BUSINESS LETTERS

Business Letters are used to correspond with some other firm , company or  organization .These are always written with a purpose and must be well organized.Letter should be reader oriented and sound as if we share our reader’s point of view.A business letter must be logical, complete and concise.The reader of finished letter must have all the relevant information he or she will need.In addition to facts , reasons,and explanationsnecessary information could also entail an appeal to readers emotions or understanding.

A business letter is a letter written in formal language, usually used when writing from one business organization to another or for correspondence between such organizations and their customer ,clients and other external parties.

(1) Suppose if we are establishing a new business and want toget in touch with our business partners and clients, the use of aformal business letter will set the mode of good partnership anda form of marketing strategy as well.This augments a sense of formality and professionalism in all correspondence that is particularly vital to business dealings and transactions.

(2) Business letters can also be utilized if we are on a job search.Resume can be sent to different companies with a personal labelattached to it. Making good impressions to future employersshould start off with a satisfactory introduction of oneself through the use of a good resume and a pleasing address label that will all do wonders.By this one will provide his/her prospective company with a good impression of being organize and a systematic applicant suited for the job.

This augments a sense of formality and professionalism in all correspondence that is particularly vital to business dealings and transactions.

(3)Thirdly if an organization wants to deal with anotherfirm/organization or an organization wants to correspondwith some another one, they may convey their opinionemploying formal business letters.

The early years of our new century have been a period of unprecedented technological advancement. Our communication tools and techniques are becoming even more sophisticated. Today we are able to organize, transmit, and use information at speeds unimaginable only a few years ago, and we anticipate future developments that are equally unimaginable. Nevertheless the “information superhighway” notwithstanding, communication technology has not supplanted communications know-how. We still require information and ideas to be expressed in clear, comprehensive prose, and the person who can compose such prose is a vital part of any business organization. Therefore solid control of the English language continues to e a highly marketable skill in today’s workplace. This ability to compose business correspondence is not only valuable and marketable but also attainable.  

A good image is definitely at stake as one of the main factors that a person can take advantage of in employing self adhesive address label. All the letters we send to our business partners, clients and even friends is a total reflection of the kind of personality we possess. This also speaks in our entirety creating first and lasting impression and this becomes a beneficial aspect in a business.

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Ariel view or a business letter.No info to write down.

1) INSIDE ADDRESS (SENDER'S  ADDRESS):

The inside address is the sender's address. It includes senders official address but no name. We do not write sender's name or title, as it is included in the letter’s closing.

We include only the street address, city and zip code. Another

option is to include the sender's address directly after the closing

signature. 2) DATE

The date line is used to indicate the date the letter was written. We write out the month, day and year two inches from the top of the page. Depending which format we are using for our letter, either left justify the date or center it horizontally.

(3) OUTSIDE ADDRESS

The outside address is the recipient's address. It is always best to write to a specific individual at the firm to which we are writing. The outside address involves writing of  recipient’s name along with his/her designation and the full address . The outside address begins one line below the senders address or one inch below the date. It should be left justified, no matter which format we are using.

(4) REFERENCE

Reference refers to a particular series.For example:ASSET/08/557.ORWith reference to your advertisement in the Times of India.

(5) SUBJECT Subject is an optional content .Subject gives a brief notation regarding the  concerned topic . Its should always be long enough to convey the ideal meaning. Subject states the reasonfor writing the letter.

(6) SalutationWe use the same name as the outside address, including the personal title. If  we  know the person and typically address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation (for example: Dear Ram). We Leave one line blank after the salutation. It is also acceptable to use the full name in a salutation if  in case we  cannot determine gender. For example, we might write Dear Chris's Thomas  if we were unsure of Chris's gender.

(7) Body

For block and modified block formats, each paragraph is left justified within the body of the letter. We leave a blank line between each paragraph. When writing a business letter, conciseness is very important. In the first paragraph, one mustconsider a friendly opening and then a statement or introduction of the main point. The next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the main point. In the next few paragraphs, One must continue justification with background information and supporting details. The closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, request some type of action.

(8) COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE

The closing begins at the same horizontal point as the date and one line after the last body paragraph. We Capitalize the first word only (for exampleexample: Thank you) and leave four lines between the closing and the sender's name for a signature. Use a formal , standard closing , such as

• Sincerely, or Sincerely yours. . .

•Position the closing at the left margin

(9) SIGNATURE Signature specifies the signature of the sender of the letter.

---NAME

Name here refers to the name of the sender. It is followed by senders designation.

---DESIGNATION

Designation refers to the post of the sender in the respective firm or company. 

While writing a business letter it is acceptable to follow the following basics:

(1) Stating the point clearly and concisely: A good business letter does not ramble on; it supplies all pertinent information in a clear and concise manner.

