How To Write A Business Letter

When writing a business letter, most professionals and entrepreneurs are pretty busy no matter what their positions are. Since you're a busy person, you will want to use your time as effectively as possible. This means cutting down on a lot of the menial and repetitive work that requires time - time that you simply don't have . Writing business letters takes time but remember, they can be written more quickly if you follow a few basic principles. It takes a bit of time at first but as you progress, it gets easier and easier. Remember that business letters serve one purpose:

They Communicate Information

That's it. Business letters have one purpose and one purpose only - to get your point across. Countless hours are spent on writing business letters that say little or nothing at all. That's a waste of time for the sender and a total waste of time for the reader. Think about it, you can spend hours writing a business letter that in the end, could say nothing and when you finally send it out, it takes the reader a good hour just to figure out what it is that you are trying saying. Not only does it waste time but when the wages of the writer, along with the cost of equipment and postage are figured in, business letters are expensive. When writing a letter for business. Keep in mind these three very important points: Business letters acts as in information vehicle - They serve one purpose; Business letters cost money; Business letters acts as an official document; Business letters communicates your thoughts, feelings and concerns. They also serve as an official documents or records. Letters are long-lasting, tangible evidence of information that you have communicated to others. Alright, let's get down to writing a proper business letter. There are four things you have to remember when it comes to writing a business letter. If you miss one of these points, your letter is not going to be effective. They are as follows: Subject Audience Purpose Style Yep, that's it. If you can get these points down on paper, your letter will be both, effective and time efficient. Let's go into a little more detail about each of these very important points. Subject When you write a business letter, always remember that it is so much easier writing about one specific subject than it is for many subjects. I remember when I first got out of college and I was trying to write some letters for my boss.

I was trying to fit in 5 different subjects into the body of the letter. Suffice to say, the letter was about 7 pages long and quite confusing to whoever read it. My boss took one look at the letter and shook his head. It doesn't matter if you're writing a novel or business letter, you have to write according to one subject. The more specific your subject is, the easier it is to write the letter. What exactly is the subject? It could be anything that a particular situation calls for. For example, let's say a client is late paying an account. The late payment is the subject. This is the core of you business letter - Late payment. Regardless of the situation, always stick to one subject in your letter. If you have to, you might be able to add in another but after two, your message becomes clouded. If you have more than two subjects, write another letter. Audience This can be kind of tricky because you never know who's going to be reading your letter. It's a lot easier to write a business letter if you know who your audience is. This way, you can tailor your correspondence to that audience. However, your audience is always larger than you expect. Take my office for example. If a letter comes in that needs to be actioned, it will pass through about 4 different pairs of hands before if goes to the right person. If you are unsure of your audience, assume that they are educated and reasonable people. Don't assume they know what your talking about because 8 times out of 10, they don't. Have you ever received a business letter and didn't have a clue what they were talking about because they assumed you knew? I get that all the time and it's quite frustrating. Don't assume nothing when writing a letter because if you do, you might generalize or forget to include important details. Purpose Have you ever receive a letter that had a specific subject outlined but you simply didn't have a clue what the letter meant. All too often letters are sent out with a specific subject and audience in mind but have no clear purpose. When you write a business letter, make sure that you know why you are sending out the letter. Is the letter to inform? Is it to request additional information? Is it a complaint? Congratulations? There's nothing worse than reading a letter with no purpose. I'm sure that you've read a few letters that left you scratching your head wondering what the heck it was about. State the purpose of the letter and keep it clear. Style Now that you know what your writing about (subject), who your writing to (audience) and why (purpose), you need to concentrate on how you are going to write the business letter.

