How To Write

Business
Letters
Larra Mae Martus
Ana Mae Maru
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What is
Business
Letter?
• A business letter is a professional,
formal letter that is sent by one
company to another. These letters can
be used for professional
correspondence between business
clients, employees, stakeholders as
well as individuals.
• A business letter must address a
specific person or group, have a clear
and brief aim, be persuasive, and
conclude with a specified goal.
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Why write Business
Letters?
• To persuade • To congratulate
• To inform • To reject a proposal
• To request or offer
• To express thanks • To introduce a
• To remind person or policy
• To recommend • To invite or welcome
• To apologize • To follow up
• To formalize
decisions
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A good business letter is composed of
the following seven parts:
• Heading
• Inside address
• Salutation
• Body
• Complementary close
• Signature
• Enclosures
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 Heading
• The letter heading, typically found in the upper left-hand
corner of the page, introduces you to the recipient and
includes important contextual information such as your
name, return address, phone number, email and date. Only
include the information your audience needs.
• When writing your letter heading, skip a line between your
contact information and the date. Skip another line, then
include your recipient’s contact information. Skip another
line, then begin your letter.

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 Heading (cont.)
• You don’t have to include a return address if the letter is
printed on letterhead that includes the address.
• The letterhead is a company logo that is usually at the
top center of business documents that are connected to a
company, government agency or other organization.

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 Heading (cont.)
[Name]
[Company name]
[Street address]
[City, state and zip code]
[Phone number]
[Fax number]
[Email address]

[Date]

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 Inside address
• The inside address of a letter comprises the name and
designation of the person or title of the company to whom
or to which the letter is written with the residence place of
business or any other place which may be appointed for
the receipt of the letters.
• Leave an extra line between the date and the receiver’s
address, and it should be on the left margin. You should
include the name of the person you are sending the
business letter to, including their name prefix.

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 Inside address (cont.)
• Make sure their name is spelled correctly and the address
is as complete as possible to be sure they receive the
letter. The address should show in a standard envelope
window when the paper is folded into thirds.

First name Last name

Address
City, State Zip Code
Phone

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Inside address (cont.)

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 Salutation
• The salutation is the complementary term used to begin
the letter. The greeting should be formal and polite. It is
best to start with a professional salutation like “Dear,” and
the person’s prefix if you know it.
• Avoid using gendered prefixes if possible—use the
person’s name instead. If you do not know who will be
receiving your letter directly, you should use other
references such as their title, team, organization or job duty.
If possible, avoid using “To Whom It May Concern,” as it
may come across impersonal or outdated.
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 Salutation (cont.)
Common opening business letter salutations include:

Dear [First name Last name],

Dear [Ms., Mrs. or Mr. Last name],
Dear [First name], (only use if you know the recipient)

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Salutation (cont.)

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 Body
• The body is the meat of your letter. It is the part which
contains the message or the information to be
communicated.
• The body is where you write the details of your business
letter. Start with a short introduction explaining why you are
writing them. The introduction should be one or two
sentences and should have the most important details. The
rest of the body includes the details of your letter.
• The body should be focused on why you are writing and
should be as direct and polite as possible.
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 Body (cont.)
• The body should be focused on why you are writing and
should be as direct and polite as possible. Separate each
left-aligned paragraph by skipping a space. End the body
with a two-sentence wrap-up paragraph to clarify why you
are writing and to thank them for their consideration. Be
sure that the closing paragraph is suitable for the tone of
the letter.
• A good wrap-up paragraph might look like, “Thank you for
updating my claim and looking into the circumstances. I
look forward to hearing from you soon.”
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 Body (cont.)
Paragraph 1: Opening
Paragraph 2: The argument
Paragraph 3: Closing

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 Complimentary close
• The complimentary close is a short and polite remark that
ends your letter. It is place two lines below the body of the
letter, and consists of the words of respect or regard that
are used to express the feelings of the writer towards his
correspondent.
• Capitalize the first word of your closing (Thank you) and
leave four lines for a signature between the close and the
sender’s name. A comma should follow the closing.

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 Complimentary close (cont.)
Common closing business letter salutations include:

Respectfully yours,
Respectfully,
Cordially,
Sincerely,
Yours sincerely,
Thank you,

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 Signature
• The signature is the name of the writer or of the company
he represents, placed after the complimentary close.
• Leave two to four lines between the closing line and
typing your name so that you can sign the business letter.
Your name should be your first, middle initial (if you have
one) and your last name. Include any appropriate suffixes
to your name, such as MA or MD.

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 Signature (cont.)
• If you are writing for a business or organization, you
should include your position immediately below your typed
name.
• Once you print the business letter, sign your name
immediately above your typed name in blue or black ink.

