Preparing a business letter

Whatever the purpose of business letters, they are written to achieve the desired goal in business. Not every employee of an organization has the necessary competence in the field of business correspondence; with an inept approach, there is a risk of completely ruining the company’s reputation with one letter. But if you use the letter writing service from our agency, the recipient will certainly be interested in working with you.

Purpose of business letters

Business letters do not lose their relevance in solving work issues and marketing tasks. Information provided in writing is convenient because you can always return to it or appeal when resolving controversial issues. Written text allows you to formulate thoughts more succinctly and clearly than oral communication. In addition, some recipients can only be contacted by sending a business letter. And the higher the status of this addressee, the more professional the text should be composed. Types of business letters as diverse as the sphere of business relations. Business correspondence can be commercial (a desire to conclude a deal, a claim to a party to a transaction) and non-commercial (a letter of gratitude, information, a letter of guarantee, letters of request, invitations, reminders, etc.) Based on their functionality, they distinguish between initiative letters and response letters, as well as messages that do not require a response.

How to write business letters correctly.

Features of the structure and text of a business letter

Business letters have a clear composition:

The introduction indicates the purpose and reason for the letter, and provides a link to the document that served as the starting point for this message;

The main part describes the state of affairs, provides an analysis of the situation, and argumentation. The nature of the evidence depends on the direction of the letter: for example, to persuade to come to a conference, to invest in a project, to purchase a product;

In conclusion, a conclusion is drawn based on the above: offer, request, refusal, wish, etc.

Before the text of the letter, a polite address to the addressee is always placed (For example, “Dear Sergei Mikhailovich!”) And also at the beginning or at the end of the text there is a politeness formula drawn up according to the canons of business correspondence. Politeness formulas usually begin like this: “I express my gratitude for the assistance provided... / gratitude for the invitation... / hope for fruitful cooperation...”. When writing this type of letter, business style is observed. Its features: conciseness, clarity, unambiguity, use of terms, neutral tone, standardization.

Difficulties in writing business letters

Be well aware of the addressee and the information that he already has on your question;

Knowledge of the rules of the Russian language and the features of business style: language formulas, rules for composing sentences, etc.;

Correct and appropriate use of terminology;

Correctness in addressing the addressee.

How to write business letters correctly.

Dictionaries and samples of writing business letters can help you cope with this task on your own. But if there is not enough competent employee or time to prepare for writing business letters, a professional agency can provide this service. The specialists of the communication agency Comagency will help you develop a company letterhead, collect the necessary documents for a convincing argument, write a competent and presentable business letter, thereby improving the image of your organization.

Email is one of the worst wasters of working time. We have already written about that.

But the responsibilities of some of your employees include not only viewing the contents of the mailbox, but also writing business letters: potential employees, work colleagues, business partners, representatives of various companies and government agencies...

The problem with many employees is that they do not have the skills to write business letters. This task confuses them, forcing them to edit the text for a long time.

How to write business letters quickly and so that you are understood

Our colleague also faced the same problem. But, fortunately, our corporate library has a book Sasha Karepina “The Art of Business Writing”. It has helped more than one employee, we will be glad if it is useful in your company.

A company employee shared her problem and its solution:

“I think that each of us has written letters at least once in our lives. (Correspondence with children from a children's camp and friends from the village, where my parents sent me every summer to stay with my grandmother, does not count).

In this article, I want to tell you about how difficult it was for me to write letters to clients and how the book “The Art of Business Writing” by Sasha Karepina helped me overcome my fears.

It all started with the fact that I came to a new job, where, in fact, I was faced with the problem of writing a business letter. The letter, which contained at most 10 lines, took me neither more nor less - 30 minutes.

Just think about it, I spent 30 minutes writing a letter (reading it now, I feel ashamed), pressing “Send” with a trembling hand and waiting with bated breath for an answer. And all because I didn’t know which side to approach the letter from: where to start, and how to write a letter so that the client would respond to it.

The problem was that I didn’t like the letters I wrote either. But I couldn’t write better than it was—that was my aerobatics.

Seeing how worried I was every time, a colleague recommended the book “The Art of Business Writing” to me.

So, what difficulties do we face when writing a letter?

1. There are a lot of thoughts, but where to start the letter?
2. All sorts of things are spinning in my head: dear sir, take action... This makes the letter long and boring.
3. I just want to write down the clerical expressions I have memorized since school. And a couple in each sentence.
4. How to convey the essence of the letter so that the addressee understands us correctly?