(2) Stating the purpose in the opening sentence: Opening sentence of the letter states the idea behind writing the

letter. Therefore ,it is necessary to state the purpose in the opening sentence of the letter.

(3) Using a formal tone:

 The tone of a business letter should be formal, not conversational English. One should not crowd too many ideas into one sentence or the reader will become lost in the

tangle of words. After skimming the first few sentences, an interested reader will slow down and read a well-written letter more closely.

(4) CORRECT SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL ERROR:

Spell- and grammar- check our  document. Hence its highlyrecommended not to mistakenly interchange the words. Onemust consult a dictionary if he/she is unsure of your word usage.

(5) POSITIVE ATTITUDE: While striving for a natural tone, one should aim for a positive attitude. Even when the subject of the letter is unpleasant , it is important to remain courteous and tactful. Building and sustaining the goodwillOf the reader should be an underlying goal of nearly any letter written.

These basics may help to avoid many pitfalls common to the novice writer, and to create effective BUSINESS LETTERS.

A simple “please” or “thank you” is often enough to make a mundane letter more courteous .

When writing business letters, one  must pay special attention to the format  used. Because the way a business letter looks immediately gives the reader their first impression even before they read it.

Different organizations have different format requirements for their professional communication. The format of our business letter may need to be flexible to reflect variables like letterheads and templates.

THERE ARE FOUR DIFFERENT KINDS OF FORMAT COMMONLY EMPLOYED :

FORMATS OF BUSINESS LETTERS

BLOCK FORMAT

MODIFIED FORMAT

SEMI BLOCK FORMAT

SIMPLIFIED FORMAT

When writing business letters, one  must pay special attention to the format  used. The most common layout of a business letter is known as block format. Using this format, the entire letter is left justified and single spaced except for a double space between paragraphs.

INSIDE ADDRESS DATE OUTSIDE ADDRESS

<REFERENCE>

<SUBJECT>

SALUTATION

// BODY OF THE LETTERINTRODUCTION TO THE IDEA.DETAILS OF THE IDEA.RESULT EXPECTED.//COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE.

SIGNATURE. NAME OF THE SENDERDESIGATION

Another widely utilized format is known as modified block format. In this type, the body of the letter is left justified and single-spaced. However, the date and closing are either in alignment in the center of the page ,or right of the page.

THE BLUEPRINT FOR A BUSINESS LETTER IN A MODIFIED BLOCK FORMAT MAY APPEAR AS SHOWN NEXT:

INSIDE ADDRESS DATE OUTSIDE ADDRESS <REFERNCE>

SUBJECT SALUTATION

// BODY(LEFT ALIGNED) INTRODUCTION DESCRIPTION RESULT EXPECTED // COMPLEMENTARY CLOSE CC(CARBON COPY) SIGNATURE

DESIGNATION

SEMI BLOCK FORMAT

A Semi block format is the one which is much like the modified block style except that each paragraph is indented instead of left justified while rest of the parts are right justified.

A BLUEPRINT FOR A BUISNESS LETTER IN A SEMI BLOCKED FORMAT IS SHOWN NEXT:

INSIDE ADDRESS DATE OUTSIDE ADDRESS <REFERENCE> <SUBJECT> SALUTATION // BODY INTRODUCTION TO THE IDEA (EACH PARAGRAPH IS RIGHT INTENDED) .

DESCRIPTION OF THE IDEA.

RESULT EXPECTED.

COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE SIGNATURE DESIGNATION

Simplified blocked format is just like a modified block format except in it the salutation and the complementary close are missing.

 A BLUEPRINT  FOR A SIMPLIFIED BLOCK FORMAT IS SHOWN NEXT.  

INSIDE ADDRESS

DATE

OUTSIDE ADDRESS

<REFERENCE> SUBJECT

//BODY OF THE LETTER(LEFT JUSTIFIED)

INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE TOPIC OR IDEA,

REQUEST OR RESULT EXPECTED.//

SIGNATURE OF THE SENDERNAME OF THE SENDER.DESIGNATION OF THE SENDER.

BELOW IS A SAMPLE BUSINESS LETTER WRITTEN IN A BLOCKED FORMAT:

Goodland Fields EstatesVancouver, CA 22182

22 September 2008

MR. GEORGE LANEReal Estate BrokerGHAZIABAD

Dear Mr. Lane:

We have received your order ,but unfortunately mustreturn your check. As a manufacturer, we sell only todealers, with whom we have very explicit wholesale agreement.

Nevertheless, we sincerely appreciate your interest in GOODLAND products.We are therefore enclosing a list of retailers in your community who carry a full line of our products, any one of them will be happy to serve you.

Yours sincerely(signature of the sender in handwritten form) Preeti GusainCEO