WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

What is a business letter?

Business letters, as the term suggests, are letters used for business purposes. These purposes are to sell, to buy, and to promote business relationships. Ordinarily, they are written by people who intend to effect business transactions, by people whose ultimate goal is to prosper in business and industry. A business letter is written by an individual to an organization or an organization to another organization. Business letters are written for various purposes. One writes a letter to enquire information, apply for a job, acknowledge someone's work, and appreciate one's job done, etc.

Unlike a social or friendly letter whose parts are limited to heading, salutation, body of the letter, complimentary close, and signature, a business letter is composed of basic and miscellaneous parts. Its basic elements (Menoy, 2009) are the following:

Elements of a Business Letter

1. Headingconsists of the senders address and the date line (month, day, and year); 2. Inside addressconsists of the name of the addressee (recipient), his designation, his company and its business address; 3. Salutationserves as the welcome part of the letter; 4. Body of the lettergives the details of the communication and consists of the introduction (purpose), the body (discussion/elaboration), and the conclusion (token of appreciation/call for action/building of goodwill); 5. Complimentary close/endingserves as the farewell part of the letter; and 6. Signatureconsists of the name of the signatory (sender) and his designation.

MISCELLANEOUS OR OPTIONAL ELEMENTS

Opposed to the basic elements which are essential and therefore should be always present, the miscellaneous parts are considered optional and therefore may be absent. The miscellaneous elements ( Menoy, 2009) are as follows: 1. Reference lineindicates the sequential number of the letter which is used for reference or filing purposes; 2. Attention linebears the name of the addressee intended to read the letter if such name does not appear on the inside address; 3. Subject linecontains the topic of the letter or the title of the message elaborated in the body of the letter;

4. Identification notation or reference initials or typist line consists of the initials of the sender in all caps and the initials of his secretary/typist in small letters; 5. Enclosure notationrefers to the item or items placed inside the envelope, other than the letter; 6. Carbon copy notation or distribution indicator linerefers to the persons going to receive the letter other than the addressee; and 7. Postscriptcontains some items that are omitted from the body of the letter and should be included.

TYPES OF A BUSINESS LETTER

The most important element you need to ensure in any business letter is accuracy. One of the aspects of writing a business letter that requires the most accuracy is knowing which type of business letter you are writing. A number of options are available for those looking to trade in business correspondence, and you will significantly increase your odds for getting a reply if you know the form you need to send.

Inquiry Letters
An inquiry letter asks for information about a product, service, or procedure. Businesses frequently exchange inquiry letters, and customers frequently send them to businesses. Three basic rules for an effective inquiry letter are to state exactly what information you want, indicate clearly why you must have this information, and specify exactly when you must have it.

Special Request Letters

Special request letters make a special demand, not a routine inquiry. The way you present your request is crucial, since your reader is not obliged to give you anything. When asking for information in a special request letter, state who you are, why you are writing, precisely what information you need, and exactly when you need the information (allow sufficient time). If you are asking for information to include in a report or other document, offer to forward a copy of the finished document as a courtesy. State that you will keep the information confidential, if that is appropriate. Finally, thank the recipient for helping you.

Sales Letters
A sales letter is written to persuade the reader to buy a product, try a service, support a cause, or participate in an activity. No matter what profession you are in, writing sales letters is a valuable skill. To write an effective sales letter, follow these guidelines: (1) Identify and limit your audience. (2) Use reader psychology. Appeal to readers' emotions, pocketbook, comfort, and so on by focusing on the right issues. (3) Don't boast or be a bore. Don't gush about your company or make elaborate explanations about a product. (4) Use words that appeal to readers' senses. (5) Be ethical.

