Business Letter Writing Tips

Business Letter Writing Tips

Business Letter Writing Tips

　　Limit Them To One Page. By definition， business letters should be short and to the point， preferably one page in length. Studies have found that busy business people do not like to read beyond the first page， and will actually delay reading longer letters.

　　Relegate Technical Detail To Attachments. Often， it is necessary to include detailed technical information as part of  a business letter package. In such cases， use the main letter as a cover letter that lists and briefly explains the attached （or enclosed） document.

　　Keep Them Formal and Factual. Generally speaking， the tone and content of business letters should be formal and factual. Feelings and emotion do not have a place in business letters.

　　Carefully Plan Your Letter. Before writing the letter， take a few minutes to list all of the specific points you need to cover. Sometime it may even mean a call to the recipient or his/her company to confirm a specific point. Remember， the purpose of the letter is to tie up all of the details on the subject at hand， so that more letters won‘t have to be written back and forth.

　　Be Customer Friendly. When writing directly to customers， always focus on their needs and their perspective. Put yourself in their position and imagine what it would be like receiving your letter. Everyone can do this， since we are all customers of some other business in some part of our lives.

　　Use Non-Discriminatory Language. Make sure that you avoid language that is specific to gender， race， or religion in all business letters， either to other businesses， or to customers. For example， use “workforce” instead of  “manpower”， or “chairperson” rather than “chairman”。 Most style guides contain detailed lists of the offensive terms and some suggested substitutes.