CHAPTER-7

Business Letter Writing

Introduction

Almost all businesses, big or small, need to maintain

contacts with their customers, suppliers, government
departments and so on. Functions of business letters are,
therefore, many. The main functions are to:

(i) provide a convenient and inexpensive means of

communication without personal contact;

(ii) seek or give information;

(iii) provide with evidence of transaction done; and

(iv) provide a record for future reference

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Business letters are non-personal by
nature. They are of various kinds such as
Enquries, Orders, Complaints, Collection
(Dunning), Circulars, Application etc.
Business letters can also be classified as
official letters, demi-official letters, internal
letters or memos, form letters, etc.

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1. Official letters: Written to government or semi-
government bodies.

2. Demi-official letters: Official in purpose but

addressed to a person by name.

3. Internal letters: Used both in government offices

and business houses for internal communication.

4. Form letters : Used for correspondence of

recurring or routine nature. They have a standard
form with some blanks left in them. Letters are sent
to the addresses with relevant details filled in.
These letters do not have any personal touch, but
they are time saving.

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 Mechanical Structure or Parts of a Letter
Generally a business letter has seven indispensable
parts and several other parts that may be used
according to the requirement. They are:

Indispensable Parts
1. Heading: Heading or head address or letter head
contains information relating to the name of the firm
and its address. The following information are usually
provided in the heading:

i) Firms name
ii) Firms address
iii) Nature of the firms business
iv) Firms logo I trademark
v) Telephone I Fax / e-mail address
vi) The date
vii) The reference
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 2. Inside address: The inside address
contains the name and address of the firm of
the individual to whom the letter is written.
Inside address helps identifying the letter for
filing purpose. It should be written below the
reference line. It should be noted that the
outside address on the envelope is to be
written in full while the inside address may be
written in brief:
Inside Address Outside Address
Mr. Jafar Alam Khan Mr. Jafar Alam Khan
Johnson & Nicholson
Johnson & Nicholson
14, Sheik Mujib Road,
Chittagong
Agrabad, Chittagong-4000
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3. Subject and reference: It is a brief one-line mention
of the major theme of the letter right at the beginning.
Reference is the reference number of the letter in reply
to which this letter is being written.

4. Salutation: It is the complimentary greeting with

which the writer opens the letter. It should be written
below the inside address and subject. Mark that when
the address is in singular the salutation should also be
in singular, and when the address is in plural the
salution should also be in plural.

5. Body of the letter: It is that essential part of the letter

which contains the message or information to be
communicated. It consists of the following:

a. Opening paragraph: It is here that the

readers attention should be drawn and s/he
should be made to go ahead with interest and
concentration.
b. Main paragraph: It contains the subject
matter of the letter.
c. Closing paragraph It motivates the action
that the writer wants from his reader. It should
stress the you approach.
6. Complimentary close: Complimentary
close is a courteous way of ending a letter. As
the salutation is the written equivalent of good
morning or hallo, so is the complimentary close
the written equivalent of good-bye. The
complimentary close is written below the last
paragraph of the body of the letter.
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7. Signature: It is the writers consent to the
subject-matter of the letter. It is usually hand
written and contains the writers name, status,
department etc. It is put just below the
complimentary close.

8. Reference initials: It has become customary

to put the initial of the person who types the letter
(If executives themselves type letters on
computers, such initials become redundant)
towards the end of the letter near the left hand
margin. Such initials are helpful in fixing the
responsibility for typing the letter (in case the
executives themselves do not type letters).
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 Additional Parts
9. Enclosures: If the letter carries some other
papers I documents such as price list, catalogue,
brochure, invoice, receipt, cash memo, cheque,
draft, photographs, etc, mention should be made of
these enclosed things (enclosures) in the letter after
the signature as shown below:
Enclose. (1) A pay order for taka 30000 from Agrani Bank
(2) Photo copies of certificatesS.S.C. to MBA
(3) Pass port size photographs3 (three)

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This helps the receiver to ensure whether the
enclosures, as mentioned in the letter, are attached or
not.

10. Copy distribution: Sometimes copies of a letter are

to be sent to some people other than the addressee. In
such cases the names of other recipients should be
typed just below the reference initials or the enclosure
notation, if any, in the following manner:

cc/copies to Mr. Abdur Rahman and Mr. Badrul Haque.

The names of the recipients of the copies should be
arranged either in order of importance or alphabetically.

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11. Postscript: Postscript is something
important written after the letter is closed.
Postscript should be avoided, as for as
possible because it indicates the writes
negligence or forgetfulness. If necessary the
letter should be written anew including the
dropped information.

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 Some Ways to Open a Letter
Dear Sirs to a company.
Dear Sir to one whose name you do not know.
Dear; Madam to a woman whose name you do not know.

Dear Mr. Rahman to a man.

Dear Mrs. Rahman to a married woman.
Dear Miss Raihana to an unmarried woman.
Dear Ms. Raihana to a married or unmarried woman.
Dear Raihana to a friend or someone you are intimate with.

Note: (1) your salutation then depends on how you put the
inside address.

(2) The complimentary close depends on salutation.

Salutation and Complimentary Close

Sir/Sirs/Madam Yours faithfully/truly

Dear Sir / Mr. /Mrs./Miss/Ms. Chowdhury Yours sincerely/truly
Dear Raihana Best wishes I Yours
ever / Best regards etc. . 12
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 Enquiry Letters and Their Replies

Definition

When a prospective buyer wishes to get some information about the

quantity, quality, price, availability etc. of goods or services to be
purchased, or about the terms and conditions of sale, through letter,
that letter is called enquiry letter. Moreover, the letter which is written
with a view to knowing the business status of a person, or firm or the
prices and terms of merchandise
purchase is also called an enquiry letter.

Contents of Enquiry Letter

Generally an enquiry letter asks for two tyes of information such as:

i. Information related to price, quality and availability of product etc.

Ii. Information related to business policy such as terms of credit

mode of delivery etc.

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 Letter of order
Definition

The letter which carries the message to the sellers requesting to send the
specified goods at a specified price as per stated terms and conditions is
called letter of order.

Contents of a Letter of Order

Generally a letter of order carries the following points

a. Order number I catalogue number

b. An accurate and full description of goods required
c. Expected delivery date, place and mode of delivery
d. Quantity of the goods required
e. Name of the carrier
f. Nature of packaging
g. Terms of payment agreed

Examples of Letter of Order

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 THANK YOU

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