BUSINESS LETTER

BUSINESS LETTER

In the words of H. A. Murphy and Others, “The medium used most

often for written messages to persons outside your
organization is the business letter.”
▪ It is a letter written in formal language, used when writing
from one business organization to another, or for
correspondence between such organizations and their
customers, clients and other external parties.
▪

▪ They are used for different purposes; like placing orders,

making inquiries’, making credit request, requesting claims
and adjustment, to apologize for a wrong or simply to
convey goodwill. etc.
▪

▪ Even today, they are very useful because it produces a

permanent record, they are confidential, formal and
delivers persuasive, well-considered messages.
▪

▪
 Need of business letter
• Every organization has to continuously promote and
expand its business. All information on its product and
service gets updated through a business letter sent to
customers and clients. It is a micro-level substitute even for
advertisements.
•

• It promotes goodwill. New business contacts are forged and

the already existing ones get reinforced.
•

• Business letters serve to maintain the correct information of

the organization in the perception of the receiver. Business
letters establish and maintain contacts over a wide area
truly enlarging  the scope and extent of business.
•

• Business letters can be used as legal documents in disputes.

All business letters promote goodwill and enhance the
prestige and the image of the organization
 FUNCTIONS OF BUSINESS LETTERS

(a) Promotional Functions: The

customers have to be kept
informed through letters .
Business organisations have to
expand their market by tapping
new areas. All round expansion is
possible only if the organisation
keeps all the people concerned
well informed through letters that
promote sales and service.
(b)  Informational Functions:
Business letters provide valuable
(c) Legal Functions: Business letters can provide evidence in
legal disputes, if any, that occur in a transaction. They are
useful as legal documents in quotations and offers.
(d) Goodwill Functions: Business letters promote goodwill
among parties transacting business. They build a good rapport
between parties in a business transaction.
FORMAT OF BUSINESS
LETTER
 1. THE LETTER HEAD / THE SENDER’S ADDRESS

⚐ Includes the company’s logo / symbol / name, address,

ZIP, telephone number, fax number, email address and
website of the company.
⚐ Printed at the top center/left or the right side.

SENDER’S ADDRESS:
It is usually given in
the letter head, but if
there is none, the
Sender’s Name,
Address and Contact
details can be typed.
 2. REFERENCE

⚐ Include a reference line to identify a file or case number,

invoice number or any other internal identifying information,
if your company requires one.
⚐ Some companies have specific reference codes that they
place either in a reference line below the date, or at the very
bottom of the letter.
REF.HMT/25/2005/114
 3. DATE

⚐ Date consists of the date, name of the month and the year.
⚐ If the letter sheet includes a letterhead, type the date from 2 to 3 lines
under the letterhead, else type it under the return address.
⚐ Never send a letter without a date.

⚐ The date is written in two styles.

1 The British Method :4th July, 2012

. The American Method: July 4, 2012
2
.

⚐ Never write like 7-2-12 or 7/2/12 because it shows that the writer is careless or
in a great hurry.
4. THE INSIDE ADDRESS

⚐ Includesthe name and address of the firm or the individual

⚐ Written on the left side, beside the margin, two spaces below
the

⚐Use Courtesy titles before names of the receiver such as Mr.,

Mrs., Shri, Smt., Miss, Ms, Messrs, Dr, Prof., Capt., Maj., Col.,
Gen. etc

⚐The address can also begin with a job title or a department (if
you don’t know the name). For e.g. : The Sales Manager, The
Accounts Department etc.
 5. SUBJECT AND RECEIVERS REFERENCE NO
⚐ Subject is use so that the reader immediately knows what your letter
is about.
⚐Use “Subject” or “Re”.

⚐Subject usually comes between Salutation and body.

⚐ The receiver's references i.e. the receiver’s pervious letter number is

mentioned under the heading reference.
⚐ e.g. Your Reference :MBM/SD/285/05 DATED 5th oct.2005
6. SALUTATION

⚐ Itis a compliment or greeting.

⚐ It is followed by a comma

⚐Salutation depends on the gender, type, number or the social stats of the
person addressed.

E Dear Sir, Dear Sales

x Dear Manager, Dear
:
Madam, Customer,
Dear Amit Dear Ladies and
Gentlemen, Respected
Das,
Sir,
Dear Mr.
John, Dear
Nancy,
 7. BODY

⚐Containsthe message or the information to be communicated.

⚐Most important, lengthiest, prominent part- written in correct, appealing
and impressive style.

Divided normally into 3 parts:

1) Introductory paragraph
2) Middle paragraph
3) Closing paragraph
⚐ If letter exceeds one page, repeat the recipient's name, date,
reference/subject line and put page number.
8. COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE

⚐ It is written two spaces below the last line of the body.

⚐ It is a polite way of saying “ Good bye”.

⚐ Itdepends on the tone and degree of formality.

Formal: Respectfully yours, Sincerely, Yours faithfully

Informal: Cordially yours, Warm Regards, Best wishes

 9. THE SIGNATURE AND DESIGNATION

⚐ Written double space below the complimentary close.