The first three areas can be determined in a matter of a few minutes if you are familiar with the ideas that need to be communicated. The style takes a little more time. The basic style and organization of a business letter is as follows: First part of the body: State the purpose of the letter Second part of the body: State your point. Explain what you want to happen and explain the information you have Third part of the body: Call to action or request some form of action. Thank the reader for his or her response. The first and third parts are usually one paragraph. The second part, however, may be more than one paragraph long. Let's look at each in a little more detail: Part 1 Of The Body It's important that you get straight to the point in the first sentence when your writing a business letter. Most people want to know write off the bat what you're writing about. Don't leave them guessing. Remember, you're reader doesn't have anymore time to go through a long letter than you do. This part of the body is usually a short paragraph. Anything longer than this will either irritate the reader or your point will get lost. Example: We have not yet received your payments. This is to remind you that both your first and second payments of $250.00 are now overdue. A total of $500.00 plus the balance of $125.00 is due on August 26, 2004". Part 2 Of The Body This part of the letter will be the core. It will explain the information you are providing and what you want the reader to do. Remember, it doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to include all of the information that the reader needs and it has to be clear. If you have a lot of information, try breaking it up into smaller chunks or short paragraphs. When people come across huge paragraphs, they tend to skim the information. You don't want this because they might miss the point. If you have no choice but to include a lot of information, try listing the points or include it as an attachment when writing business letter. Underlining essential information is one way to highlight key points for your reader. However, don't use a lot of capitalization because is SCREAMS at people. Your letter should be organized to help the reader understand the information and what to do.

Example : In the credit agreement you signed, you agreed to pay off your bill in three payments. The first payment of $250.00 was due June 20, 2004, the second of $250.00 was due on July 20, 2004, and the final payment of $125.00 is due on August 20, 2004. Please send the full amount in 10 days. Part 3 Of The Body" When your writing a business letter, the third part of the body is usually broken down into 3 sections. 1. Concludes the letter . This allows you to point out the most important item or draw all your key points into one statement 2. Call to action . In letters that require a response, you want to define the action you want your reader to take. You basically tell your reader what to do and when to do it. This is very important because if there is no call to action, your reader won't act. 3. Thank the reader . It's only appropriate that you thank your reader for their time and attention. Example: Failure to pay on time will affect your ability to charge merchandise at out store. If you want to discuss your account, call me at 888-356-8745. Perhaps we can arrange a more comfortable payment plan.. Thank you for your immediate attention. Here is an example of writing business letter:

Barton Supplies 9867 Cobton Rd., Charlesville, MI 963214

July 30, 2004 Chuck Riley Total Parts and Service P.O Box 5423 Littletown, OH 25467-8756 Dear Mr. Riley: We have not yet received your payments. This is to remind you that both your first and second payments of $250.00 are now overdue. A total of $500.00 plus the balance of $125.00 is due on August 26, 2004. In the credit agreement you signed, you agreed to pay off your bill in three payments. The first payment of $250.00 was due June 20, 2004, the second of $250.00 was due on July 20, 2004, and the final payment of $125.00 is due on August 20, 2004. Please send the full amount in 10 days. Failure to pay on time will affect your ability to charge merchandise at out store. If you want to discuss your account, call me at 888-356-8745. Perhaps we can arrange a more comfortable payment plan.

Thank you for your immediate attention. Sincerely, Paime Mimonei Credit Manager Cc: Norm Johns

Writing a business letter doesn't need to be difficult as long as you remember that you are communicating with another business person just like yourself. If you remember to use a subject, audience, purpose, and style into your letter, you will be on the road to better business letter writing.

Business Letter Formats

Writing a business letter can be tough work. I know because I used to have the hardest time trying to come up with the words and the proper layout of a business letter. I'd used to sit there and stare at the computer screen wondering what the business letter writing mystery was about. I'll tell you right now that it's no mystery. As long as you know the pr oper business letter formats, you should have no problem putting together a professional sounding business letter. A lot of the problem that people have with writing a business letter is that they don't know where things should go or what business letter format to use. I know, I used to have that problem and I'm sure that if you're reading this page that you have the same problem. Well, I'm going to do my best to help clear some of that confusion and lay down the proper business letter formats. Writing a business letter is so much harder than it has to be. I think this has to do with the way in which we were taught about how to write a business letter. Business letters used to be written (and still do) in what might be called rigid language. A formal, stiff language that uses the aforementioned and due to the fact that phrases. Combine the formal language with business letter formats and you get a lot of confusion. Alright, the first thing you need to remember for effective business letter formats is the different parts of the business letter. There are many parts to the business letter, some required, some optional. The parts of the business letter are as follows: 1. Heading or letter head 2. Date 3. File number (optional) 4. Confidential (optional) 5. Address 6. Attention line (optional) 7. Salutation (optional) 8. Subject line (optional) 9. Body of the letter 10. Complimentary close (optional)

