Essentials of an Effective Business Letter

Business letter has a materialistic purpose but effective business letter can also strengthens the bonds between two organizations or the dealer and the customer. Business letters are used for many purposes such as to make inquiries, send replies, to place orders or bank correspondences etc. The main and the basic function of the business letter is not only to convey your message to the person who receives the letter but also to influence the reader. Following point can be used to make your business letter an effective business communication.

Language of business letter:

The language of business letter should be simple. It should not contain difficult words, phrases or technical jargons. It should have a smooth flow and should be easily understood or it should not require further explanation.

Avoid use of long sentences having many clauses. Sometimes the reader loses the beginning by the time he comes to the end of the sentence.

Avoid negative approach in the letter.

Avoid use of dull and uninteresting language. A letter with permanent style or with same tone of expression at all occasions may become stereotyped in due course. Use variety or a welcoming change in language that befits the particular occasion or pleases a particular person. But the variety should not be at the cost of clarity.

Sincerity of purpose:

Sincerity of purpose is important not only for human relations but also for business dealings. The letter should have an air of frankness and authenticity.

Avoid self-centered focusing on your own concerns or your business and focus on the recipient's needs, interests, or purposes. This "you attitude" or recipient oriented style is very useful in winning new customers and maintaining old ones. It does not mean that you should use more of "you" in your letter but you should make recipient the main focus of the letter. However, you should be cautious not to overdo anything in your letter to avoid feel of deception, superficiality or ambiguity.

Adjust oneself to the reader:

Tune your sentences to the taste of the prospective buyer. Mention the advantage a buyer would get without praising your own firm.

Business letter represents the firm, organization or the business. It is like a salesman with a difference. A salesman can instantly rectify his mistake if he has said something that looks unpleasant, but a letter writer can't.

You can use business-writing software for proofreading and to check and correct English grammar & spellings in your letter. Some software programs also has text enrichment feature to enrich your text with adjectives & adverbs, which enhances the simple sentence into more professional and sophisticated one & also suggest context related synonym for repeated words. 

By: Stephen Thomson