⚐ First comes Signature (pen written).
⚐ Second line - type written name.
⚐ Third line - business title.
⚐ The signature acts as proof.
10. ENCLOSURES

⚐This line tells the reader to look in the envelope for more.

⚐ Write Enc./Encl./Enclosure below the signature block.

e.g.
Enclosure
:
Enclosures:
3
Enclosures : Check #231 for
⚐
$500
 12. COPY NOTATION

• When other people are to receive a copy of the same

letter, their names are noted either by their
ranks or by alphabetically.
•

• Written just below the reference initials or the

enclosure whichever is last.
•

• Type “cc” before the names if sending a

“carbon copy(to)” and “pc” for photocopy
(to).
•

• CC: Jim Blue, Jennifer Louis

 LAYOUT

1. BLOCK
▪ Each line of every part begins at the left margin.
▪ At least one line space between each part.
▪ Time saving method and beautiful to look at, also known as American style.

2. INDENT
▪ New paragraphs begin about 1.5 centimeters to the right of the left margin.
▪ This style is also known as Hanging style.
▪ This method consumes a lot of time, looks shabby , therefore out of
practice.

3. SEMI BLOCK/ MODIFIED B LOCK

▪ Some parts are typed in block method and other parts are indented.
▪ Return address, date, closing and signature start just to the right of the
center of the page or may be flush with the right margin.
▪ Most widely followed method in our country specially in govt. offices.
Starting • We are / I am writing
•

• to inform you that ...

• to confirm ...
• to request...
• to enquire about …
Referring to previous • Thank you for your letter of March 15.
contact • Thank you for contacting us.
• Thank you for your letter regarding ...
• With reference to our telephone
conversation yesterday...
• It was a pleasure meeting you in London last
month.

Making a request • We would appreciate it if you would ...

• In addition, I would like to receive ...
• It would be helpful if you could send us ...
• I am interested in (obtaining / receiving) ...
• Please let me know what action you propose to
take.
Offering help • Would you like us to ...?
• We would be happy to ...
• We are quite willing to ...
• Our company would be pleased to ...

Giving good news • We are pleased to announce that ...

• I am delighted in inform you that ..
• You will be pleased to learn that ...

Giving bad news • We regret to inform you that ...

• I'm afraid it would not be possible to ...
• After careful consideration we have decided (not) to ...

Complaining • I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ...

• Please note that the goods we ordered on ( date )
have not yet arrived.
• We regret to inform you that our order n ----- is now
considerably overdue.
• I would like to query the transport charges which seem
unusually high.
 PERSUASIVE LETTERS
Sales Letter
A sales letter is a sales talk. It is an efficient and convenient means of securing business. It is also different from
advertising in that advertising is addressed to a whole group of prospective customers, while a sales letter is
tailor made to individuals need and nature.
Sales letters provide an economic means of selling goods and services, but they are time consuming.
Unsolicited sales letters fall in the category of “persuasive requests”.
 SALES LETTER
A sales letter template is generally a piece of direct mail which is designed to
persuade the reader to purchase a particular product or service in the absence
of a salesman.
A smartly written sales letter may compel some headlines along with
interestingly crafted story that will help the company to convince the client

A sales letter is a sales talk. It is an efficient and convenient means of securing

business. It is also different from advertising in that advertising is addressed to
a whole group of prospective customers, while a sales letter is tailor made to
individuals need and nature.
Sales letters provide an economic means of selling goods and services, but they
are time consuming. Unsolicited sales letters fall in the category of “persuasive
requests”.
 REQUEST LETTER

A request letter is a document written for the intention of

requesting from an entity for particular pieces of information,
permission or favor for a certain matter.
This letter is a formal letter which needs to be created with
politeness.The basic purpose of this letter is to officially state
that what you exactly want from your reader to do
unconditionally for you.
 COMPLAINT LETTER
When the goods or services received are not according to the
contract of sales or when payment is not received in time
complaint on the part of the aggrieved party arises. Complaint
also arises when the product is not received in stipulated period
of time.
Letters are written to get complaints mended some of which are
as follows:
The product is not according to the agreed price, quality,
quantity, size, color, model, taste, or flavor.
The product is defective.
The product is found broken.
Time, place, and mode of delivery are not in accordance with
the agreement.
Anomalies or miscalculations in the invoice, bill or cash memo.
Commission or discount is not in consistent with the contract.
Payment is not in time.
In writing complaints you should be very careful. Such letters
should be objective, logical, courteous, and without
conveying any mark of anger or indignation.
In getting your complaint averted you may request one or
more of the following.
Refund of money you paid for the product.
Repairs free of charge.
Free replacement of the product.
A now shipment of the right product.
Concession in the price due to defects in the product.
Correction in the invoice or bill.
 INTERVIEW
LETTER
An interview call letter is a written invitation sent to a candidate, applicant,
or a job aspirant inviting him/her for a “face-to-face” interview at the
employer’s office or the at the venue which an employer decided to
conduct the interviews. This letter is very often called a Call Letter.

