1. The Business Letter Today

1. The Business Letter Today

To the reader, the business letter is a reflection of the company.
The letter is a liaison, the representative, and the courier of the organization, its products,
its services, and its people. To the buyer, vendor, prospective customer, or government
representative, that letter is the company.
 The letter that is concise, clear, friendly, courteous, and complete gives the
reader an image of a firm that is efficient and concerned.
 Conversely, the letter that is carelessly typed, incorrect in its details, and
sloppy in its makeup may reflect an image of an organization that is one with
which the reader should not do business.
 Consequently, written communication must be prepared with care.
3. Letter Format
A. There is no one correct letter format.
 Almost every organization has developed its own design and format for its
letters. Some use a block form, others use an indented style; some include
the typist‟s and author‟s initials; others do not.
 However, whichever format an organization uses should be used
consistently.

B. The typical business letter is made up of six parts:
 The heading is made up of the letterhead and the date. The former is
usually carefully designed to project an effective nonverbal image of the
organization. The date should be spelled out. Using only numerals may be
misleading, i.e. 06.09.00 or 04/05/00.
 The inside address should carry titles of individuals. Street and city
designations should ordinarily not be abbreviated. Recently, it has become
acceptable to use the standard abbreviations for states in the United States
and some nations, such as the U.S., the U.K., the U.A.E., or P.N.G.
 The salutation in formal correspondence should be followed by a colon.
Whenever possible, the person‟s name should be used rather than the
impersonal “Dear Sir” or “Dear Madam.”
 The body of the letter should be centered on the page. Paragraphs should
be relatively short.
 The complimentary close is typically “Sincerely,” “Sincerely yours,”
“Truly yours,” or “Yours truly.” Gaining in popularity are signatures that
are somewhat more informal: “Warm regards,” “Best wishes,” and
“Cordially yours.”
 The signature is often made up of the organization‟s name on the first
line, the signature, the typed name used in the signature, and the person‟s
title.
N.B. An attention line, subject line, or letter reference number usually appears
in the area of the inside address and salutation. Enclosure and initial
designations appear below the signature.