Doing business the write way
BUSINESS letters are used not merely as a means of communication between companies but also to send and request information, and sell products. A business letter is often the first contact that a potential client or customer has with the organisation. A well-formatted and well-written business letter goes a long way in creating the right professional impression.
Tips for a business letter:
Header
Have your own letterhead. In case you don't have a pre-printed letterhead, your computer can help you create a very professional one.
The name of the company, address, phone number, fax number and the e-mail address should be included. A nice touch would be adding the company logo in the letterhead. If the sender's address is not part of the letterhead, you should have it on the envelope.
Dateline & Address
Usually in a business letter, dateline includes the month, written out in full, which is followed by the date and the year. In a letterhead the date line should be printed three lines below the header and if an envelope with return address is used, the date line should be directly below the return address. For best effect, left-justify the entire letter.
The name and address of the person or company that you send the letter to should be printed on the letterhead. The address inside and the information used on the envelope should be the same.
Salutation
This should be printed two lines below the address. The person's name and courtesy title should be included with the greeting.
Body
The body (of the letter) is the most important part of the letter. It should contain the information that has to be conveyed to the addressee. The body starts two lines beneath the salutation. The lines should be single-spaced and paragraphs should be separated with a double space.
The End
A letter has to end with a complimentary closing. This is a courtesy signal and it should be typed at least two lines below the body. The sign off should be very professional. Don't end your business letters with `Love, Prayers' or any such personal notes. The professional alternatives are `Regards, Respectfully, Yours faithfully or Sincerely.
The sender's name should be printed four lines below the complimentary close. Just below the name the designation should be typed. The space between the sender's name and the complimentary close should be used for the sender's signature.
TINA MARIAM JACOB
tina.mas@cnkonline.com
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