite and courteous, simply state the problem(s) along with any other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander.

Business Letter Format

This business letter format illustrates the specific parts of a business letter:

Business Letter Template Fields:

Date: Use month, day, year format, e.g., March 3, 2007 or 3 March 2007 Sender's Address: Include sender's email and url, if available. This will allow customers to find your small business more quickly. Inside Address: Use full name. Mr./Ms. is optional. Salutation: Be sure to use a colon at the end of the name, not a comma as in personal letters.

Body Text: State why you are writing. Establish any connection/mutual relationship up front. Group related information into paragraphs.
Closing "Call to Action": State what the reader needs to do and what you will do to follow up. Signature Block: Sign your letter in blue or black ink. Enclosures: Use if you have an enclosure. Carbon Copy: Use if you are sending a copy to additional person(s). Use a professional tone.

Proofread your letter!: All your careful crafting and printing can't cover up spelling or punctuation errors, which leave a lasting negative impression.

FORMS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

Full Block Modified Block

The block format is the simplest format; all of the writing is flush against the left margin. A business letter must be professional and look professional - neatly typed or printed on good quality paper.

Sample of a business letter (full block)

---------- Heading
Savannah Chamber of Commerce 105 E. Bay Rd. Savannah, GA 31404-0012 October 19, 1993
(Four to Seven Spaces)

---------- Inside Address

Ms. Charlotte Williams, Manager Belles Lettres Books The Delta Mall Savannah, GA 31404-0012
(Double Space)

---------- Salutation
---------- Body

Dear Ms. Williams:

(Double Space)

As the Chambers Executive Director, Id like to welcome you to the Savannah business community. Belles Lettres is a welcome addition to the towns economy. I wish you success. For this reason, I encourage you to join the Chamber of Commerce. Membership gives you a voice in your communitys development and access to promotional materials. Ive enclosed a brochure about our work in the community. If you decide to join, I could set up a ribbon-cutting ceremony within two weeks. You would meet other members of the Chamber and receive some useful news coverage. I look forward to hearing from you.
(Double Space)

---------- Complimentary Closing

Yours sincerely,

---------- Signature Initials Enclosure Copies

(Four Spaces)

Ardith Lein
(Double Space)

AL:nk Encl. Membership brochure cc: Peter Sanchez

Parts of a Business Letter

1. The heading gives the writers complete address, either in the letter head (company stationery) or typed out, plus the date. 2. The inside address gives the readers name and address. 3. If youre not sure who to address or how to spell a persons name, you could call the company for the information. 4. If the persons title is a single word, place it after the name and a comma. A longer title goes on a separate line. 5. The salutation begins with Dear and ends with a colon, not a comma. 6. Use Mr. or Ms. plus the persons last name, unless you are well acquainted. Do not guess at Miss or Mrs. 7. If you cant get the persons name, replace the salutation with Dear or Attention: plus the title of an appropriate reader, such as Customer Service Department, Sales Manager, or personnel Manager. DO NOT use Dear Sir or Gentlemen.

8. The body should consist of single-spaced paragraphs with doublespacing between paragraphs. (Do not indent the paragraphs.) 9. If the body continues on a second page, put the readers name at the top left, the number 2 at the center, and the date at the right margin. 10. For the complimentary closing, use Sincerely, Yours sincerely, or Yours truly followed by a comma. Capitalize only the first word. 11. The signature includes the writers handwritten name plus the typed name. 12. When someone types the letter for the writer, that persons initials appear (in lowercase) beside the writers initials (in capitals). 13. If a document (brochure, form, copy, etc.) is enclosed with the letter, the word Enclosure or Encl. Appears below the initials. 14. If a copy of the letter is sent elsewhere, type the letters cc: plus the persons or departments name beneath the enclosure line.

Sample of a business letter (modified block)

Return Address Line 1 (1) Return Address Line 2 Date (Month Day,Year) (2) Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr. Full name of recipient. (3) Title/Position of Recipient. Company Name Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name: (4) Subject: Title of Subject (5) Body Paragraph 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. ..... Body Paragraph 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................................................. ..... Body Paragraph 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (6) Closing (Sincerely...), (7) Signature (8) Your Name (Printed) (9) Your Title

Punctuation Styles
In an Open Punctuation Style letter there is
no punctuation at end of lines in the inside address no punctuation following salutation and complimentary closing

In Closed Punctuation Style

a period follows the date and the last word of the identification line a colon follows the salutation a comma follows all lines in the inside address except: the last one before the postal code, the complimentary closing, the company name, and the identification line.

The most popular style is mixed punctuation. Mixed punctuation requires a colon after the salutation and a comma after the complimentary close.