How to Write Business Letters.

• Business Letters

Business letters are formal letters. In business or formal letters, one has to be quite particular about both format and the body. A Business letter may contain some or all of the following elements:

• Letter Head:-

Usually printed on the top center portion of the page, containing the address of the Business house. In the absence of the letter head, write your address on top of the date line.

• Addresses:-

1. Your Address. The return address should be written in the top right hand corner of the letter.
2. The address of the person you are writing to. To inside address should be written on the left, starting below you address.

Date….

            Different people put the date on different sides of the page. You can write this on the right or the left on the line after the address you are writing to. Write the month as a word.

            Subject………………

            To indicate the ‘subject’ of the letter, write subject between the inside address and salutation, or in the middle of the page. Subject line is useful in business letters as it indicates the main purpose of the letter.

            Reference………………

            Used when referring to an earlier communication should be placed below the subject.

• Salutation or Greeting

1. Dear Sir or madam:–

If you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, use this. It is always advisable to try to find out a name.

2. Dear Mr. Jenkins:

If you know the name, use the title (Mr. Mrs. Miss or Ms. Dr, etc) and the name only. If you are writing to a woman and do not know if she uses Mrs. or Miss, you can use Ms, which is for married and single women.

Leave one or two spaces between the inside address and salutation.

Body

            Indent all paragraphs. A business letter should be simple direct to the point, precise and yet complete in all the respects. It should contain all the necessary information that the receiving party needs, so that the necessity of any further clarification should not arise. No slangs or short forms should be used. The language should be formal, but avoid all hackneyed phrases.

First Paragraph:-

          The first paragraph should be short and state the purpose of the letter should contain the relevant information behind the writing of the letter. Most letters in English are not very long, so keep the information to the essentials and concentrate on organizing it in a clear and logical manner rather than expanding too much.

Last Paragraph:-

          The last paragraph of a formal letter should state what action you expect the recipient to take to refund, sent you information etc.

Closing:-

          Closing should be one line below the text followed by signatures and then the name written below, along with designation if necessary.

1. Yours Faithfully:- If you do not know the name of the person, end the letter this way.
2. Yours Sincerely:- If you know the name of the person, end the letter this way.
3. Your Signature :- Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature. If you think the people you are writing tonight not know whether you are male or female, put you title in brackets after your name.

• Example:-

ACD Corporation

10/A WEA, Green Park

New Delhi                                                                 2 July, 2011.

Avinash Gupta,

General Manager,

ITC New Delhi.

Subject:- Delay in delivery of paper.

Reference:- Order No. 20F

Dated:- 20 June, 2011.

Sir,

            With referenced to the above order, we are constrained to inform you that you have not supplied to us our order in full by 30^th June 2011. This has resulted in delay in fulfilling our print orders, which may lead to financial losses. Please expedite the dispatch of the remaining 10 bundles of A-4 paper and explain the reason for the delay.

                                                                                    Yours faithfully,

                                                                                    Manager V. Kumar.