Writing Business Letters That Get The Job Done

Despite the widespread use of e-mail in commerce today, traditional business letters are still the main way that the majority of businesses officially communicate with their customers and other businesses.

This is especially true when businesses want to formalize an agreement or an understanding. So far, emails are great for all of the preparatory work, but a formal business letter is still most often needed to "seal the deal".

There are two basic categories of business letters: business to business, and business to customer.


BUSINESS TO BUSINESS LETTERS

Most business to business letters are written to confirm things that have already been discussed among officials in meetings, on the telephone, or via e-mail.

Can you imagine the letters that would have to go back and forth to cover all of the questions and possibilities that can be covered in a one-hour meeting, a half-hour phone call, or a few quick e-mails?

The main purpose of a typical business letter is to formalize the details that were arrived at in those discussions, and to provide any additional information that was agreed upon.

Over the years, certain general standards have evolved in the business world that the vast majority of businesses use in drafting their business to business correspondence.


BUSINESS TO CUSTOMER LETTERS

There are many different types of business to customer letters. They include: sales and marketing letters, information letters, order acknowledgement letters, order
status letters, collection letters, among others.

As with business to business letters, over the years certain general standards have evolved in the business world that the vast majority of businesses use in drafting
letters to existing and potential customers.

Of course, going in the other direction are customer to business letters. These include: order letters, order status inquiry letters, complaint letters, and others.

Since these are customer-generated letters, there is no particular expectation that they follow any particular letter-writing standard. Typically, they are handled just
like any other piece of personal correspondence.


BUSINESS LETTER WRITING TIPS

Here are a few tips I have picked up while writing literally hundreds of business letters over the past 20+ years. This is
a slightly modified version of the tips included in my eBook, "Instant Home Writing Kit".


1. Limit Them To One Page

By definition, business letters should be short and to the point, preferably one page in length. Studies have found that busy business people do not like to read beyond the first page, and will actually delay reading longer letters.


2. Relegate Technical Details To Attachments

Often, it is necessary to include detailed technical information as part of a business letter package. In such cases, use the main letter as a cover letter that lists and
briefly explains the attached (or enclosed) documents.


3. Keep Them Formal and Factual

Generally speaking, the tone and content of business letters should be formal and factual. Feelings and emotions do not have a place in business letters.


4. Carefully Plan Your Letter

Before writing the letter, take a few minutes to list all of the specific points you need to cover. Sometimes it may even mean a call to the recipient or his/her company to confirm a specific point. Remember, the purpose of the letter is to tie
up all of the details on the subject at hand, so that more letters wont have to be written back and forth.


5. Be Customer Friendly

When writing directly to customers, always focus on their needs and their perspective. Put yourself in their position and imagine what it would be like receiving your letter.
Everyone can do this, since we are all customers of some other business in some part of our lives.


6. Use Non-Discriminatory Language

Make sure that you avoid language that is specific to gender, race, or religion in all business letters, either to other businesses, or to customers. For example, use "workforce" instead of "manpower", or "chairperson" rather than "chairman".
Most style guides contain detailed lists of the offensive terms and some suggested substitutes.


To see a fully-formatted "real-life template" of a business letter, click on the following link:

http://www.writinghelp-central.com/business-letter.html

© 2002 by Shaun Fawcett

About the author.

Shaun Fawcett is webmaster of writinghelp-
central.com and author of the eBook "Instant
Home Writing Kit". His FREE e-mail COURSE
"Tips and Tricks For Writing Success" offers
valuable tips on home/business writing.
Sign-up for FREE at:
http://www.instanthomewritingkit.com/free-
course.html

shaunf@writinghelp-central.com
http://www.writinghelp-central.com