The "four A's" of sales letters are attention, appeal, application, and action. First, get the reader's attention. Next, highlight your product's appeal. Then, show the reader the product's application. Finally, end with a specific request for action. In the first part of your sales letter, get the reader's attention by asking a question, using a "how to" statement, complimenting the reader, offering a free gift, introducing a comparison, or announcing a change. In the second part, highlight your product's allure by appealing to the reader's intellect, emotions, or both. Don't lose the momentum you have gained with your introduction by boring the reader with petty details, flat descriptions, elaborate inventories, or trivial boasts. In the third part of your sales letter, supply evidence of the value of what you are selling. Focus on the prospective customer, not on your company. Mention the cost of your product or service, if necessary, by relating it to the benefits to the customer. In the final section, tell readers exactly what you want them to do, and by what time. "Respond and be rewarded" is the basic message of the last section of a sales letter.

Customer Relations Letters

These deal with establishing and maintaining good working relationships. They deliver good news or bad news, acceptances or refusals. If you are writing an acceptance letter, use the direct approach-tell readers the good news up front. If you are writing a refusal letter, do not open the letter with your bad news; be indirect.

Follow-up Letters. A follow-up letter is sent to thank a customer for buying a product or

service and to encourage the customer to buy more in the future. As such it is a combination thank-you note and sales letter. Begin with a brief expression of gratitude. Next, discuss the benefits already known to the customer, and stress the company's dedication to its customers. Then extend this discussion into a new or continuing sales area, and end with a specific request for future business.

Complaint Letters. These require delicacy. The right tone will increase your chances of

getting what you want. Adopt the "you" attitude. Begin with a detailed description of the product or service you are complaining about. Include the model and serial numbers, size, quantity , and color. Next, state exactly what is wrong with the product or service. Briefly describe the inconvenience you have experienced. Indicate precisely what you want done (you want your money back, you want a new model, you want an apology, and so on). Finally, ask for prompt handling of your claim.

Adjustment Letters. Adjustment letters respond to complaint letters. For an adjustment letter that

tells the customer "Yes," start with your good news. Admit immediately that the complaint was justified. State precisely what you are going to do to correct the problem. Offer an explanation for the inconvenience the customer suffered. End on a friendly, positive note. For adjustment letters that deny a claim, avoid blaming or scolding the customer. Thank the customer for writing. Stress that you understand the complaint. Provide a factual explanation to show customers they're being treated fairly. Give your decision without hedging or apologizing. (Indecision will infuriate customers who believe they have presented a convincing case.) Leave the door open for better and continued business in the future.

Refusal of Credit Letters. Begin on a positive note. Express gratitude for the applicant for
wanting to do business with you. Cite appropriate reasons for refusing to grant the customer credit: lack of business experience or prior credit, current unfavorable or unstable financial conditions, and so on. End on a positive note. Encourage the reader to reapply later when his or her circumstances have changed.

FORMATS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

Full Block
margin, and no tabs

Modified Block Indented

The Full Block business letter layout is the easiest to format. Here everything starts at the left are needed. This style is efficient and businesslike.

The Modified Block style's return address (use the return address only in case there is no letterhead), date, complimentary closing and the signature line are at the center of the paper, or rather to the right of center. Everything else is flush with the left margin. In case of the indented/semi-block layout the paragraphs in the body are indented one tab stop. So, you need to use two tabs: one for the indented paragraphs and one for the return address (again, in case no letterhead is used), date, complimentary closing and signature line.

Formatting a Multiple Page Business Letter

Talking about letter layout one has to mention long letters because their formatting has quite a lot of peculiarities. A multiple page business letter does not have a closing line or a signature on the first page. Subsequent pages do not contain the letterhead (if there is a letterhead in the letter) and are printed on plain paper. Instead subsequent pages usually contain a special header with the name of the addressee, the page number, and the date.