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Signature (cont.)

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 Enclosures
• If you are mailing any other documents with the business
letter, you can make the reader aware of what else is
included by typing “Enclosures” or including the names of
the documents under the “Enclosures” heading. This should
be separated by skipping a line under your typed name
and should be left-aligned, in line with the date and
address headers.

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2 Format of
Business
Letters
Block
• The most common layout for a
business letter is called a block
format. In this format, the entire
letter is justified to the left and
single spaced except for a double
space between paragraphs.

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Modified Block
• Modified block is another
popular type of business letter.
The body of the letter and
recipient’s addresses are left
justified and single spaced.
However, in this format, the date
and closing are tabbed to the
center point.
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Semi-Block
• The least used style is called a
semi-block. In each paragraph is
indented instead of left justified.

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 Select a professional font
size and style
• When deciding on which font to choose for your business
letter, you should pay attention to cleanliness and
readability. While it may seem tempting to select a stylistic
font that personalized the letter, it might be difficult for your
audience to read. They should be able to get the
information they need from your letter as quickly as
possible.
Examples: Arial, Avenir, Calibri, Corbel,
Garamond, Georgia, Gill Sans, Helvetica,
Open Sans, Roboto, Times New Roman 31
 Pay attention to spacing and
margins
• Spacing plays an important role in making your business
letter appear readable and professional. Be sure to put
spaces between the elements at the top of your letter
(your contact information, the date and their contact
information) followed by another space to begin your
letter.
• In the body paragraphs, your letter should be single-
spaced to create a clean yet readable document. You
should include a space between each paragraph and
before and after your closing.
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 Pay attention to spacing and
margins (cont.)
• It is best practice to align your entire letter to the left side
of the page as opposed to centered or aligned right. This
makes it easy to follow for the audience.
• Typically, a professional document has one-inch margins.
It is appropriate for margins to be a bit larger than usual
(up to one and a quarter inches) for business letters.

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3
Types of
Business
Letters
Sales Letters
• Typical sales letters start off with a very strong
statement to capture the interest of the reader. Since
the purpose is to get the reader to do something,
these letters include strong calls to action, detail the
benefit to the reader of taking the action and include
information to help the reader to act, such as
including a telephone number or website link.
Order Letters
• Order letters are sent by consumers or businesses to
a manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler to order goods
or services. These letters must contain specific
information such as model number, name of the
product, the quantity desired and expected price.
Payment is sometimes included with the letter.
Complaint Letters
• The words and tone you choose to use in a letter
complaining to a business may be the deciding
factor on whether your complaint is satisfied. Be
direct but tactful and always use a professional tone
if you want the company to listen to you.
Adjustment Letters
• An adjustment letter is normally sent in response to
a claim or complaint. If the adjustment is in the
customer’s favor, begin the letter with that news. If
not, keep your tone factual and let the customer know
that you understand the complaint.
Inquiry Letters
• Inquiry letters ask a question or elicit information
from the recipient. When composing this type of letter,
keep it clear and succinct and list exactly what
information you need. Be sure to include your contact
information so that it is easy for the reader to
respond.
Follow-up Letters
• Follow-up letters are usually sent after some type of
initial communication. This could be a sales
department thanking a customer for an order, a
businessman reviewing the outcome of a meeting or
a job seeker inquiring about the status of his
application. In many cases, these letters are a
combination thank-you note and sales letter.
Letters of
Recommendation
•Prospective employers often ask job applicants for
letters of recommendation before they hire them. This
type of letter is usually from a previous employer or
professor, and it describes the sender’s relationship
with and opinion of the job seeker.
Cover Letters
• Cover letters usually accompany a package, report
or other merchandise. They are used to describe what
is enclosed, why it is being sent and what the
recipient should do with it, if there is any action that
needs to be taken. These types of letters are generally
very short and succinct.
Letters of
Resignation
• When an employee plans to leave his job, a letter of
resignation is usually sent to his immediate manager
giving him notice and letting him know when the last
day of employment will be. In many cases, the
employee also will detail his reason for leaving the
company.
Application Letters
• A job application letter is sent by an aspiring
candidate to the company along with their resume. It
provides information about the skills and the
experience of a candidate. The letter gives the
candidate a chance to show the company that they
are fit for the role.
Thanks!
Any questions?

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ASSIGNMENT
Based on the guidelines on how to write a business letter mentioned in this
lesson, you are required to write the following types of business letters;

1. Sale Letter
2. Order Letter
3. Complaint Letter
4. Adjustment Letter
5. Inquiry Letter
6. Follow-up Letter
7. Recommendation Letter
8. Cover Letter
9. Resignation Letter
10. Application Letter 47