11. Signature 12. Added information (optional) 13. Postscripts (optional) 14. Mailing instructions (optional) Heading The heading is usually written at the very top of the letter. However, if you business or organization uses letter head with contact information, than you don't need to type in the address in the heading. Date This should be the date the letter is written. If you write the letter today, it should have today's date on it. Be sure to write out the month and to include both the date and year for adequate reference File number This is an optional choice. Sometime you may want to state the file number or project number that you are writing about. This helps to communicate what it is you actually writing about. This is quite useful sometimes because there are some managers who simply have too much going on and don't want to be bothered having to remember what the project number is. Confidential If you want only one pair of eyes to see this letter, use this word by physically separating the word from the rest of the letter by two lines. To assure confidentiality, including the word confidential on the envelope. Address This should include the name of the person you are writing, the person's title if available, the name of the firm and the firm's address. Attention line If you know exactly who this letter is going to, you may want to use the exact name. For example: Attention: Wanda Smith. However if you don't know the name of the person, you may use a title. For example: Attention: Head of Account Receivable. Salutation The salutation is used in all business letter formats to address the proper recipient. However, you must be careful to determine the most appropriate choice, given your reader and the situation. If you are uncertain about your reader's gender, avoid assuming gender in the salutation. Possible salutations include: Dear Madam: Dear Sir: Dear Mr. Jones: Dear Mrs. Barnes: Dear Ms. Barnes: Gentlemen: Ladies:

 To whom it may concern: Whenever possible, try and use the correct name because people are more receptive to reading the letter when they see their name on it. Subject line The subject line is most commonly used in a simplified letter but can be appropriate in almost any situation. I almost always attach a subject line because it helps to clarify my point. This way the reader knows immediately what the letter is about. Body This the core of your business letter. This is where you make requests, provide information or reasons or reply to someone. Complimentary close It's only polite to include a professional close such as: Very truly yours, Respectfully, Sincerely yours, Sincerely, This varies in formality and is found in all business letters. Always include a complimentary close, no matter what the situation is. Signature Make sure you have enough room to sign your business letter between the complimentary close and your title. There should be about four to five lines of space between the close and your typed name and title. Don't try and squeeze your signature in because it looks unprofessional. Additional information If needed, this consists of the sender's initials in capital letters followed by a colon, followed by the typists initials in small letters. You may also include abbreviations such as Enc. which means enclosed, and other abbreviations such as cc. or xc. which means copies have been sent to the following names. Mailing instructions Use these to give the reader deadlines or pertinent information on mailing a reply. Remember to use the proper business letter formats and you shouldn't have any problems writing up a professional letter. When deciding on what type of letter to use, remember to use a format for the business occasion.

Business Letter Of Introduction

"Say It Right With A Proper Introduction Letter "
The business letter of introduction introduces a person to a company or individual. The introduction letter is similar to a reference letter in that it describes the qualifications of the person

to be introduced. When you are writing an introduction letter, it is important to note that you specify each aspect of employment for the perspective employee. The format of an introduction letter is as follows: Step 1: The first part of the business letter of introduction states your purpose. Of course, you want to introduce the person or individual to the company. Step 2: The second part of a business letter of introduction gives the details or background information of the first part. If you are introducing a new person to the company, it is appropriate to state specific knowledge, skills, and abilities the person has that will benefit the reader. Step 3: The last part of an introduction letter acts as a summary reminding the recipient of the general nature of the letter. This part will conclude with a call to action such as please join me in welcoming John Doe. Here is a sample business letter of introduction:

Business Letter Of Introduction

Thompson and Sons 857 Anytown, Ohio IL 21456 August 5, 2004 Tim Johnson 354 Tinsel Ave Yourtown, Ohio IL 54125 Dear Mr. Johnson: I would like to introduce John Phillips, who will be starting with our firm as of December 16, 2004. Mr. Phillips will be heading up our Technical Division for parts and distribution. Mr. Johnson has worked in our technical offices during this year. He was given the assignment of technical parts and sales, which he handled extremely well demonstrating exceptional technical knowledge. Prior to Thompson and Sons, Mr. Phillips was employed at Barnard and Morgan's as the manager of parts and distribution. Mr. Phillips is a graduate of McGill University with a Master's degree in mechanical engineering followed by an MBA from Queens University. Please take the time to welcome Mr. Phillips to our firm. Sincerely, Rupert Thompson President and CEO

Remember the easy steps to writing a business letter of introduction and you shouldn't have a problem with this style of writing.