5 rules to help you write effective business letters

1. Structure the letter

A business letter must contain the following required elements:

1. Introduction.

• title;
• appeal;
• purpose of the letter;

2. Main part.
3. Conclusion.

You need to write a letter from the general to the specific: the most important thing and briefly at the beginning, and then describe the details.

Use special words in your letter linking words, such as:

for example, namely, in addition, moreover, because, as a result, thus, however, etc.

They will help you connect sentences and entire paragraphs, which means your thoughts will not be confused and the reader will easily understand the essence of your letter.

2. Determining the benefit for the recipient

The main thing in a letter is to interest the reader in answering you or fulfilling your request. And to do this, you need to try to understand his needs, try to understand what interests or worries the addressee. But do not forget that all recipients are different. It is necessary to understand what the reader will receive if he does exactly as we ask him. And present it as benefits.

3. Writing style

Particular attention should be paid to the style in which you write the letter.

It is necessary to clearly distinguish personal and formal styles. The use of one style or another depends on the situation and the content of the message.

By adhering to a personal style, we emphasize our personality, show our attitude; Using a formal style, we present the facts.

Therefore, if we want to show that we are speaking with the addressee on an equal footing, we understand him, we want to come to an agreement on a humane basis, or we want to praise him for good work, it is better to use a personal style.

If you need to write a complaint or claim, a formal style would be appropriate. Since the formal style is characterized by such features as: pressure from one’s position, statement of facts, dominance over someone, criticism. If you are writing to a government official, it is also best to write in a formal style.

After writing the letter, read it again and make sure that you have chosen the correct style. Then the recipient will not only understand you, but will also believe in the sincerity of your message.

4. Conclusion

The biggest mistake most often made when writing a letter is not writing the ending.

Remember, no matter how well you describe the essence of your proposal, no matter how you embellish everything with facts and vivid details, the letter must have an ending. It should be simple, clear and concise.

In conclusion, you need to once again emphasize the essence of the letter and the benefits for the reader. This is a kind of fixing effect.

After reading the ending, your addressee should understand what his reaction to the letter should be. What do you expect from him? This will push him to action, which you, in fact, expected from him.

5. Design

A beautiful, and most importantly correctly formatted text will not only interest the recipient, but will also make him want to be read. Therefore, the importance of letter formatting cannot be underestimated.

Design rules:

1. Select a font:

• serif - suitable for reading from paper;
• sans serif - for reading on the run or on the screen;

2. Making paragraphs in the text
3. Select headings;
4. Select the text we need:

• bold - highlight the main idea of ​​the text;
• italics - you can highlight fragments of the text of letters to VIP clients or something less important;
• emphasized - if we want to really emphasize something.

5. Making lists:

• bulleted lists - if the number of items is from 3 to 5;
• numbered lists - more than 5.

These are the simple but effective rules I discovered after reading the book “The Art of Business Writing.” Now I spend significantly less time writing letters (and my recipients, I hope, better understand what is expected of them).

I hope that my article will be useful to you and will help you and your employees in writing business letters to clients and business partners, as well as for internal correspondence with employees.

After all, you must admit, everything is quite simple. So why not put these simple principles into practice?

I advise you not to put off the book until tomorrow and start reading today.”

You can buy the book “The Art of Business Writing” (or wherever you come across it))

16Apr

Hello! In this article we will talk about business letters.

Today you will learn:

1. Why business correspondence has not lost its relevance;
2. What types of business letters are there and how they are formatted;
3. How to write a business letter correctly.

Now outside our windows is the time of high technology and the Internet. But business correspondence has not lost its importance and relevance, it has simply moved to other media. Let's talk today about why it is important to be able to compose and format business letters.

Why do you need business correspondence?

First of all, this is an opportunity to exchange opinions, suggestions and thoughts with employees or business partners. With the help of correspondence, they state complaints, requests, and clarify misunderstandings between companies.

Business correspondence is one of the types of official correspondence.

Differences between business letters and others

The main differences are as follows:

• Stylistics of presentation;
• Vocabulary that does not allow clear expression of emotions;
• Done on the official letterhead of the company;
• The font is not too small, but not large either, and is the same throughout the text;
• Rarely occupy more than 1 page;
• Presence of strict official chain of command.

Types of business letters

All business letters can be divided into several groups. We will dwell on each in more detail and give a brief description.

