How to Write Business Letters

The skill required to write a good business letter is exactly the same as in needed for any other type of composition. Avoid such phrases at the beginning of a letter as “We beg to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the 20^th inst.”, or “We beg to advise you”, and such endings as “Assuring you of our best services at all times” or “We hope to be favoured with your esteemed order”; they will only bring a smile to the lips of your correspondent.

Avoid phrases the meaning of which is unclear, such as “The matter is under active consideration”. Such phrases may sometimes be used deliberately when the writer is anxious to avoid committing himself to a definite course of action, but these considerations are outside the scope of our general advice.

Never write a letter before you have made up your mind what you wish to say, and when the letter has been typed and is given to you for signature, read it carefully and make quite certain that your correspondent will understand your meaning. If there is any lack of clarity, write the letter again. It is quicker to do this than to have to write a second letter explaining what you intended to convey in the first, and is less likely to lead to an unsatisfied customer or a lost client.

To those of you who may be used to a more elaborate style in business letters, a letter written in English might seem over-simple or even lacking in politeness; but you would be mistaken in thinking this. When the subjects covered by a letter have been dealt with, it should be ended quite simply with the words “Yours faithfully” or “Yours sincerely”.

The usual way to begin a business letter is “Dear Sir”, “Dear Sirs”, or “Gentlemen”, whichever is appropriate, and to end it with “Yours faithfully”.

When the two correspondents are acquainted, or when they have done business together for some time, it is customary to use the person’s name and write “Dear Mr. Brown”, and to end the letter “Yours sincerely”. Unless the correspondents are personally acquainted all other expressions of goodwill or farewell are unnecessary.

At the beginning, or sometimes at the end of the letter, it is customary to place a reference to enable the earlier correspondence on the same subject to be traced easily.

The name of the signatory of the letter and his function should be typed underneath the signature.

It is quite unnecessary to offer any further advice on letter writing that does not apply to most kinds of composition. “Be clear, be concrise and be brief”, sums it up.

For example:

1)Letter of Introduction

Dear Signor Torri,

This is to introduce my friend Mr. Charles Pickton, of Messrs. Freeman of London, who is traveling in the northern Italy for the purpose of buying leather goods suitable for the best class trade in this country.

I shall regard any service that you are able to render Mr. Pickton as a personal favour done to me.

I hope that you are well and that I shall have the pleasure of seeing you shortly.

Yours very sincerely,

2) Notice of establishment of a business

Gentlemen,

I should like to bring to your notice the fact that I have established myself as a wholesale woolen trader at the above address.

For more than ten years I have been the European representative for Seabright Mills Ltd., and I can claim to have considerable experience of both the United Kingdom and the Continental woolen markets.

I can offer you an unusually large variety of first class suitings, particularly Yorkshire worsteds and Scotch tweeds at strictly competitive prices.

May I have the pleasure of sending you some patterns?

Yours faithfully,