Example Of Business Letters

"Here Are Some Great Business Letter Examples You Can Use In Any Situation At The Office"
If you're anything like me, you learn best by looking at examples. With that in mind, I though I'd put together some business letter examples to help you get started. The following sample letters are pretty straight forward so you shouldn't have too much problems. The following example of business letters are meant to give you an idea of how to structure a business letter. The following business letter examples will show you how to format your business letter under the following categories: Collection Letters Sales and Promotional Letters Employment Letters Customer Relations Letters Collection Letters The sole purpose of a business collection letter is to get the customer to pay up. Writing a collection letter can be difficult because you have to use a certain tone to elicit a response. Steps to Write Collection Letters Step 1 Check the spelling of the client's name. Use a gender specific courtesy title only if you are certain of the recipient's gender. Getting a collection letter is bad enough, getting a collection letter that's addressed improperly adds to the irritation. Step 2 The first part of the letter will state the situation, including the concern, the date of purchase, the amount owed and the due date. Step 3 The next part of the letter should indicate the deadline for paying the outstanding amount and any resulting penalties if not payed. If your company has any policies regarding late payments such as grace periods and alternative payment plans, you can state it here. Step 4 The third part of the letter should state the consequences of not paying. Step 5

This part of the letter has a call to action. It should encourage the client to send full payment or to call you directly to arrange payment. End with goodwill and a positive attitude that this situation will be resolved in a satisfactorily manner. Example of Business Letters - Collection Letter Tough Wear 45123 Anytown, MI 45123 July 15, 2004 Jeremy Adams 541 Ramsey Court Yourtown, MI 78456 Dear Mr. Adams: Thank you for shopping with us. You are a valued client and we appreciate your business and know that you want to keep your account current with us. On May 3, 2004, you purchased $400 of merchandise from our store in Yourtown. Your payment of $150 is now overdue. In the credit arrangement you signed, you agreed to pay off your bill in three payments. The first payment of $150 was due June 3, 2004. Please send this amount now. Failure to pay on time may affect your ability to charge merchandise at our store. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. You may call me at 1-888-895-2563 if you have any questions or concerns. Your continued patronage is important to us. Sincerely, Paime Mimonei Credit Manager Example of business letters - Sales and Promotional Letters Sales and promotional letters are used by salespeople to set up appointments, announce sales promotions, congratulate salespeople, announce specials, and introduce new specials. These types of letters are sales tools and are usually much more creative than other business letters. The sole purpose of a sales letter is not really to sell but to generate interest in the product and elicit a response. Steps to Writing Sales and Promotional Letters Step 1 The first part of the letter states your purpose. Depending on the reason for writing the letter, this may vary from requesting an appointment to introducing a new salesperson. Remember, you want to interest your reader. Always identify the benefits to the reader. Step 2

The second part of the letter backs up the first part. That is, it gives the details or background information regarding the purpose. This is the part of the letter that will stimulate the interest of the reader. If you are making a request, than this part would give the reason for the request. Step 3 The last part of the letter states a call to action and as a summary of the general nature of the letter. Example of Business Letters - Sales and Promotional Letters Tone Deaf Music 587 East Street, Anytown, MI 45123 August 15, 2004 Linda Goodman Guitars and Such 784 Peach Street Yourtown, MI 45126 Dear Mrs. Goodman: I will be in Yourtown on September 5, 2004 and would like to meet with you at your office to discuss the new guitar models that you may be interested in for the upcoming year. I have enclosed our latest catalogue. Please note the items in light blue highlights. They are the new guitar models to come in and are now on a special to preferred clients. I will contact you later this week to schedule an appointment. If you need to get in touch with me, please call me at 1-888-457-7896. I look forward to talking with you. Thank you for your continued business. Sincerely Yours, Paime Mimonei Sales Representative Customer Relations Letters There are various types of customer relations letters that may be in the form of acknowledging a complaint to thanking a customer. The main thing to remember is that the customer is always right. Write with this in mind. These types of letters are very useful at keeping contact with your customer base. If you've been keeping your customers contact information (which you should be doing at all cost!), you can send your customer base a thank you letter and a special offer or buying incentive. This is a great way to test new marketing ideas. These letters are designed to improve or maintain customer relations. I'd like to point out that you must keep you customer in mind at all times. The laws of good copy writing apply. However, you want to generate interest and not sell your customer outright with a customer relations letter. You want to thank your customer and let them know how much you appreciate