Letters that do not need to be answered.

• Letter of guarantee;
• Accompanying;
• Informational;
• Warning letter;
• Reminder letter.

Letters that require a response.

• Appeal;
• Offer;
• Request;
• Requirement;
• Petition.

Non-commercial letters.

• Invitation letter;
• Letters expressing condolences;
• Letters expressing gratitude;
• Letters informing about something;
• Letters containing recommendations;
• Letters of guarantee;
• Letters confirming that the goods have been received, the service has been provided, and so on;
• Letters of congratulations on various occasions;
• Letter of request;
• Letters of instructions;
• Covering letters.

Commercial letters.

They are usually used before entering into an agreement, as well as during the validity of the contract.

These include:

• Letters responding to inquiries;
• Direct request;
• – a letter in which it is proposed to make a transaction or conclude an agreement;
• Claim;
• Reminder;
• A letter containing a warning about the termination of agreements or the need to fulfill obligations, etc.

If we talk about classification by structure, there are 2 types of business letters:

• Containing the author's text and written in free form;
• Compiled according to a strict pattern.

By addressee.

• Circular – a letter that is sent to several addressees;
• Regular – sent to one recipient on behalf of one person;
• Collective – sent to one recipient, but from several persons.

Letters are also divided according to the form in which they were sent:

• Sent as a fax message;
• Sent by email;
• Those sent in regular envelopes.

There are types of letters that, for ethical reasons, should be handwritten rather than typed. This applies to condolences and congratulations.

Secrets of proper design

The text of the letter is divided into introductory, main and final parts. They are logically connected to each other. The introductory part includes the circumstances that led to the creation of the letter, and the main part represents the content itself. The final part summarizes the results, which express the request, refusal, etc.

In general, business correspondence with all responsibility can be called an art, because it is necessary to learn how to conduct it correctly, in compliance with all requirements. After all, most often we only think about the information being presented clearly, and we forget about the fact that the letter can be considered the face of the company.

Stylistics.

Each letter is kept in a strict business style, using means of speech characteristic of official documents.

Requirements for presentation of information.

All information contained in the letter is presented as follows:

• Addressed, intended for a specific person;
• All information must be current as of the date of writing;
• Reliable;
• Impartially;
• Reasoned;
• As completely as possible, so that a decision can be made based on it.

Form.

First of all, the letter is drawn up on letterhead that is proprietary to the company.

• To write a business letter, A4 size sheets are used;
• The left margin of the form must be at least 3 cm, since after some time they will be sent to the file;
• The name of the company, its legal and actual address, and email address are indicated;
• It is better to use the standard Times New Roman font, size 12. It is the most optimal and is easy to read;
• It is allowed to draw up business letters without using a letterhead, but then you still need to provide the information from the form.

If the letter deals with large transactions related to finance or confidential information of another nature, it is not recommended to send such letters by fax or electronically. It’s better the old fashioned way, in a regular paper envelope.

Numbering.

If the letter consists of several pages, then they are numbered starting from the second. The numbers are marked at the top in the middle in Arabic numerals. There are no dots next to the number.

Division into parts.

This means dividing the letter into paragraphs. The text should not flow in a continuous stream, otherwise it simply will not be perceived. Thanks to the division into paragraphs, you can see where one thought ends and another begins.

Availability of fixes.

It is not advisable to allow corrections, typos, or erasures. The letter must be written correctly, and the text must be printed at intervals of 1.5 - 2.

Details used.

We will indicate only the main ones, since we already briefly talked about them a little earlier:

• If the enterprise is state-owned, the Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation is used. It is located in the middle of the official form;
• Full company name;
• Fax and telephone numbers;
• Bank account number;
• Addressee - and the name of the recipient company is used in the nominative case; to indicate the position and surname of the recipient, use the dative case;
• If the recipient has an academic degree or title, indicate it before the person’s last name;
• Any details are written on a new line and with a capital letter.

Business letter after a meeting

You held a business meeting, there was some prospect for. We will discuss further how to reflect this in a letter.

1. First of all, at the beginning of the letter, refer to the date and time of your communication with your potential partner, even if a couple of days have passed since the meeting.
2. Avoid mistakes or overly complex phrases: keep the letter short and clear, but in such a way that the recipient will want to read it.
3. Mention what the conversation was about. Eg: " We discussed how much a Venetian-style vase would cost.”
4. Make sure that the recipient of the letter expresses his/her opinion on the topic of the meeting.
5. Indicate a time when you can communicate by phone or meet in person.
6. Let the recipient know that you are looking forward to working with him: “ I look forward to future business relationships with you«.
7. End your letter with the following or similar phrase: “ Best wishes to you...».

