A business letter is a fundamental part of business correspondence. The letter is a short document bearing information of a commercial nature and affecting one or more questions. With the help of a business letter, you can not only correspond with partners, but also create an image of the company. The writing of a business letter is a link between the departments of the company, and between institutions, legal entities and individuals. There are many reasons for writing a business letter:
- order fulfillment;
- receiving information or motivation for certain actions;
- detection of inaccuracies and errors;
- response to a request or request;
- a reminder of yourself;
- the opportunity to apologize, etc.
5 Rules to Use When Writing a Business Letter
- Rule #1. Don’t violate the boundaries of business vocabulary. In order to competently conduct business correspondence, use the official style of a business letter. The official-business letter is distinguished by the brevity and clarity of the presentation of the main question, the unification of the expressions used and the conformity to the norms of etiquette.
- Rule #2. Write clear and precise. It is better to write a business letter on one specific issue or on several, but interrelated. When a company has a need to address the same correspondent for different, unrelated issues, draw up different letters and send them to the same address. The best size of the text of the electronic business letter is 1 page, that is, the addressee will be able to read it without scrolling the page of the mail program. Divide the text of the letter into paragraphs. It is easier for the recipient to perceive the information that has come if it is divided into semantic parts. Try to make the paragraphs short and separate them from each other with spaces.
- Rule #3. Respond in time. According to the rules of business correspondence, it is customary to send a response to a business letter, exceptions are information letters. Make it a rule to respond to letters from counterparties quickly and clearly. A long delay with the answer affects the company’s image and can be regarded as a refusal of further cooperation. The time of response to the letter is the most important indicator of the attitude to the needs of your clients and partners. In different companies, there are different opinions about the speed of response to emails. The most acceptable time for response after receiving an electronic business letter is 2-3 hours. If the reply to the letter requires additional time, send a reply letter to the sender’s address confirming receipt of the message and indicating the time frame for sending the answer to the questions stated in the initial letter.
- Rule #4 Stay calm and professional. The text of the business letter should be written with simple phrases, without using ornate speech, the sentences should be emotionless, without superfluous courtesy and rudeness, without superfluous details. In the text of the letter there should be no spelling or punctuation errors. Sometimes a business letter is written emotionally, thereby showing the identity of the author. Try to avoid excessive emotionality in business correspondence, the letter should be written clearly and neutrally. It is not necessary to emotionally color the facts, which can be stated dryly and precisely.
- Rule #5 Always remember your key goal. It is necessary to understand that the purpose of a business letter is the opportunity to acquire new business partners, increase sales, express claims, accelerate the payment terms for the delivered goods or services performed, congratulate, invite to the event or presentation, etc. If you write a reply letter, you should politely refer to the last message received from the addressee. If your letter is the beginning of a business correspondence with a counterparty, you should submit your organization: the name, scope, objectives and tasks that the company pursues in the market. Do not describe in detail the activities of your company, it is enough to attach a booklet to the letter reflecting all aspects of the company’s work.
Writing engaging and professional business letters requires time and experience, but to have a good start use these rules for your everyday practice and overall confidence. Good luck! If you are ready to pay for your business letter to be written for money, try this company SmartWritingService.com.