their business. On top of that, you want to thank them by offering a special deal just for preferred customers. It works . Steps to Writing Customer Relations Letters Step 1 The first part of the business letter states your purpose. This can be anything from acknowledging a complaint to thanking a customer for their ongoing patronage. Step 2 The second part of the letter explains the purpose. If you are thanking a customer for their ongoing patronage, you would go into a little more detail here. Step 3 The last part summarizes the letter. This part can be an added incentive or simply reiterate the customer's value to your business. Example of Business Letters - Customer Relations Letters Tone Deaf Music 587 East Street, Anytown, MI 45123 December 16, 2004 Linda Goodman Guitars and Such 784 Peach Street Yourtown, MI 45126 Dear Mrs. Goodman: On behalf of Tone Deaf Music we wish to express our sincerest appreciation for your continued patronage. It is because of valued customers like you that we are able to continue to offer you the finest in modern musical instruments. Tone Deaf Music has been in business for 30 years. We are dedicated to bringing you the finest in acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars, drums and amplifiers. Our motto is to provide our customers with the best value for the lowest price We've been following this motto for the past 30 years. Tone Deaf appreciates your ongoing patronage and because of that, we are offering you a special deal on all new signature acoustic models. If you call our offices within the next 15 days, we will give you a 15% discount on all new signature models purchased in the month of January. Sincerely Yours, Paime Mimonei Sales Representative

Remember, these example of business letters are but a few of the many possible sample business letters. However, the above example of business letters should give you an idea of the different kinds of business letters.

Business Thank You Letter

A Perfect Opportunity To Follow Up - A Business Thank You Letter
Imagine this, you have recently met two companies with regards to a supplier contract for your company. Both companies, A and B are equally qualified and their prices are pretty even. However, you don't quite know which one you are going to choose because you were quite pleased with each company. Let's say you were leaning towards company A because there were a few points you liked. However, company B sends you a business thank you letter that once again outlines the positive benefits that you may have forgotten about. Company A does not send you any follow up correspondence and you forget what it is you liked about the company. You decide to go with company B because of the powerful benefits they have once again outlined and the professional nature presented by the company. This is the power of a well thought out and professional business thank you letter - A perfect opportunity to get your most powerful sales message back in front of your client's eyes. A lot of businesses often neglect the power of an organized follow up system that includes a business thank you letter. The follow up system serves to keep you and your business in the minds of your customers and clients. A perfect opportunity to present your company's most powerful benefits to you potential customer. The business thank you letter not only thanks the other company for their time and consideration, it gives your company another opportunity to get it's message across to a potential customer. However, the business thank you letter must be well written in a professional business letter format, otherwise the letter could back fire on you. Therefore, when you are constructing your business thank you letter, it's important that you follow the correct business letter format. The business thank you letter follows the same format as other business letters. However, there are various business letter formats you may want to choose from. To view business letter formats, please click here . Firstly, I would send a business thank you letter no latter than two days after your first meeting. This way you are still in your customers minds and your not forgotten. Write your business thank you letter to your client expressing your gratitude and thanks for the meeting. Remember, it doesn't have to be a meeting, it could be also be something as informal as a talk over the telephone. The structure of the business thank you letter is as follows: Step 1: The first part of the thank you letter states your purpose. This of course is the expression of gratitude.

