Keys to Writing Business Letters

Keys to Writing Business Letters Thank –You Letters This letter should be simple, short, and sincere. Though short, a well written letter can go far in showing competence, good manners, interest, and enthusiasm. Thank-you notes are mandatory and expected in some situations. A survey in August 2005 by CareerBuilder.com found that: • Nearly 15 percent of hiring managers would reject a job candidate who neglected to send a thank-you letter after the interview • 32 percent said they would still consider the thankless prospect but that their opinion of him or her would diminish • Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of managers prefer handwritten thank-yous • 21 percent seek a typed hard copy • 19 percent want e-mailed thank-yous followed up with a snail-mailed letter Eight Thank You Letter Tips • Write clearly and concisely; this is no time to be longwinded or flowery. • Be sincere--most people can sense when you aren't being honest. • Stick to the point. • Write the thank-you letter as soon as possible after the event (for a job interview, this should be within 24 hours of the interview). However, do not thank the person beforehand (for example, "Thanking you in advance for your help in this matter"). To do so is presumptuous and suggests you are unwilling to write a follow-up letter. Eight Thank You Letter Tips • Use quality paper. Handwrite personal letters, and use customized letterhead for business correspondence. Email may also be appropriate in less formal situations, especially if the addressee expresses a preference for it or if time constraints require it. • Proofread the letter before sending it: grammatical errors and typos are sloppy and unprofessional. • Be specific and include details from the event. Make your letter stand out (don't send a generic letter that could be to or from anyone). • Address your letter to a specific person, if possible, not just the company or organization in general. 1 Write the note on a typewriter or word processor using your letterhead. Avoid sending storebought thank-you notes. 2 Address the note to a particular person who has helped you or rendered a particular service or favor. Use his or her formal name and title on the address line. 3 Use a more informal greeting ("Dear Bob," "Dear Sue") if you are on a familiar basis with the person you are writing to. Otherwise, the greeting should reflect the person's formal name ("Dear Mr. Jones"). 4 Explain who you are and what the note is about in the first few lines. Make reference to the service or favor that has generated your thank-you note. 5 Use professional language throughout the note and a personal, breezy touch. 6 Keep the note as brief as possible while maintaining a tone of friendliness, especially if you are personally acquainted with the person. 7 Close with your formal name and title on the signature line. If you know the person well, sign the note by hand using your first name. Otherwise, sign your full name. 8 Enclose your business card if you do not have a prior relationship with the recipient of the note. Complaint Letters There are different types of complaint letters. 1. Complaint about service 2. Complaint about products 3. Complaint about safety 4. Complaint about service contract Complaint Letters The tone of a complaint letter should not be aggressive or insulting. Complaint Letters The content should be complete so that the receiver does not have to write back for more information. Complaint Letters Address your letter to a real person with authority. Someone who can fix the problem. Complaint Letters Legal action is not normally threatened in the first letter unless the situation is very serious. Complaint Letters Begin your letter with a positive comment about the company. “I attended your trade show and found it informative and interesting.” Complaint Letters Do not rant and rave. Be businesslike and objective. Companies get lots of letters from “crackpots” and those types of letters tend to get ignored. Complaint Letters Your introduction describes the situation and the problem. Be specific with your information. Complaint Letters Begin with the data. State: 1. when you bought the product 2. where you bought the product 3. the name and model of the product 4. The serial number if you have it Complaint Letters “I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been Supplied correctly. We ordered fifteen BSE 1499 speakers and we received fifteen BRRS 3499 woofers.” Complaint Letters “We have enjoyed working with your company for the past twelve years. For the month of September, 2008 we received an invoice for $234,555 that did not reflect our 15% discount.” Complaint Letters Tell how the error affected your company. “We found 16 spelling errors and 18 diagrammatic errors in the books you sent us. The large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers and so we have not been able to sell the books.” Complaint Letters State what you want. Do you want a refund? Do you want to exchange the product? For what? Do you just want an apology? Complaint Letters Suggest a solution. “I am enclosing a copy of a book with the errors highlighted. Please re-print and send us the corrected books by next Friday.” Complaint Letters Suggest a solution. “I am returning the invoice to you for correction. Please send the corrected invoice for $ 218,334.” Complaint Letters Send copies of relevant documents like receipts. Complaint Letters Add a nice conclusion. “I look forward to hearing from you soon.” “I look forward to hearing your explanation of these matters.” Complaint Letters Be sure to include your contact information in the conclusion. Complaint Letters Keep a dated copy of everything you send. Address the envelope using the recipient's formal name and title. Letterhead with your contact info. Date Address of person receiving letter Dear so and so: Body of Letter Nov. 15, 2000 Todd Freeland 930 Highland Ave. State College, PA 16801 Mr. Gerard Berger Manager of Human Resources Allen Investments Inc. 10233 Collins Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19122 Dear Mr Berger: Block Format – All left aligned Modified Block Format See the letter formats in your book. Pgs. 530-532