How to write a business letter?

          BUSINESS LETTER

 THE ART OF WRITING BUSINESS  LETTERS

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How to write a business letter?

How to write a business letter?

The modern system of transport and communication has brought about quite Revolution in the world of Commerce and trade. The enlargement of market and quick transportation of goods have given an unthinkable fillip to trade and business. The Postal department has done creditable service in this regard.  Letter writing is an art more so is business letter writing. Todays business systems are so widely and vastly spread over space that it is quite impossible for the managements to go personally  or send representative to various customers or agencies for furtherance of business interest. Hence much of business these days is carried through business correspondence. Some business houses receive so many letters daily  that they have employed a number of stenographers to get dictation and to type replies so that there occurs no delay in various transactions.

A man of Commerce has to write various types of letters.
He has to send orders for purchase, complaints regarding receipt of wrong or damaged goods or about non-compliance of certain conditions, for realizing debts, for getting loans from banks or for sending advertisements. In short there can be as many kinds of letters as there are business interests.
Brevity, simplicity and correctness should distinguish a business letter. It should be courteous in tone. It should never be dry or curt in spite of provocation. A customer may use unbecoming language, a trader never.
Even if you have to refuse, a concession say a mild number. Always give hope of extending best service and of accommodation in future.

The whole personality of the writer, may of the business concern is projected in a letter. The paper,the letterhead, the ink and even the envelope that carries the letter, matter. The letter should be neat, clear and definite with full address, date and reference.

One must be very careful while writing a business letter because a business letter is a written document and can be produced in court if a case of any dispute arises between the parties. One should, therefore be very definite and clear about the terms and conditions when dictating a letter. It is better to note down hints first and plan what to write before dictating to the the stenographer. While writing a reply, you should always keep the letter of the addressee before you.

The tone of a business letter is formal. A business letter is not a personal letter and there is not that intimacy which marks all personal correspondence. However, while keeping a formal tone, you are to show business closeness or special treatment you are giving to the addressee.

Since letter writing is a great art, one must have mastery over the language in which one usually writes such letters. One should aquaint oneself fully with all the business and technical terms and phraseology which one has to draw upon while writing business letters.

One should always bear the following points in mind while writing a business letter :-

1. Clear in language and expression- The letters should be clear in language and expression. There should not be any ambiguity of words. No vague expression should be included. Every sentence should be clear and easily understandable.

2. Definite an Exact about purpose- A business letter should have a definite purpose and exactness of communication. Round about expressions are not expected. A letter should have one definite purpose. If there are more than one subject to mention then separate letters should be written so that proper filing can be done at the other end. Otherwise, it is difficult to find reference for future correspondence. Everything should be exact in detail. If you are sending quotations, then be exact in rates, quality and quantity while quoting. Later excuses will render you unreliable and you will  lose Goodwill of business community.

3. Complete in Contents - A business letter must be complete in contents. Terms and conditions of supply, delivery, packing etc. must be spelled out in detail. Nothing should be left to the imagination of the addressee.

4. Courteous in Tone - The letter must have a polite and courteous tone. Even if the customer is bitter in expression and wrong in allegations,  you have to send a mild reply  through a firm one. Never annoy with words to any customer who so ever he may be. Courtesy and civility pave a smooth way to progress in business.

5. Brief in Expression - Traders and men of Commerce are extremely busy.  They have no time to read largely worded letters. Brevity should therefore be the rule in such letters. Say clearly in a small number of words what you have to convey. But this  brevity should not what be at the cost of clarity or fats that you want to quote.

6. Simple and Lucid in Style - The style of such letters should be highly simple and lucid. It should have no Vagueness. A straight forward and direct approach is better than beating about the bush in round-about language.  The whole thing should be easily comprehensible.

7. Prompt in Reply - A letter in reply should be written very promptly. If not the same day, a reply must be despatched the next morning. Inordinate delay may change business conditions and may cause you untold damage. This creates an impression of uncertainty and unreliability about your firm.