Step 2: The second part of the thank you letter gives the details or background information for the first part. If you are thanking the customer, you will go into a little more detail about the meeting. Step 3: The last part of the thank you letter acts as a summary of the general nature of the letter. It may be a thank you or it may restate what has been said in the first part of the letter. For example: Thank you once again for taking the time to meet with Wilson and Sons. Points to remember when you write a business thank you letter: Use a pleasant tone State the purpose of the letter in the first part Give the background and details in the second part to further explain the first part Summarize the business thank you letter in the last part Make sure the business thank you letter is sincere Personalize the letter so that it doesn't sound like a cookie cutter If you received the letter, would you be convinced of the sincerity? Example: Johnson's Technical 1800 Fringe Ave, Kettle Creeks, MN 28745 July 25, 2004 John Allan 25 Forest Ave Pearson, MN 54789 Dear Mr. Allan: On behalf of the management at Johnson's Technical, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to meet with me. The meeting was a pleasant and professional experience. Johnson's Technical very much appreciates your invitation for a face to face meeting and the experience was a very positive one. We learned a great deal about your company and the important projects that are currently under way with regards to your research and development. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed our presentation. Based on what I learned about your company, I feel that our products compliment each other in the research and development departments. As you know, Johnson's Technical is very much committed to providing top quality research products to specialized firms such as Allan Inc. Our service has been recognized by industry experts as being one of the most dependable and professional in the market.

I hope that both of our companies can benefit from a mutual and rewarding relationship. I would like to once again thank you and your staff for a superb meeting. Sincerely, Norm Johnson Executive Vice President

Are You Frustrated Over The Business Letter Writing Process? Why Not Use An Effective Business Letter Template
If You Have No Clue How To Write An Effective Business Letter, A Business Letter Template May Be Just What You're Looking For Are you tired of trying to come up with the perfect business letter format only to sit in your office, frustrated and swearing to yourself over a simple business letter? Do you ever wonder how other people put together a business letter that sounds so good that it seems to flow? Well, believe it or not, you're not alone. There are thousands of people, just like you, sitting in front of a monitor desperately tyring to come up with the correct words and a proper business letter format. It's tough! If you don't know how a business letter should sound or look, how are you supposed to put one together? What you need is an effective business letter template. A business letter template can save you hours of wasted time. If you're a busy professional, you don't have hours to waste. And if you need to get that letter out today, no matter what, than an effective business letter template can really come in handy. A business letter template is super easy to use because you don't have to come up with a business letter format. You simply add in the information for your particular business situation and presto, you have a professional sounding business letter. No more guessing and no more frustration. You definitely don't have to be a professional writer to write an effective business letter. You simply have to know the process. Anyone can write a professional business letter, as long as you have the right tools. An effective business letter template will have the correct business letter format and is definitely a great tool to use. All letters regardless of their nature have one purpose to serve and that's to communicate information. Business letters serve to communicate a message to elicit a response from perspective clients or existing customers. Whether you need to collect an unpaid account or send out a notice, you want your business letter to get a response. If you send out a business letter that doesn't have a clear purpose and response, the message will get lost and the client will not action the letter. Therefore, it's important that your letter be clear and to the point that gives your reader a call to action.

This way, your letter is on record and official. You have your end covered so now it's up to your customer. Always try and get the response you want. The great thing about an effective business letter template is that a lot of the business situations are covered. Simply add in your information and the letter will contain the purpose, body and call to action with all the proper salutations. So why not send out a professional letter that gets your point across in a professional manner? Here's a sample business letter template:

Charles and Sons 1800 Queens Drive, No Where Town, NC 45845 July 12, 2004 Lee Sanford 54 Timber Road My Town, NC 45789 Dear Mr. Sanford: On behalf of the management at Charles and Sons, I would like to thank you for your recent participation in the Golf for Kids Campaign. Your leadership in the Golf for Kids not only helps the community but also reflects well on Charles and Sons. Civic participation is important, and we are proud of our employees when they take part in the community. Thank you once again for all your hard work. Hats off to you! Sincerely yours, Paime Mimonei Owner

As you can see from the example, simply add in your information where it is red. A business letter template will not be exact to your situation but with a few minor adjustments, you can take what you need and come up with your own professional business letter. Remember that you should be sticking to one or two topics for each business letter. I suggest you find a business letter template that closely matches that of your situation and add in your topics.