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To correspond with outside individuals or groups, organizations use business letters to request and provide information, motivate action, respond to requests, and sell goods and services. Because letters become part of a permanent record, they can be checked later to determine exactly who said what and when. Keep a copy and back up every letter you write.

A good business letter is brief—limited to one page if possible. It supplies what the reader needs, no more. A letter of inquiry might simply request a booklet, sample, or promotional piece. A special request might add why you are writing, what you need, and when you need it. On the other hand, a letter of complaint focuses on your problem—what product is involved, when and where you purchased it, why you are unhappy, and how you’d like the problem solved. Include specifics such as product numbers and dates, and maintain a courteous tone. Because they are so brief, business letters are often judged on details—format, appearance, openings, closings.

Format for Business Letters

The format of business letters (see Figure 17.3) is established by convention.

Return Address. This is your address or the address of the company for which you are writing. Abbreviate only the state using its two-letter postal abbreviation. Omit a return address on preprinted letterhead stationery.

Date. Supply this on the line right after the return address. Spell out the month; follow it by the day, a comma, and the year.

Inside Address. This is the address of the person to whom you are writing. Begin with the person’s full name and title (Mr., Ms., Dr., Professor); when addressing a woman without a professional title, use Ms. unless you know that she prefers Miss or Mrs. The second line should identify the position the person holds, and the third line should name the organization. If you don’t know your reader, start with the name of the position, department, or organization. Avoid abbreviations except for the state.

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Salutation. Skip a line. Then type Dear followed by the person’s title and last name (Dear Dr. Diaz). If you don’t know who will read your letter, use that person’s position (Dear Editor) or organization (Dear Angell’s Bakery) in place of a name. End with a colon.

Body. Present your message. Leave one line of space between paragraphs; begin each paragraph even with the left margin (no indentations). Paragraphs should generally be no longer than seven or eight typed lines.

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Closing. Leave one line of space after the last paragraph, and then use a conventional closing followed by a comma: Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Respectfully yours, Yours truly.

Typed Name with Position. Leave four lines of space after the closing, and type your name in full, even if you will sign only your first name. Do not include a title before your name. If you are writing on behalf of an organization, you can include your position on the next line. You may add your e-mail address or telephone number here unless already supplied.

Signature. Print the letter, and sign your name in the space above the typed name. Unless you have a personal relationship with the recipient, use both your first and last names. Do not include a title before your name.

Abbreviations at End. Leave at least two lines of space between your typed name and any abbreviations used to communicate more about the letter. Put each abbreviation on a separate line. If you send a copy to someone other than the recipient, use cc: followed by the name of the person or organization receiving a copy. If the letter is accompanied by another document in the same envelope, use Enc. or Enclosure. If the letter has been typed by someone else, the writer’s initials are capitalized, followed by a slash and the typist’s initials in lowercase format: VW/dbw.

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Modified and Full Block Style. To format a letter using modified block style (see Figure 17.3), imagine a line running down the center of the page from top to bottom. Align the left side of the return address, date, closing, signature, and your typed name with this center line. Use full block style on letterhead stationery with the organization’s name and address. Omit typing the return address, and align all elements at the left margin.

Envelope Formats. The U.S. Postal Service recommends an easy-to-scan format with all capital letters, standard abbreviations, and no punctuation. However, conventional format (see Figure 17.4) is always safe to use.