Electronic business letters

It is impossible to ignore the requirements for their design, since now more and more letters are issued in electronic form rather than in paper form. After all, it’s the 21st century.

Preparing an electronic business letter is not difficult; the formatting requirements are identical to traditional letters. The only thing is that such a letter should always have a title (or subject line) so that it simply does not get lost in the flow of documentation.

In addition, when such a letter is answered, it is better not to change the subject of the letter, so you will quickly understand what is being said if you receive a lot of emails.

Also, you should not use state-of-the-art software when creating attachments to such letters; it is far from a fact that your recipient has the same. If it is not there, the letter simply will not open.

Don't use emoticons when writing a business letter electronically. Technology is great, but keep it business-like when writing.

What is the deadline for replying to a letter?

If the letter is classified as requiring a response, then when to respond depends on the information contained in the letter:

• If you receive a request, please confirm that it has been received within the next three days of receipt. And the final answer can be given within a month;
• If we are talking about condolences, it can be sent within ten days after the sad event happened;
• It is permissible to send congratulations within 8 days from the moment you learned about the special date;
• If we talk about the general rules of good manners, then it is better to respond to letters within seven days.

How to write a business letter: in simple language about complex things

Distinguish between a business letter and personal correspondence. We have already talked more than once today about what these differences are, we should not forget about them. Now let’s look at writing a letter step by step.

Stage 1. We indicate the addressee.

In the upper right corner of the form we write the surname, initials and position of the person to whom we are addressing the letter. If the addressee is an organization, indicate its legal address.

Stage 2. Appeal.

We place it in the middle of the form. It is carried out in a respectful manner, without abbreviations or erasures.

Example: Dear (name, patronymic)! Also, the addressee can be addressed by indicating his position. But when you address a person by name, it reduces psychological stress and indicates that the business relationship is stable and established.

Stage 3. Statement of purpose.

Explain the purpose of the letter, its essence and main ideas. This part is the main one. Write about what you want to say, what is the reason for your appeal. But do not forget about the official and neutral style.

Stage 4. Making proposals and recommendations.

Almost any business letter implies that the addressee will respond to it. This is generally not required only by letters of an informational nature. Therefore, do not just describe the problem, but also suggest how it can be solved.

If you file a complaint, ask for certain measures to be taken; if you offer to cooperate, tell us what options are available.

Simply put, the one who receives the letter must see that they not only want something from him, but also understand how this can be accomplished.

How to end a business letter

A business letter must be written perfectly. If writing rules are not followed, it can negatively affect the company's reputation as a whole. Therefore, we now propose to dwell in more detail on the design of the final part of a business letter.

At the end of the letter, summarize everything that was discussed earlier. But you shouldn’t stretch your conclusions into 10 sentences; after all, brevity and conciseness are valued in business letters. It's better to limit yourself to simple phrases.

We will base the ending on 2 indicators: it should be as polite and correct as possible. There are different options for how to build it.

Here are some examples:

• Thank you for your attention or help: Thank you! (Let me thank you...);
• Express your hopes for the future: We hope for mutually beneficial cooperation (We hope to receive a response in the near future...);
• You can construct a phrase to assure the addressee of something: We would be glad to cooperate with you;
• Make a request: We ask you to report the results;
• Apologize for any inconvenience caused: I apologize for the unexpected delay in payment for the material.

How to say goodbye to the recipient.

Despite the fact that the correspondence is official, you can say goodbye in different ways.

Here are a few options:

• With respect to you...;
• With wishes of success...;
• Best wishes…

We sign correctly.

When signing the letter, indicate your position, first and last name. If you doubt the appropriateness of a phrase like: “ Yours sincerely" - just don't use it.

You can indicate your contacts, additional phone number or email address in the signature, so you demonstrate to the recipient that you are ready to communicate and cooperate with him.

In the next part of our article I would like to talk about business letters in English.

Business letters in English

There is no regulated form for composing such letters. Everything will depend on the purpose of the letter and who its addressee is. Here are some brief recommendations for drafting.

Date of writing.

If we are writing in the USA, then when indicating the date we put the month first, then the day and only then the year. If to the UK, the date is entered as in the Russian Federation. In this case, write the month in letters to avoid confusion.

