1. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION SECOND CANADIAN EDITION Part II: Letters, memos, email, and other brief messages Chapter Six: Writing positive business letters Original Slides by Gates Stoner Pima Community College Adapted by Alan T. Orr

2. Objectives of this Chapter Know how letters communicate information in the business world Recognize the parts of a standard business letter Learn common letter format styles Appreciate how positive business letters serve a customer’s needs 1

3. Purpose of Business Letters Used to communicate with customers and clients regarding –Requests for information –Responses to orders, criticism, and claims –Good/bad news Serve as legal documents 2

4. Standard Business Letter XYZ Camera 123 Flash Lane Oakville ON L6L 0S4 For all your photography needs September 15, 2011 Ms. Jane Smith 987 Horizon Dr Oakville, ON L6L 6B8 Subject: Camera Repairs Dear Ms. Smith, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Curabitur auctor cursus tellus. Cras consectetuer pharetra neque. Maecenas enim justo, congue tempus, volutpat ut, ultricies vitae, felis. Iwere acre adh sdfds sdfsa aehdfd fs sg fidao fd afdaso fd ajgoo afdou aigod si dolro ar ar you or. Nulla pretium volutpat dolor. Integer eleifend suscipit mi. Morbi tempus eleifend dolor. Sincerely, Mary J. Kerr Store Manager Letterhead Date Inside Address Subject Statement (optional) Salutation Body Complimentary Close Signature 4

5. Optional Components Subject statement Attention line Final notations –Copy notation –Enclosures –Reference initials 5

6. 6 “C”s for the Body Complete Coherent Concise Concrete Convincing Considerate 6

7. Block Style XYZ Camera 123 Flash Lane Oakville ON L6L 0S4 For all your photography needs September 15, 2011 Ms. Jane Smith 987 Horizon Way Oakville, ON L6L 6B8 Subject: Camera Repairs Dear Ms. Smith, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Curabitur auctor cursus tellus. Cras consectetuer pharetra neque. Maecenas enim justo, congue tempus, volutpat ut, ultricies vitae, felis. Iwere acre adh sdfds sdfsa aehdfd fs sg fidao fd afdaso fd ajgoo afdou aigod si dolro ar ar you or. Nulla pretium volutpat dolor. Integer eleifend suscipit mi. Morbi tempus eleifend dolor. Sincerely, Mary J. Kerr Store Manager Most common format All letter parts printed at left margin Paragraphs not indented 7

8. Indented Style XYZ Camera 123 Flash Lane Oakville ON L6L 0S4 For all your photography needs July 15, 2011 Ms. Jane Smith 987 Horizon Way Oakville, ON L6L 6B8 Subject: Camera Repairs Dear Ms. Smith, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Curabitur auctor cursus tellus. Cras consectetuer pharetra neque. Maecenas enim justo, congue tempus, volutpat ut, ultricies vitae, felis. Iwere acre adh sdfds sdfsa aehdfd fs sg fidao fd afdaso fd ajgoo afdou. Nulla pretium volutpat dolor. Integer eleifend suscipit mi. Morbi tempus eleifend dolor. Sincerely, Mary J. Kerr Store Manager Paragraphs indented 5 spaces Return address (when not using letterhead) and signature block moved to centre 8

9. Modified Block Style XYZ Camera 123 Flash Lane Oakville ON L6L 0S4 For all your photography needs July 15, 2011 Ms. Jane Smith 987 Horizon Way Oakville, ON L6L 6B8 Subject: Camera Repairs Dear Ms. Smith, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Curabitur auctor cursus tellus. Duis eget est a nunc auctor suscipit. Morbi auctor scelerisque urna. Donec eu sapien semper enim commodo tristique. Integer ultricies diam ac odio. Donec placerat gravida ipsum. Etiam a elit. Consectetuer a, velit. Aliquam vehicula accumsan est. Praesent dapibus sem id magna. Sincerely, Mary J. Kerr Store Manager Less common than other formats Paragraphs not indented Return address (when not using letterhead), date, and signature block moved to align at centre 9

10. Effective Business Letters Emphasize the reader Balance feelings with facts Are neither too personal nor too impersonal 10

11. Format for Positive Letters Deliver the “yes” upfront Keep it simple Be specific As appropriate: –mention other products and services –describe future relationship –thank client for past business 11

12. Responding to Criticism Acknowledge criticism and any negative feelings Start fresh and provide “good news” 12

13. Responding to Claim Requests Your response will be based on a complex set of factors: –Is the customer right? –Is the problem the company’s fault? –Can I admit the fault? –Can I apologize? –Can I resolve the problem satisfactorily? 13

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