Business Letters WRITING GUIDE:

AN INTRODUCTION TO WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

There are many different kinds of business letters, each identified by the reason for which it was written; for example, a letter of reference. The hallmark of a well-written business letter is that its objective is clearly understood by its reader. Successful writers help their readers do this by limiting the scope, or the amount of information included in their correspondence. WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

Keep in mind that an effective business letter always communicates with a person first and a business second. If your letter is a first-time correspondence and you do not know, or are unsure of whom to address, do your best to find out. Addressing your letter to a person improves the likelihood of receiving a reply. WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

Be careful about your choice of personal pronouns when you write a business letter. Your reader will interpret its point of view by the choices you make. Since your words will be on paper the reader will see, rather than hear how you talk, so check your sentence structure, grammar, spelling and punctuation. WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

Written words make an impression, just as spoken words do, so keep in mind this one thing; on paper words create a record. Be mindful of what you say. Your letter, stored in someone's file cabinet, can be referenced at any time. Your signature at the bottom of a letter indicates that you accept responsibility for its contents. WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS

Organizing your letter will establish a logical order in which to present your information. You have already begun this task by establishing an objective (What do you want the reader specifically to know or do, or be able to do after reading your document?) and determining your scope (What kind of information is needed, and how much of it will be enough for the reader to understand your objective?). Refer back to them. Together they include much of the content that will become the body of your letter. ORGANIZE YOUR LETTER

Better Widget Makers. Inc Widget Avenue Silver City, CO September 26, 2003 Mr. Russ Hamilton Vice President, Sales and Marketing Golden Bread Company 123 Loaf Street Silver City, CO Dear Mr. Hamilton: Construction on the new employee cafeteria at Better Widget Makers, Inc. is nearing completion and I am looking for a supplier capable of fulfilling our weekly bakery needs. Do you have an information packet that would help me project the cost of doing business with your company? We will need daily deliveries of pastries, pies, dinner rolls and sandwich bread. Our facility operates 24/7, Monday through Friday, with a flextime workforce of 1,500 employees. To complete my operational budget I will need the following information: Wholesale price sheets Quantity cost breaks Annual contract discounts Delivery and or any other service charges. To submit my proposal to the finance committee at their October 20th meeting I will need to receive your information by the 10th. I will also need to meet with you after reviewing the requested materials. Please call me for an appointment at your earliest convenience. My personal extension is , # 29. In keeping with long-standing policy we would like to place this contract locally. I look forward to working with you and am hopeful that the Golden Bread Company can fulfill our needs. Sincerely, Ida Mae Knott Purchasing Agent Sender Date Recipient Greeting Body Closing

APPLICATION LETTERS

An application letter is a cover letter, a sales letter, and a marketing tool all in one and it should accompany a professional resume any time a person applies for a job. Its main objective is to get the applicant in the door for an interview and must be written well enough to attract the attention and interest of the person with the power to recommend or grant one. APPLICATION LETTER

The scope should include compelling information that will convince the reader that the qualifications outlined in the resume are strong enough to make an applicant a candidate. APPLICATION LETTER

The scope of your application letter should include those things that are specific to obtaining your objective - convincing the reader to grant you an interview. You should be brief, but include such things as:  A specific job title and desired area of employment  Source of job lead  Educational background  Work experience  Specialized training Remember, you are requesting an interview. Specify times at which you are available and the methods by which you can be contacted DETERMINE YOUR SCOPE

Include:  A specific job title and desired area of employment  Source of job lead  Educational background  Work experience  Specialized training  ATTENTION (short opening paragraph of 2 or 3 sentences)  Choose an appropriate introductory paragraph or combine elements of these to create your own opening paragraph  PROMOTION (1 or 2 short paragraphs)  Present key qualifications for the job, including emphasizing some piece of information from the resume, adding relevant information that did not fit in the resume, and information demonstrating qualifications presented in the job description.  Remember these must be short paragraphs, so be selective in what you present.  ACTION (short closing paragraph of 2 or 3  sentences)  Request an interview.  Restate phone number and/or address and the best time to reach you.  Express appreciation for the interviewer’s time and consideration. THE COVER LETTER SHOULD CONSIST OF 3 OR 4 SHORT PARAGRAPHS THAT PRESENT RELEVANT INFORMATION IN CONCISE, STRAIGHTFORWARD TEXT.