7 Types of Business Letters
1.
Sales Letters
Typical sales letters start off with a very
strong statement to capture the interest of the reader. Since the purpose is to
get the reader to do something, these letters include strong calls to action,
detail the benefit to the reader of taking the action and include information
to help the reader to act, such as including a telephone number or website
link.
2.
Order Letters
Order letters are sent by consumers or
businesses to a manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler to order goods or
services. These letters must contain specific information such as model number,
name of the product, the quantity desired and expected price. Payment is
sometimes included with the letter.
3. Complaint Letters
The words and tone you
choose to use in a letter complaining to a business may be the deciding factor
on whether your complaint is satisfied. Be direct but tactful and always use a
professional tone if you want the company to listen to you.
4. Adjustment Letters
An adjustment letter is
normally sent in response to a claim or complaint. If the adjustment is in the
customer’s favor, begin the letter with that news. If not, keep your tone
factual and let the customer know that you understand the complaint.
5. Inquiry Letters
Inquiry letters ask a
question or elicit information from the recipient. When composing this type of
letter, keep it clear and succinct and list exactly what information you need.
Be sure to include your contact information so that it is easy for the reader
to respond.
6. Follow-Up Letter
Follow-up letters are
usually sent after some type of initial communication. This could be a sales
department thanking a customer for an order, a businessman reviewing the
outcome of a meeting or a job seeker inquiring about the status of his
application. In many cases, these letters are a combination thank-you note and
sales letter.
7. Letters of Recommendation
Prospective employers
often ask job applicants for letters of recommendation before they hire them.
This type of letter is usually from a previous employer or professor, and it
describes the sender’s relationship with and opinion of the job seeker.
Style of business letters
1. Full Block Style
Full
block format is considered the most formal of the three styles. In full block
format or style, every line is left justified. The dateline is placed two to
six line spaces below the last line of the heading or letterhead. The inside
address placement varies depending upon the length of the letter. A common
spacing is four line spaces below the date line. The salutation is placed two
lines below the attention line (if an attention line is provided). The first
line of the body is placed two lines below an attention line or two to four
lines below the last inside address line. When using full block, paragraphs are
single spaced, with a double space between paragraphs.
2. Block Style
The
block style is also known as the Full block style. In this style, all elements
of the letter are justified to the left.This business letter style is becoming
very common, for the obvious reason that typing in this manner is easier,
especially on a computer.
3. Semi Block Style
Semi-block
format or style is frequently called modified semi-block because it is a
slightly less formal modification of full block format. This letter style
places the date line in alignment with, or slightly to the right of dead
center. Another option for placing the date line in semi-block is flush right.
Similar to full block, semi-block places the inside address, salutation and any
end notations flush with the left margin. However, unlike full block, each body
paragraph of semi-block is indented five spaces. The complimentary close and
signature block are aligned under the date.
4. Indented Style
Indented
style is somewhat more complicated than other popular styles of business
writing. In indented style, new paragraphs in a piece of writing are indented
that is, they begin about 1.5 centimeters to the right of the left margin.
Other parts of a business letter are moved farther to the right half of the
page. Indented style is one of the older formats for business writing currently
in use, though other formats are becoming more popular. Indented style is a
format that many of today’s business people were trained to use.
5. Simplified Style
Simplified
format or style unlike full block and semi-block has fewer internal parts. This
format is also the most widely used format in professional correspondence.
Simplified format is focused and professional without unnecessary formality.
Simplified format places all internal parts in left alignment; however, the
traditional salutation is replaced with an all-caps subject line that is also
placed flush with the left margin. Body paragraphs are left aligned and single
spaced within and double spaced between. In simplified style, the writer’s name
and title, if necessary, are aligned with the left margin and typed in all caps
at least five spaces below the last line of the body or message of the letter.
6. Hanging Indentation Stye
A
hanging indented letter style is when a paragraph is indented so that the first
line hangs over the rest. Normally you would see a first line indent. This is
when the first line is moved to the right and the rest of the paragraph starts
at the margin. The most common place hanging indents are used is on a
bibliography reference page. When typing you can change the indentation by
either formatting the paragraph or changing the page margins.
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