Definition of a Business Letter

The business letter is the basic means of communication between two companies. It is estimated that close to 100 million Business Letters are written each workday. It is a document typically sent externally to those outside a company but is also sent internally to those within a company.

Most business letters have a formal tone. You should write a business letter whenever you need a permanent record that you sent the information enclosed. Because you generally send business letters to other professionals, always include a formal salutation and closing.

Even though no one formula exists for a perfect business letter, some basic guideline will help you, regardless of the form, purpose, and audience of the document.

Many executives still prefer a written document over other forms of communication, because the document can serve as a contract, the facts will be on record in writing, and executives do not have to reply on memory.

This is why it is important to write a good Business Letter.

Every business letter is in some degree a sales letter, because you are always requesting a response or course of action. Therefore, the following principles of persuasion will help you compose and efficient and effective Business Letter:

- plan according to the reader’s reaction

- write with the ‘you’ attitude – the state of mind where you always emphasize the benefits to the reader and subordinate your interests. This can be accomplished by using empathy and words ‘you’, and ‘your’ often

- adjust the language to the reader and use terms and concepts that the reader is familiar with

- write positively and with confidence.

Empathy means to care about someone’s feelings or ideas. A well-written business letter will convey the feeling that the writer does care about the reader and is genuinely interested in working together to solve a problem or discuss a concept.

To write a good letter, put yourself in the reader’s shoes and try to anticipate the reader’s reaction to your comments. By doing this, you are more likely to choose more appropriate words and use the correct tone.

You will write business letters to inform readers of specific information. However you may also write a business letter to persuade others to take action or propose your ideas. Business letters even function as advertisements at times. Consider the letters long-distance phone companies send to those not signed up for their services or the cover letters to your resume. Both of these serve to promote or advertise.

Business letters can be challenging to write, because you have to consider how to keep your readers’ attention. This is particularly the case if your readers receive large amounts of mail and have little time to read.

Writing Business Letters is like any other document: First you must analyze your audience and determine your purpose. Then you gather information, create an outline, write a draft, and revise it. The key to writing business letters is to get to the point as quickly as possible and to present your information clearly.

It is important to understand the service perspective when writing a business letter. The organization that uses a service attitude in letters shows its concern extends beyond purely profit objectives, and readers appreciate a genuine desire on the part of a company that cares about their needs.

Tone is the use of accent and inflection to express a mood or emotion in speaking or working. Many times it is not what you say in a business letter, but how you say it. It is a good idea to always consider your tone so that you do not risk upsetting the reader, thereby lessening the chances your requests and comments will be respected.

You can avoid making mistakes with tone by using the following techniques:

- avoid the ‘I’ attitude by having more emphasis on the reader and not yourself

- avoid extreme cases of humility, flattery, and modesty

- avoid preaching your ideas

II. Match the equivalents:

1. Of today’s date	a) Рекламация
2. Claim letter	b) Письмо с целью урегулирования претензий
3. Adjustment letter	c) Заключение
4. Of yesterday’s date	d) Приветствие
5. Closing	e) Официальный тон
6. Formal tone	f) От вчерашнего числа
7. Salutation	g) От сегодняшнего числа
8. Order letter	h) Прилагать
9. Enclose	i) Текст письма
10. Inquiry letter	j) Предмет письма
12. Body	k) Строка с наименованием адресата
13. Subject line	l) Внутренний адрес
14. Sales letter	m) Обратный адрес
15. Inside address	n) Заголовок, шапка
16. Attention line	o) Письмо-извинение
17. Acknowledgment letter	p) Заказ
18. Return address	q) Запрос
19. Heading	r)Уведомление
20. Apology letter	s) Письмо с предложением о продаже

III. Answer these questions:

1. What is the basic means of communication between two companies?
2. How many business letters are written every day?
3. Which tone do most business letters have? Why?
4. Why do many executives still prefer a written document?
5. What does empathy mean?
6. What does it mean to write a good letter?
7. Why can business letters be challenging to write?
8. Why is writing business letters like any other document?
9. Why is it important to understand the service perspective when writing a business letter?
10. Why is the tone of business letter so important?
11. What should one avoid writing a business letter?

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