An interview letter must have details of the exact date, time, contact
person’s name and place where the interview will be conducted. The
company representative may also include specific details about the
interview procedure, like how many rounds will be there, what documents
to carry etc.
 
 
INTERVIEW
Sender’s address

Date
LETTER
Name of the candidateAddress _________________________ 
 
Dear ______,

This letter is written for your application of job for the post of __________in our company. We thank you for the
same. We would like to meet you personally for a discussion on ___________ at __________ at the following
address: 
 
We hope this time and venue is suitable to you and if you are busy at this time then we request you to get in touch
with Mr._________ and provide us the suitable date and time for the same.

The company will reimburse you the expenses incurred by you for this meeting. As per our guidelines, you will be
entitled for train fare / Y class airfare.
 
We are enclosing our company application form and request you to fill the same and bring it along with you when
you come for this visit. This will facilitate the interview process.
 
We request you to confirm us your availability by phone or email for this meeting. Our phone no. is ___________
and our email is ___________. Kindly ask for Mr. ________ who will be your contact person throughout the
process. 
We look forward to meeting you.
 Thanking You

Yours Faithfully 

Name of the ManagerDesignationCompany

 PROMOTION
LETTER
SENDER’S ADDRESS

DATE

Employee Name
Employee Address
Employee Community, Postal Code

Dear Employee Name:

Job Offer – Position # ##-##### - Position Title

I am pleased to offer you a promotion to the position of (position title), (division title,
if necessary) with the (name of department) in (location). If you decide to accept this
offer, you will report to (supervisor’s name), (supervisor’s title), (division title, if
necessary). This appointment, effective (start date) carries with it a standard
probationary period of six months.

Your salary will be $##.## per hour . In addition, you will receive an annual Northern
Allowance of $#,### per annum. In accordance with the Collective Agreement,
1.92% will be deducted from your pay bi-weekly to cover five (5) Mandatory Leave
Without Pay days that you are required to take. Other terms and conditions of
employment are as per the Collective Agreement that is accessible via the Internet at
http://www.gov.nt.ca.

Your salary will be $##.## per hour which represents step #, pay range ##. In
addition, you will receive an annual Northern Allowance of $#,### per annum. In
 RESIGNATION
LETTER
When an employee notifies you of the desire to terminate employment
with your company, ask for a letter of resignation.
You need the resignation letter as an official document for the
employee’s personnel file that demonstrates the employment ending
was employee initiated. You need this documentation even if the
employee has announced verbally the decision to leave your
company.
Dear Name of Immediate Supervisor:
I am resigning from my position as a customer service
representative for personal reasons effective January 19.
This provides you with two weeks' notice to plan for my
replacement.
Working at (company name) for the past six years has
given me the opportunity to meet some terrific coworkers
and customers. I will miss the daily interaction when I am
no longer here.
Please let me know what I can do to help ease my exit from
the company. It is not my intention to leave you short-
handed, but it is necessary for January 19 to be my last
day. I can be available, on a limited basis, for follow-up
phone calls from coworkers for an additional two weeks.
I wish you nothing but the best. I have been thankful for
and happy in my job with (company name). I will miss you
and think of my time here positively.
Please let me know what I can do to help during this
transition.
Opening the Resignation Letter
Example: The purpose of this letter is to resign from my employment with
Milton Company. My last day is (two weeks from the date of the letter).
Body of the Resignation Letter
Example: I am resigning from my job because I have been offered and
accepted a new job that will give me the opportunity to become a supervisor.
The new job is also a chance for me to learn about working in a global
marketplace. If all goes well, I will travel internationally to set up several new
sales locations. As you know, I have wanted to obtain international experience
Example: I will miss working with you. Milton Company has given me many
opportunities to develop my career, learn about our industry, and hopefully,
contribute to our customers' satisfaction. Your
coaching and support have been valuable to me for the past couple of years. I know
that I will also miss my coworkers and customers. I want you to know that my
memories of this job and employer will always remain positive.
Closing the Resignation Letter
Example: I will miss working with you. Milton Company has given me many
opportunities to develop my career, learn about our industry, and hopefully,
contribute to our customers' satisfaction. Your
coaching and support have been valuable to me for the past couple of years. I know
that I will also miss my coworkers and customers. I want you to know that my
memories of this job and employer will always remain positive.
Philip Rodriguez
123 Main Street, Anytown, CA 12345 · 555-555-5555 ·
philip.rodriguez@email.com

September 1, 2018
Susan Yin
Director, Human Resources
Salem Software
123 Business Rd.
Business City, NY 54321
Dear Ms. Yin,

I am resigning from my position as a customer service

representative for personal reasons effective September 15.
This provides you with two weeks' notice to plan for my replacement.
Working at Salem Software for the past six years has given me the
opportunity to meet some terrific coworkers and customers. I will
miss the daily interaction when I am no longer here.

Please let me know what I can do to help ease my exit from the