CIRCULARS AND

SALES LETTERS
LEARNING OUTCOMES

After studying this unit you should be able to:

■ Explain why circulars and sales letters may be used
■ Understand the techniques involved in writing such letters
■ Explain why tear-off slips are used
■ Design tear-off slips
■ Identify poor business writing and make appropriate corrections
■ Compose circulars and sales letters
CIRCULAR LETTER
A circular letter is one that is sent out to many people at the same time. The letter
may be prepared once only and then duplicated. With modern technology, however,
it is more likely that each letter could be personalised to look like an original.
Circular letters may be sent for many reasons:

announce opening of a new office/branch

inform staff of new policy matters
introduce new product lines
announce restructuring
CONT
When writing a circular letter remember these important guidelines:
• keep it brief, otherwise it may not be read
• ensure the letter is informative and direct
• use individual terms, e.g. ‘you’, not ‘all of you’
CIRCULAR WITH TEAR-OFF
SLIP
Sometimes when sending out a circular letter a reply is needed. To ensure that you
receive the required reply from everyone, a tear-off slip may be included, which may
be completed and returned to you. Remember the following points when designing a
tear-off slip:
• use a continuous line of dots or hyphens for ‘tearing’
• include a return date and address
• use double-spacing where details have to be completed
• leave sufficient space for completion of relevant information
REPLY-PAID CARDS
Sometimes a company will enclose a special reply-paid card for you to complete and
return. The postage on these cards is pre-paid by the company. Acharge will be made
by the post office only for the actual cards that are returne
SALES LETTERS
Sales letters are a very selective form of advertising. They aim to sell a company’s
goods or services, or they persuade readers to take up special offers. All sales letters
must:
•a r ouse interest
• sound convincing
•c r eate a desire
• encourage action
CONT
Remember these important principles when writing sales letters:
1 Try to get on the same wavelength as your reader in the opening paragraph. 2
Present the advantages of the product or service showing relevance to the reader. 3
Write in a positive, convincing style without being aggressive. 4 Encourage the
reader to respond by placing an order, completing a reply form or card, requesting
further details
CIRCULARS AND SALES LETTERS – KEY
POINTS TO REMEMBER

1 Circular letters are useful for communicating a message to hundreds, sometimes

thousands of people
. 2 Circulars may be sent for a variety of reasons – to introduce new products, to advertise
special offers, to inform of new policy, etc
. 3 Make circulars personal by using ‘you’ not ‘all of you’.
4 Remember that only one person will read each individual letter so this has a bearing on
the language used.
5 Sales letters are a special form of advertising, aiming to sell a company’s goods or
services.
6 Sales letters must arouse interest, sound convincing, create a desire and encourage the
reader to take action.