Business Letter Writing, E-mail Guidelines & Etiquette

Business Letter Writing ,

E-mail Guidelines and Etiquette

TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS

• Making an enquiry• Sales letter• Replying to an enquiry• Account terms and conditions• Letter of acknowledgement• Making a claim or lodging a

complaint• Cover letters

Making an enquiry

• when you are requesting more information about a product or service.

This type of business letter tends to include specific information such as product type as well as asking

for further details in the form of brochures, catalogs, telephone contact, etc. Making inquiries can also

help you keep up on your competition!

Sales Letters

• Sales Letters are used to introduce new products to new customers and past clients.

It's important to outline an important problem that needs to

be solved and provide the solution in sales letters.

Replying to an Enquiry

• Replying to inquiries are one of the most important business letters that you write.

Customers who make inquiries are interested in specific information, and

are excellent business prospects. Learn how to thank the customers, provide as much information as possible, as well as make a call to action for a

positive outcome.

Account Terms and Conditions

• Account Terms and Conditions• When a new customer opens an

account it is essential to inform them of account terms and conditions.

In running a business, it is

common to provide the terms and

conditions in the form of a letter.

Letter of Acknowledgement

• For legal purposes letters of acknowledgment are often requested.

These letters are also referred to as letters of receipt and tend to be rather

formal and short.

Placing an Order

• As a business person, you will often place an order - especially if you have a large supply chain for your product.

This business letter ensures that your order placement is clear so that you

receive exactly what you order.

Making a Claim or Lodging a Complaint

• Unfortunately, from time to time it is necessary to make a claim against unsatisfactory work. This type of business

letter emphasized dissatisfaction. It should

include important phrases to express your

dissatisfaction and future expectations.

Adjusting a Complaint

• Even the best business may make a mistake from time to time. In this case, you may be called upon to adjust a claim.

This type of business letter is sent to unsatisfied customers making sure that you address their

specific concerns, as well as retain them as future customers.

Cover Letters

• Cover letters are extremely important most especially if this is your first time to communicate.

Cover letters should include a short introduction, highlight why you are corresponding and elicit a

positive response.

BASIC BUSINESS LETTER IN 3 STEPS:

• INTRODUCTION– Reason for writing

• DETAILS– What would you like to accomplish in

writing the letter?• CONCLUSION

– What are you next steps or what do you recommend?

– Propose a call or follow-up meeting or an update letter.

IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE LETTER

• THE START– Begins by addressing the recipient of

the letter.– Make sure you address them properly

based on their title (Mr., Mrs. ,Ms., Dr., Atty. Etc.)

– Use only first name basis if you are a close business contact or a friend

– VERY IMPORTANT use Ms. for women unless asked to use Mrs. or Miss

• THE REFERENCE– Reference a specific conversation– If this is the first time you are writing, provide the reason

for the letter.• The Reason for Writing

– I am writing to...– ... inquire about

... apologize for

... confirm

... comment on

... apply for – Examples:

• I am writing to inquire about the position posted in The Daily Mail.

• I am writing to confirm the shipment details on order # 2346.• I am writing to apologize for the difficulties you experienced

last week at our branch.

• Once you have introduced the reason for writing your business letter, move on to stating more specifically the purpose of your letter. Here are a number of possibilities:– REQUESTING

• Could you possibly?• I would be grateful if you could…

– AGREEING TO RESULTS• I would be delighted to….

– GIVING BAD NEWS• Unfortunately• We regret• I am afraid that

– ENCLOSING DOCUMENTS» I am enclosing» Please find enclosed

– Enclosed you will find– CLOSING REMARKS

» Thank you for your help » Please contact us again if we can help in any way.» If there are any problems…» If you have any questions.

– REFERENCE TO FUTURE CONTACT» I look forward to ...» hearing from you soon.» meeting you next Tuesday.» seeing you next Thursday.

– THE FINISH» Yours faithfully, (If you don't know the name of the person you're

writing to)» Yours sincerely, (If you know the name of the person you're writing

to)» Best wishes,» Best regards, (If the person is a close business contact or friend

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE

• Why is e-mail etiquette important?• 12 E-mail etiquettes according to Laura

Stack:– Be informal, not sloppy.– Keep messages brief and to the point– Use sentence case. USING ALL CAPITAL

LETTERS LOOKS AS IF YOU'RE SHOUTING.– Use blind copy and courtesy copy

appropriately– Don’t use e-mail as an excuse to avoid

personal contact

– Remember that e-mails are not private– Be sparing with group e-mail– Use the subject field to indicate content

and purpose– Don’t send chain letter, virus warnings

or junk/ joke mail– Remember that your tone can’t be

heard in e-mail– Summarize long discussions

Why is e-mail etiquette important?

• Tone – it is difficult to put a tone to written communication especially for people who do not know you well. If you're writing to someone you've communicated with before, you might want to begin by saying "I hope you are well." Email writers often use emoticons to convey a certain tone. Avoid writing your message using all upper case letters. It looks like you're shouting. Don't use all lower case letters either. Some people say it will make it seem like you're mumbling.

• What was your point in writing? - When possible, be brief. Most people don't have a lot of time to spend on email, so if you want your recipient to pay attention to your message, make sure you get to your point as quickly as possible. However, don't leave out important details. If providing a lot of background information will help the recipient answer your query, by all means, include it. You may even want to apologize for being so wordy at the beginning of the message.

• Do not abbreviate - That's fine for personal email. Business email should be more formal. Of course, commonly used abbreviations such as Mr. and Mrs., FYI (for your information), inc., and etc. are fine.

• What’s in a name? - Take a look at your email address. What does it say about you? Are you a [email protected]? Maybe. But do you want a prospective employer to think so? Consider getting a more formal address. Perhaps your first initial and last name would be good.

• Don’t have too many attachments - If you need to send someone an attachment, you can contact the recipient first to ask if it's okay to send it. If you're sending a resume, it is better to paste it right into the email message itself.

• Make a good impression - Make a Good First Impression

• I love email. It's much less intrusive than a phone call and faster than a letter. It may be your introduction to someone you've never met before. Take your time putting together a well-written message. Once you hit the send button you won't have another chance.

We cater high-end services and products, you can count on us if you need video conferencing and meeting room for your clients! Send us inquiries at [email protected]

Here at CEO SUITE….