Business Letters

Why do we need to write business letters? The key to communication Businesses write letters to other businesses Individuals write letters to businesses Businesses write letters to individuals Letters are written to accomplish goals Letters are written to get what we want!

Reasons for writing letters To inform To inquire or ask about something To apologize for something To make a request To agree to a request To give bad news

Step 1 – Letterhead or Typed Heading Company Letterhead Typed Heading Includes logo, slogan, or other identifying items Address, phone number, and other contact information Use a 2 inch top margin and 1 inch side margins Consists of a typed return address Should also include the name of the sender Email, phone, etc. Use a 1 inch top margin and 1 inch side margins

Lisa Downs Ken’s Cheese House Return Address Person writing the letter 34 Chatley Avenue Seattle, WA 98765 January 26, 2015 Date QS Fred Flintstone Sales Manager Cheese Specialists Inc. Inside Address Who the letter is to 456 Rubble Road Rockville, IL DS Dear Mr. Flintstone: Salutation greeting With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856. The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days. Please contact us again if we can help in any way. Yours Sincerely, Complimentary Close Lisa Downs Writer’s Signature Director of Ken’s Cheese House Writer’s Identification Their title or position si Reference Initials Initials of the person who typed the letter – all lower case Enclosure: Invoice Notation Who copies are being sent to OR items included in the envelope Body

Styles of Letters Block Style Modified Block Style Modified Block with Indented Paragraph

Punctuation Styles Open Punctuation – NO punctuation after the salutation or complimentary close Mixed Punctuation - has a colon after the salutation (never a comma) and a comma after the complementary close. These are the only two parts of a letter that are affected by the punctuation styles. Commas after the salutation are used only in personal letters.

Block Style Block Style with mixed punctuation Block Style: Student Name Ken's Cheese House 34 Chatley Avenue Seattle, WA 98765 February 30, 2020 Fred Flintstone Sales Manager Cheese Specialists Inc. 456 Rubble Road Rockville, IL Dear Mr Flintstone: With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856 The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days. Please contact us again if we can help in any way. Yours sincerely, Kenneth Beare Director of Ken's Cheese House si Block Style with mixed punctuation Block Style: All letter parts are aligned on the left margin Mixed Punctuation: Colon follows the salutation Comma follows the Complimentary close

Modified Block Style Modified Block Style with Open Punctuation Student Name Ken's Cheese House 34 Chatley Avenue Seattle, WA 98765 February 30, 2020 Fred Flintstone Sales Manager Cheese Specialists Inc. 456 Rubble Road Rockville, IL Dear Mr Flintstone With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856 The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days. Please contact us again if we can help in any way. Yours sincerely Kenneth Beare Director of Ken's Cheese House si Modified Block Style with Open Punctuation Modified Block Style: Date, complimentary close, and signature block start at the center of the page All other parts are aligned on the left margin Open Punctuation: NO punctuation after the salutation or the complimentary close

Modified Block with Indented Paragraphs Student Name Ken's Cheese House 34 Chatley Avenue Seattle, WA 98765 February 30, 2020 Fred Flintstone Sales Manager Cheese Specialists Inc. 456 Rubble Road Rockville, IL Dear Mr Flintstone With reference to our telephone conversation today, I am writing to confirm your order for: 120 x Cheddar Deluxe Ref. No. 856 The order will be shipped within three days via UPS and should arrive at your store in about 10 days. Please contact us again if we can help in any way. Yours sincerely Kenneth Beare Director of Ken's Cheese House si Modified Block Style with Indented Paragraphs and Mixed Punctuation Modified Block Style: Date and complimentary close, and signature block start at center of the page All other parts are aligned on the left margin Open Punctuation: NO punctuation after the salutation or the complimentary close