Recipient details.

• If you write to a man, contact him like this: Mr (insert last name);
• If a woman who is married: Mrs (insert last name);
• To an unmarried lady: Miss (indicate last name);
• If you don't know the lady's status: Ms (insert last name).

Specifying the address.

The order is the opposite of that accepted in the Russian Federation: office, house number, street name, zip code, state name (if writing in the USA), county name and country name (if writing in the UK).

How to contact the recipient.

Standard calls:

• Dear Madam;
• Dear Sir;
• Dear Sir or Madam;
• Dear Mrs;
• Dear.

After the address we put a comma (if writing to the UK) or a colon (if writing to the USA). It is not customary to put an exclamation mark.

Subject.

Be sure to indicate the subject of the letter, just like in the Russian Federation.

Main text.

Divide it into paragraphs. Or write each sentence on a new line.

How to say goodbye.

For example, like this: “ Thanking you for assistance, we remain Yours truly"– Thank you, my devoted one..., although it could be less formal.

Signature registration.

We put our signature under the farewell paragraph, indicate our first and last name, company name and position.

Design of applications.

If you are enclosing any documents, please indicate this at the end of the letter: “ Enc." and list applications.

What to write with a capital letter.

• Last names and initials;
• Company names;
• Names of cities, states, etc.;
• Any words that indicate the position held;
• The first words in farewell;
• Opening addresses.

Before we end the conversation, here are some examples of business letters in Russian and English.

Samples of business letters in Russian and English

Conclusion

To summarize, I would like to say that a business letter is a tool for communication in any field of activity. If it is written correctly, it will definitely present your company in a positive light.

On the other hand, a letter written sloppily and with errors can completely destroy the most promising business. Write letters correctly, and we tried to tell you how to do it.

How many wonderful ideas do not wait for implementation, how many letters are deleted after 3 seconds of attention, how many misunderstandings arise every day due to the inability to clearly express one’s thoughts in writing! A brilliant article that is worth reading to understand how to best write business letters. At the MBA, we taught this skill simply: when writing written papers, we were given a limit on the number of words. For example, 3000. For excess, points were deducted. And so you write a brilliant, magnificent work, and you get 4000... and then you spend a lot of time on editing, thinking about what is really important and what you can do without. Every word must hit the target.

You're probably constantly writing at work: proposals for clients, memos for bosses, a constant stream of emails to colleagues. So how can you make sure your messages are clear and well-structured? How to distinguish them from the general flow of information?

What the experts say

Overworked managers with limited time may think that developing their business writing abilities is a tedious and, indeed, futile exercise. Nevertheless, it is the ability to structure an interesting and well-written proposal that allows you to communicate effectively, develop your business and position yourself correctly. “As Marvin Swift once so aptly noted, clarity of writing means clarity of thought,” says Cara Blackburn, senior lecturer in communication at MIT Sloan School of Business. “You can have the best ideas in the world, but if you can't communicate, no one will know about them,” she adds. “Fortunately, everyone has the potential to improve in business writing,” says Brian Garner, author of The HBR Guide to Business Writing. “The ability to write a letter is not a gift that people are born with,” he says. “It’s a skill that you develop yourself.” Here's how to write simply, clearly and precisely.

Think before you start writing

Before you pick up a pen or put your fingers on a keyboard, think about what you want to say. “Starting to write right away is a common mistake that many people make,” says Garner. “They develop ideas while writing, which is why such a message turns out to be poorly structured, thoughts jump from subject to subject and repeat. Ask yourself: What is the message behind my email that my recipient will remember after reading this email, proposal, or report? If you yourself cannot quickly and simply answer your question, you were clearly in a hurry when writing the text.”

“You should take some time to clear your head,” agrees Blackburn.

Write specifically

Get straight to the point. Many people find that the structure and writing style they were taught in school don't quite translate to communication in the business world. “The worst mistake that can be made in business writing is leaving the main idea of ​​the message in the middle of the letter,” says Garner. If you present the key idea simply and briefly at the very beginning of the letter, it will save your recipient’s time, and your further argument will seem more convincing even before the person reads your message. When preparing long memos or proposals, Garner recommends stating the main idea or proposed solution "in 150 words or less" at the very beginning of the first page. “Improve your ability to generalize and communicate ideas concisely,” he says. “If the introductory part of the letter is unsuccessful, the same can be said about the entire letter as a whole.”

