We should know how to write a business letter effectively because from the beginning of the business letter is an essential part of the business. So it has great importance still now.
How to Write a Business Letter Effectively with Sample
How to Write a Business Letter
The steps for wanting business letters are as follows:
1. Planning
(a) Determine the purpose:
To determine the purposes of a business letter, the writer must ask himself “what is the primary reason for writing the letter? The primary purpose should be clear to the writer or otherwise, the letter does not achieve its purpose.
For example, the primary purpose can be to collect a debt or to sell merchandise.
Some letters have multiple purposes i.e. those letters have a secondary purpose along with a primary purpose. For example, the primary purpose of a letter may be to settle a past due to the account, and the secondary purpose is to retain the goodwill of the customer.
So, the important point is for the writer to know what the purposes are and how to write the letter so that there is no confusion in the mind of the reader.
b) Evaluate the Reader’s Position:
One essential step in planning a letter is to understand the position of the reader i.e. the writer must look at the situation through another person’s eyes. And therefore the writer must require some information about the reader.
This information will help the writer to avoid either underestimation or overestimation regarding readers. When there is no information available then the writer has to make a decision from the tone and vocabulary used in the communication.
(c) Outline the contents:
An outline is a plan to work. It forces you to examine your thoughts and put them in a logical order before you begin the actual letter-writing process. Having an outline makes the writing task easier by allowing you to concentrate on composing rather than forcing you to think of ideas and organize as you write.
The detail and the formality of the outline depend on the complexity of the letter and the expertise of the writer. If the letter is fairly simple and straightforward, a mental outline is often sufficient.
Using an outline is a technique for putting your thoughts in the order in which you want the ideas presented. For example, a letter confirming an order might be written from the following simple outline.
- Thanks for order
- Confirm delivery date
- Send a revised contract.
2. Consideration of Components
The components of a business letter allow the receiver to tell a: a glance who wrote the letter, when and where the letter was written, who the desired receiver is, and what message to be communicated. The following example shows the component of a business letter:
| Letter Head Heading
Inside Address Salutation Body Complimentary Close Signature Block Initials Enclosure Distribution | TOSHIBA MANUFACTURING COMPANY 81, Motijheel, Dhaka-1000. Phone- 7170495 Mr.Jahangir Alam64, Ring Road, Dear Alam I was so glad to hear from you-it has been a long time. Of course, we can provide you with a replacement part for your spray painter. The one-year warranty on your spray painter was in effect until February 20. For parts ordered up to that time, the only charge would have been for shipping. The current cost of the replacement item is Tk. 200. Including shipping and you will have the replacement within 48 hours. Call me at 088-02-7204332 to authorize shipment, and the part will be on its way to you immediately. If I can be of any further assistance, please call or write. A current catalog is enclosed for your use. Sincerely Abdus Salam Enclosure: parts Catalogue |
The box given above can give an idea about the structure of the business letters as well as it can help to how to write a business letter.
3. Selecting formats
A format is a style or way of presenting the material. There are many ways to format letters which are:
- Modified Block Style
- Full Block Style
- Simplified Style
1. Modified Block Style
Modify Jed-block style has all the heading and signature work. Some writers prefer to use the modified block style with indented paragraphs. For example:
| BANK ASIA 64, Motijheel, Dhaka-1000. June 11, 2021. Mr. Tareque Dear Mr. Tareque Our loan committee met yesterday to approve your loan for the townhouse complex you are going to build in the west end. We are pleased to be a part of this exciting project. We have tentatively scheduled the closing for July I at 10:45 in our conference room. If this time is not convenient for you, contact me and we will reschedule at a mutually convenient time. One week before the closing, We will contact you to discuss the documents you will need to bring to the closing. Thank you for thinking of us for your banking needs. We look forward to a pleasant and beneficial association. Sincerely- |
2. Block Style
Full block style has all components of the letter starting at the left margin. This style tends to present a clean, modern image, as shown in the following example:
| BANK ASIA June 11, 2021. Mr. Tareque Dear Mr. Tareque Our loan committee, met yesterday to approve your loan for the townhouse complex you are going to build in the West End. We are pleased to be a part of this exciting project. We have tentatively scheduled the closing for July I at 10:15 in our conference room. If this time is not convenient for you, contact me and we will reschedule at a mutually convenient time. One week before the closing, we will contact you to discuss the documents you will need to bring to the closing. Thank you for thinking of us for your banking needs. We look forward to a pleasant and beneficial association. Sincerely Ahmed Mashrafi |