Some special points:

Whichever layout you are using to format your business letter, try to leave 1-1.5" margins. Imagine that the margins create a frame around your words, which makes your letter more appealing. This frame can be a little lopsided, as the most important are the top and left margins (in case you need real badly the space occupied by the 'too wide' margins). If your business letter is not too long (like has about two or three sentences), start it between 6-12 lines from the top of the page. Make your paragraphs rather short. We live in the world so crammed with information that a lot of people scan their mail and in the best case read something that catches their attention. And we all know that short paragraphs are easier to read than the long ones. Besides, the white space between the paragraphs provides a resting place for the reader's eyes.

HOW DO YOU WRITE A BUSINESS LETTER?

The term "business letter" makes people nervous. Many people with English as a second language worry that their writing is not advanced enough for business writing. This is not the case. An effective letter in business uses short, simple sentences and straightforward vocabulary. The easier a letter is to read, the better. You will need to use smooth transitions so that your sentences do not appear too choppy. There are many different reasons for writing a business letter. However, most business letters follow some general guidelines.

 Use block style - do not indent paragraphs. Include address of the person you are writing to at the top of the letter, below your company address. For example:
Buyers Inc. Alan Smith, Director 28376 Red Ave. New York, NY 25009

After the address, double space and include date

Buyers Inc. Alan Smith, Director 28376 Red Ave. New York, NY 25009 June 24, 2012

Double space (or as much as you need to put the body of the letter in the center) and include the salutation. Include Mr. for men or Ms for women, unless the recipient has a title such as Dr.
June 24, 2012 Dear Mr. Anders:

 State a reference reason for your letter (i.e. 'With reference to our telephone conversation...' Give the reason for writing (i.e. 'I am writing to you to confirm our order...') For example:
I enjoyed our conversation earlier today. I am writing to follow-up with a few questions about your products.

Make any request you may have (i.e. 'I would be grateful if you could include a brochure...') For example:
Could we meet next week to discuss the proposal in person? I am available any time between 9 and 2 Monday through Thursday.

If there is to be further contact, refer to this contact (i.e. 'I look forward to meeting you at...') For example:
I look forward to seeing you again next week.

 Close the letter with a thank you (i.e. 'Thank you for your prompt help...') Finish the letter with a salutation (i.e. 'Yours sincerely,') Include 4 spaces and type your full name and title For example:
Yours sincerely, Kenneth Beare

sign the letter between the salutation and the typed name and title

Tips:
Keep the letter brief and to the point Do not use shortened verb forms - write them out (i.e. 'don't instead of do not') Always keep a copy of correspondence for future reference Use a conversational tone. Ask direct questions. Double-check gender and spelling of names. Use active voice whenever possible.

Use polite modals (would in favour of will).

Always refer to yourself as "I". Don't use "we" unless it is clear exactly who the pronoun refers to. Rewrite any sentence or request that sounds vague. Don't forget to include the date. Day-Month-Year is conventional in many countries; however, to avoid confusion, write out the month instead of using numbers (e.g. July 5th, 2007)

WRITING
Letters must be written effectively for business transactions totake plac e. Hence, it is imperative on the part of the business writer to know what it takes to produce the desired results. A thorough understanding of the Cs of letter writi ng or the properties of effective business letters is what he needs. So called because of their Initials, these Cs are as follows: 1. Coherencesticking together of ideasUse transitional or pivotal words. 2. Clearness/Clarityno ambiguityUse simple and familiar words. 3. ConsistencyunityUse English words consistently. 4. ConcisenessbrevityUse short words and construct short sentences. Avoid the use of unnecessary words. 5. CompletenessthoroughnessUse full words and avoid omission of necessary words and ideas. 6. ConcretenessspecificityUse specific words, not generic words. 7. CorrectnessaccuracyUse precise words and edit your letter before sending it. 8. Courteousness/CourtesypolitenessUse polite and tactful words. 9. ConsiderationkindnessUse kind, not rude, words. 10. Characterpersonality/individualityUse your own words. 11. CheerfulnessfriendlinessUse smiling and encouraging words. 12. Conversational qualityletter talkUse words in a conversational manner.