8. Correct in Spellings and Punctuation - While typing letters the steno must be clear about correctness of spellings. All business managers dealing with correspondence should learn correct spellings. Even a single wrong spelling creates a very poor impression upon the Reader and erodes the image of efficiency of your firm. For this all those who dictate or write business letters must remember correct spellings. A handy list of words which are often mis-spelt is useful. Correct punctuation marks are also an essential feature of a letter. Wrong punctuation marks or punctuation marks wrongly placed may change the very meaning of a sentence and made the cause loss or misunderstanding.

9. Divided in Paragraphs - All the matter in a letter may not be placed in one paragraph. Each point maybe conveyed in a separate paragraph.

Thus we see that a good business letter should be clear in language, definite about purpose, complete in contents, courteous in tone, brief in expression, simple in style, promt in reply,  correct in spellings and punctuation, and placed in paragraphs.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

An ideal business letter has the following eight parts -

1. The Letter Heading
2. Date and Reference
3. Name and Address of the Addressee
4. Words of Salutation
5. Body of the Letter
6. Closing Line
7. Complimentary Words above signatures
8. Signatures

1. The Letter Heading :- 

This portion of the letter is printed. The letter heading  is at the top of the letter and it contains the name, postal and telegraphic address of the firm. Telephone number and cable code also given. Sometimes the nature of the business is also mentioned. The names of the branches of the farm if any,  are also given under the name of the firm. If the firm is a Limited concern then the word Limited should also be written in the letter-Head. Almost all business concerns get their letter-Head printed.

2. Date and Reference :- 

Writing the letter and reference number of the letter must also be written under the Letter-Heading. Date should be written on the right corner and reference number on the left corner.

3. Name and Address of the "Addressee" :- 

The name and address of the person or firm to whom the letter is addressed are written on the left hand. The word Mr or Messrs should be written before the name of the person or firm as the case may be. If the person address to is a lady then the word Miss or Mrs. is written and if all the partners in a firm are ladies then the word Madams is written.
While writing letters to education institution or other such Associations or Trust, Principal, Secretary, President or Manager is to be addressed.

4. Words of Salutation :- 

These are the words with which we address the person or persons to whom we are going to talk through our letters. Various words of salutation as Sir, Dear sir, Dear Madam, Dear Miss, Dear Mrs, Dear Mr.,
and Gentleman are written. Comma(,)  is always placed after the words of salutation.

5. Body of the Letter :- 

Contents of the letter are given in the body of the letter. The little is divided into paragraph. Each being mentioned in a separate paragraph. In first paragraph, the previous correspondence may be referred to the next para may contain the main purpose of the letter and in the next Paras other business interests may be mentioned.

6. Closing Line :-

In the closing line, assurance of best services or best co-operation may be given. Sometimes the address is thanked in advance for a favourable reply or orders for purchase.

7. Complimentary words at the end :- 

Complimentary words like Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Yours obediently, Yours respectfully are written at the end below where you are to put your signature.

**The complimentary words suit the words of the salutation written above the body of the letter. Some examples are given below -

Dear sirs,            Yours truely,
                              Yours faithfully

Sir,                         Yours obedient servant,
Madam,                 Yours obedient servant

Gentlemen             Yours obedient servant

Dear Sir,                  Yours faithfully,
                                   Yours truly,

My dear Sir,              Yours very truly,
My dear Madam,
My dear Sirs,

Dear Mr.                      Yours sincerely,
Dear Miss                    Yours sincerely,           
Dear Mrs.                    Yours sincerely,

Signature :- 

The Writer's signature of the letter is to be appended just below the complimentary words. Signature means writing of one's name as mark of approval of what is written above. Name should be written in legible manner. Generally, the name is typed in the brackets  for the sake of clarity. The writer's designation
should also be mentioned where desirable.

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SsDevraj Devraj Mukherjee

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