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While email is a simple and rapid means to communicate regular business messages, the printed business letter is still the preferred method of conveying critical information. A well-crafted letter with beautiful stationery can be an extremely effective communication tool. To ensure that your letter is as professional and successful as possible, utilize the business letter structure and template provided below and adhere to the following fundamental business letter writing standards.
What is a Business Letter?
A business letter is a formal, professional letter that is sent from one firm to another. These letters can be used for business correspondence with clients, workers, and stakeholders, as well as personal correspondence.
Whether you’re informing a potential client about your product, collaborating with another business, persuading someone to attend an event, or simply sending a thank you message, a well-written business letter may make a difference.
While business letters convey an air of professionalism and class, they can be tiresome to write if you are inexperienced with the notion.
Core aspects to consider when writing a business letter
Date
The dateline is used to show the letter’s date of composition. If, however, your letter is completed across several days, provide the date of completion in the dateline. When communicating with businesses located in the United States, utilize the American date format.
Address
The inside address is the address of the receiver. It is always preferable to address your letter to a specific individual within the company. If you do not know the individual’s name, conduct some research by contacting the company or speaking with corporate personnel. Include a title for yourself, such as Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr. Respect a woman’s desire for Miss, Mrs., or Ms. If you’re not certain how a woman prefers to be addressed, use Ms. If the individual to whom you are writing is a Dr. or has another title, use that title.
Salutation
Leave another line blank and begin with “Dear,” followed by the recipient’s title and surname. You don’t want to use ‘To Whom It May Concern,’ ‘Dear Sir,’ or ‘Dear Madam,'” Weiner explains. Rather than that, conduct a LinkedIn search or contact the company directly to discover the most suitable recipient. After the salutation, a comma or a colon is allowed.
According to Turner, the traditional salutation titles are Mr. and Ms. If a person’s gender is not evident, contact the employer to determine the appropriate title. Alternatively, you can use the recipient’s complete name without a title in the salutation, albeit this is not the recommended method of address.
Letter Body
Single space and left justify each paragraph within the body of the letter in the block and modified block formats. Separate each paragraph with a blank line. When drafting a business letter, keep in mind that conciseness is critical. Consider a welcoming introduction in the first paragraph, followed by a declaration of the primary issue. The following paragraph should begin supporting the primary point’s importance. Continue justification with background information and supporting details in the next paragraphs. The concluding paragraph should reiterate the letter’s aim and, in some situations, request action.
Closing
The concluding paragraph should begin at the same vertical point as the date and one line after the final body paragraph. Capitalize only the first word (for example: Thank you) and leave four lines for a signature between the closing and the sender’s name. If the salutation is followed by a colon, the closing should be followed by a comma; otherwise, there is no punctuation after the closing.
Complimentary Closing
This is a little statement after your letter. You have several alternatives here, but choose one that corresponds to the formality of your relationship. The following formal closings are recommended: “Yours Truly,” “Respectfully,” or “Sincerely.” If your letter is less formal, you may use the phrases “All the best,” “Thank you,” “Regards,” or “Best.” Whatever you pick, end it with a comma.
Signature
Sign the letter below the complimentary closure. Make sure to skip at least four lines to allow space for your signature. Following that, type the name that must be signed. Additionally, you can include your job title beneath your entire name.
Enclosures (If applicable)
If you intend to enclose anything with your business letter, simply write Enclosures after the signature. When it comes to business letters, simply employing the correct justification and structure is insufficient. You must establish the appropriate tone and ensure that your reader comprehends the letter’s purpose.
Do not forget about these small, but important things
Professional tone – Leave the casual, chatty language for email; your printed business letter should be more professional but yet friendly. The business writer should try for an overall tone that is confident, respectful, and sincere; one that makes appropriate use of emphasis and subordination; and one that employs nondiscriminatory language.
Write clearly – Early in your letter, make your point. To avoid miscommunications, adopt direct, succinct wording. Avoid industrial jargon in favor of vibrant, dynamic language that will capture your reader’s attention.
Organize information logically – Separate pertinent details into distinct paragraphs. Consider dividing content into parts with subheads in a lengthy, information-packed letter. You may choose to highlight keywords to make them more visible – this is a technique that is supported by the majority of word processing programs and your color multifunction printer.
Use color – It’s simple to highlight a few words with color. Simply select the type and click the arrow to the right of the Font Color option, then select the desired color. Alternatively, try highlighting a few key terms inside the text. To highlight a type, select it and then click the Highlight button.
AutoText – This one simplifies the process of adding color (or any type style) that would normally need multiple clicks or instructions. As an example, suppose you’re writing a report that compares your organization’s performance to that of a competitor. Word can automatically color your company’s name whenever it occurs, making it easy to spot those entries.
Be persuasive – Establish an immediate favorable bond with your reader. If you have a connection with the reader – whether you met previously or work with a shared colleague – mention it in your first paragraph. Whether or not you believe your reader will agree with the letter’s thesis, it is critical to establish common ground and construct your case from there.
Understand your reader – It is vital to anticipate how he or she will react to your message upon reading it. Address his or her needs or desires, as well as a specific problem, before outlining your solution. Provide evidence in the form of instances and/or expert opinions to substantiate your assertion. Maintain a welcoming tone throughout.
Proofreading – All of your meticulous crafting and printing efforts will fall short of covering up spelling and punctuation issues, which leave an indelible unfavorable impression.
In Conclusion
Now that you’ve mastered the skill of writing an excellent business letter, it’s time to get started and practice it on whoever you want. Be it your future investors or the sponsors you are seeking, it is up to you to present your proposal and portray your business product. Speaking of the latter, you might be wondering what exactly you should write if your product is still in the development phase? But more importantly, if you’re still in the development process, how can you understand the correct stages for it?
If you have stumbled across such a thing, then our service is just for you. For the past 10 years, the JetRuby team has developed a specific product development technology, called the Design and Discovery Phase. Which is a first step towards the construction of your potential MVP. During this step, our experts will produce a strict MVP plan covering the future product development life cycle. So, if you are an entrepreneur who is looking for a correct methodology and wants to understand his project development process, then leave us your project description. We’ll contact you within 24 hours after our experts receive your inquiry.