Don't pour water

“Don't use three words where one would suffice,” Blackburn recommends. After reading, critically evaluate your own writing and make sure that every word is aimed at conveying the essence of the letter. Remove every extra word or sentence. For example, you should not say “universal unanimity of opinion,” because simply saying “unanimity” is enough.

“The moment the reader realizes that the message is becoming too wordy, attention begins to switch off,” says Garner. He suggests using one word instead of a phrase (it is better to replace the phrase “point of view” with one word - “opinion”), replacing complex constructions with specific verbs (to provide protection to someone - to protect), using abbreviations (English: don't instead of do not and we're instead of we are), and also, whenever possible, use active verbs instead of passive ones (“do” instead of “be done”).

Avoid jargon and scientific style

Business correspondence is accompanied by the use of slang and abbreviations. Although it often happens that their use cannot be avoided in correspondence, and sometimes they even turn out to be useful, they still indicate laziness and confusion in thoughts. If there is too much slang, the recipient will begin to think that you wrote this message on autopilot, and then he will completely cease to understand what you are talking about. "Jargon doesn't add meaning," says Blackburn, "while clarity and conciseness never go out of style." Garner suggests creating a “black list” of slang words and expressions that should be avoided, such as checklist, cap, charge, etc. You should also avoid using too pretentious language. Often, authors mistakenly believe that using complex and beautiful words instead of simple ones is a sign of intelligence. Alas, this is far from the case.

Reread what you write

Put yourself in your reader's shoes. Is your thought clear to him, is it expressed clearly? Does your text consist of simple and understandable sentences? Blackburn recommends reading paragraphs out loud. “This makes the shortcomings come to light: a sentence that is cumbersome, a section with unnecessarily long paragraphs,” she says. Don't be afraid to ask a colleague or friend to edit your work, or better yet, several colleagues or friends. Give them a chance to express their opinion and don't be offended by it. “Correcting a job is a friendly service,” Garner says, “not an act of aggression.”

Practice every day

“Writing is a skill,” says Blackburn. “And skills improve with practice.” Garner suggests reading well-written material every day and being careful in choosing words, structuring sentences, and expressing ideas. "Start paying attention to the style of The Wall Street Journal," he says. Buy a style and grammar guide: Garner recommends Fowler's Modern English Usage. Most importantly, set aside time in your schedule for proofreading and editing. “Writing a paper and then proofreading it is what improves your style. Just don't expect quick changes, advises Blackburn. “This time is spent on the right thing, because those who write high-quality texts also do their work well, and this is noticeable.”

Remember the following:

What to do:

• Think ahead about what you need to say to make your message as specific and effective as possible.
• Don't waste words, use short sentences and always write to the point.
• Avoid jargon and buzzwords. Instead, you should strive for simplicity and clarity of presentation.

What not to do:

• Don't claim that you are unable to write text. With constant practice, everyone can develop their writing skills.
• Don't assume that the very first draft of the letter is the best, or at least suitable. Any document can be modified.
• Don't bury the key idea of ​​the message. The essence of the message should be stated at the very beginning.

Case Study #1: Don't be afraid to ask someone for help.

When David McCombie took a job as a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company, he immediately realized that the writing style he had mastered at Harvard Law School was completely unsuited to business communication at the executive level. “The problem was the structure of my reasoning,” David recalls. “Getting the outside perspective I needed taught me how to get to the heart of the matter more quickly.”

“The legal or academic style is characterized by constructing material from a long and tedious description of the entire process, while the conclusion is postponed to the very end,” he explains. “However, in business correspondence it is best to start with conclusions, and not vice versa.”

David transferred this approach to work to the private investment company he created in Miami - The McCombie Group. “The letters that I think are most important, I send to my partner so that he can read them again,” says David, which he finds is more effective than editing them himself. We are now talking about how best to convey this or that idea, to express it more accurately.

Working on texts has a direct connection with the fact that David's opinion is important in the field where he is a recognized professional. He is currently busy writing a book called The Family Office Practitioner's Guide to Direct Investments, which claims a special place in the environment in which his company has established itself.

“Even if I understood everything about writing business letters, I would prefer to continue to improve in this matter, because working on yourself and your skills is the key to success,” states David. The more practice, the better.