3. Simplified Style
The simplified format was originally called ASM (Administrative Management Society) simplified style. This format omits both the salutation and the complimentary closing. Writers who prefer this format argue that the salutation and complimentary closing add nothing to the message and simply increase the letter with unnecessary things. The simplified style is illustrated below:
| BANK ASIA June 11, 2021 Mr. Tareque YOUR LOAN HAS BEEN APPROVED Our loan committee met yesterday to approve your loan for the townhouse complex you are going to build in the West End. We are pleased to be a part of this exciting project. We have tentatively scheduled the closing for July I at 10:45 in our conference room. Is this timenot convenient? for you, contact me and we will reschedule at a mutually convenient time. One week before the closing, we will contact you to discuss the documents you will need to bring to the closing. Thank you for your banking needs. We look forward to a pleasant and beneficial association. Ahmed Mashrafi |
(4) Using shortcuts
Since the cost of writing, preparing, and distributing letters is increasing so rapidly that many business people use the following shortcuts to reduce costs, such:
- Reply on the Original or Incoming letters: For informal communication, the writer can respond in terms of a short reply to the original letter or on a photocopy.
- Using the telephone: Since telephone call is faster, cheap, and gets immediate feedback, it is widely used to reduce the cost of communication associated with writing, preparing, and distributing letters.
(5) Evaluating Letter
Whether your letter needs improvement or not requires evaluation. There are two methods for this evaluation, which are:
- Rating Sheets
- Feedback
Rating Sheets: It is essential that you take yourself out of the role of the writer and approach the evaluation from the reader’s viewpoint. Using the following rate sheet is helpful in evaluating your letter writing ability:
1. Analysis
- The main purpose of this letter is …………………………………………….
- The secondary purpose (s) of this letter is ……………………………………….
- The action the reader should take is ……………………………………………
- The information the reader should know after receiving the letter is ………….
Evaluation ————————- Yes —————————– No
A. Content
- Is the letter clear (massage can be easily understood)?
- Is the letter concise (gives the message without Unnecessary words)?
- Is the letter well organized (Use logical thought)
- Is the letter complete (answer all necessary questions)?
B. Tone
- Is the letter courteous, friendly, and tactful?
- Is the letter written in a natural style?
- Does the letter reflect the “you” attitude?
C. Style
- Does the letter avoid jargon and outdated words and phrases?
- Is the letter written in a language the reader will understand?
- Are sentences short and direct?
- Are paragraphs short enough for easy reading?
- Are all components of the letter used correctly?
D. Attitude
- Does the letter encourage the reader to take action?
- Does the letter show the reader the benefits of taking the requested action?
- Does the letter build goodwill?
E. Appearance
- Does the letter present an attractive, well-balanced appearance?
- Is the letter format correct?
- Is the letter free of typographical errors?
- Is the letter free of errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling?
(ii) Feedback: Feedback on the effectiveness of your letters can be obtained from various external sources. Feedback may come through verbal or written comments from your receivers or it may be provided through action taken by the receiver or lack of action from the receiver.
I hope if you follow the instruction provided above you must learn how to write a business letter.
Business letter sample
Write an opening paragraph in response to the following letter. Delivery can be made in 30 days. Make any other assumptions necessary to respond to the letter.
| April 30, 2021 Mr. SharifPlastic Goods Manufacturers I understand from your sales representative, Ahasan Habib that you will not be able to deliver our order for tennis rackets for at least 60 days. Would you specify a date? As you know, this is a busy time in the sporting goods retail business. Everyone wants to get outside and enjoy the first good weather of the season. Therefore, we need a firm delivery date or we will have to look for other sources for our rackets. Having dealt with your company for over a decade, we would have to make that change. I am sure, however, that you understand our dilemma. Sincerely Mizanur Rahman |
The above image is the business letter sample it will give an idea about the structure of the business letter and how to write a business letter. There are many other types of business letters, you may watch this.
Hope you find all steps to how to write a business letter if you want to know more please feel free to comment below.
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I would love to have more samples of business letters such as business proposal, semi official..etc
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http://www.businesscommunicationarticles.com/quotation-letter-sample-format-example-template/