Case Study #2: Learn How to Write Letters Correctly

Tim Glova managed to build a successful career in the field of strategic marketing, but decided to go further. “I wanted to be seen not just as a technocrat, but as a thoughtful leader,” says Tim. “To do this, I needed to speak in public and present my ideas to them.”

He knew that the speech must be clear, it must be easy to understand and be correctly constructed, and then his reputation will gain even more weight. His letters were received with a bang by colleagues and specialists of the same level as him, but his experience lay more in the scientific plane. So Tim started reading all sorts of business literature, like McKinsey Quarterly, to get a feel for the style. “I studied how they communicated,” says Tim, “and tried to write so that my text looked clear and sounded convincing.”

Tim was able to improve not only his texts, but also his emails and voicemails. “This ability permeates his entire style of communication,” say his colleagues. And Tim’s works found their readers. Some of his works have been downloaded 100,000 times, and a Fortune 50 organization just recently used one of his works as an internal program for staff training and development.

Tim is pleased with his progress, but at the same time he believes that he should not stop there. “We must never stop working on ourselves,” he sums up. “Once you acquire a skill, it needs to be reinforced.”

What is not yet mentioned in the article, but I would definitely add it, is the importance of correct, beautiful, appropriate design. Such documents are easy to read. Bullet points, alignment of distances between lines, font size - all this was invented in order to make your document understandable, not elegant. The appearance of the document is as important as a neat and elegant appearance when you come to a business meeting.

In principle, questions about how and by what means can be created and sent should not arise. However, not everyone is ready to immediately begin this task when it comes to official letters, especially when the author of the letter expects to receive a response. I’ll tell you a little secret of business correspondence: the stricter the character and style of the letter, the greater the chance of a response from the recipient. In this lesson, I will provide several sample emails that should help users decide on their own style and subsequently compose messages in the most competent way.

First, we need to decide what nature the letter we are creating will be. I divide all outgoing emails into three main types:

• Business offer
• Business inquiry
• Friendly address

Accordingly, for all three types I have templates, both in the form of simple text files and in the form of templates tailored for specific email programs. Let's move on to each of them in order.

Business offer

Hello (Good afternoon), [name of the person being addressed]!

It is advisable to indicate the name in any letter when communicating, because a personal address puts a person in a friendly mood. However, if you still can’t find out the name, a template greeting will suffice.

Let me introduce to your attention a new service (new product) from our company [company name].

Let me offer cooperation in the field of [name of field of activity].

Next, briefly describe the advantages of your proposal in terms of price or some quality characteristics. The main thing is not to overdo it. Megabytes of text, and even supplemented with bright, meaningless pictures, only scare people away. If the recipient of the letter is interested in your offer from the first lines, he will definitely contact you for additional information.

If you're serious about getting the right people to contact you the first time you contact them, then it makes sense to think about reach beyond just email. It would be a good idea to create accounts in services such as ICQ andSkype. Sometimes it is much easier for a person to contact you by regular phone, if, of course, you thoughtfully left the number in your signature.

Why do you need to duplicate your own e-mail address in the signature, you ask, if it is automatically forwarded by the mail server. The rule here is that excessive information in business correspondence is never unnecessary. Let’s imagine a situation where your letter is received by a person who is potentially not interested in the offer, or who is simply not competent to respond to it correctly. It forwards the received message to another user, but for some reason, information about the true sender is lost from the automatically added data, which makes it difficult to contact you. However, it will always be enough to look at the signature to determine the author of the letter and his necessary contacts.

Business inquiry

Hello (Good afternoon)!

Or, if the addressee's name is known, then (Dear, [Name, Patronymic])!

Please provide information about the product (service) [name of product/service] with a description of the full characteristics and competitive qualities.

Based on the Federal Law of the Russian Federation [number and date of the document], I ask you to provide information [describe the data necessary to obtain].

You can also contact the management of a particular service on the Internet if your rights are violated.

In connection with the violation of clause [clause number in the user agreement] of the user agreement, namely: “[quote the full text of the said clause]”, I ask you to conduct an investigation and take appropriate sanctions against the guilty [responsible (if we are talking about service employees)] person [site (site name)]. Please report the results of the inspection and the sanctions imposed to [your own email address].

Friendly address

Greetings (Good day) (Hello), [person's name]!

When you first contact us in a friendly manner, a good indicator will be the completeness of your text message. A correctly written, voluminous text will indicate your high interest in contacting the right person and will arouse a desire for a response. Don't forget to open up the conversation with a few initial questions.

Example email