The art of the winning

business letter

Types of Business Letters

• Fan• Compliment• Suggestion• Information• Problem – solution• Request• Complaint

Six Parts

• Return Address• Inside Address• Greeting• Body• Complimentary Close• Signature Line

Heading – return address

Greeting

Body

Complimentary Close

Signature line

Inside Address

Style:

Block

Style:

ModifiedBlock

Style:

Semi-Block

Heading

Benicia High School1101 Military WestBenicia, CA 94510¶January X, 20XX¶

Inside Address

Christopher NolanFilm Directorc/o Cheshire Agency231 Movieland DriveHollywood, CA, 94510¶

Greeting

Dear Mr. Nolan:¶

BodyI am a high school student who has seen Dark Knight four times, and bought it for my collection. I wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoy your work. I have seen all your movies. My favorites are Dark Knight, Batman Begins, and Memento. I like how you make surreal situations look real and believable. Batman seems like a real person. Memento is very twisted and fun to watch. I hope you make another strange, entertaining movie soon, and I hope Batman returns once again with you in charge.¶If you have a poster or pictures of yourself that you send out to fans, I would be honored to hang it in my bedroom and keep it forever. ¶

Complimentary Close

Sincerely,¶¶¶¶

Signature Line

[Your Name][Title]

[Street Address] ¶[City, ST ZIP Code] ¶

[Date] ¶¶[Recipient Name] ¶[Title] ¶[Company Name] ¶[Street Address] ¶[City, ST ZIP Code] ¶¶Dear [Recipient Name]: ¶¶Introduce yourself and summarize why you are writing. New ¶Go into detail (100+ words) about why you are writing - compliment? suggestion? request? complaint? ¶Close with clear solution, follow-up expectations, or simply a fond farewell. ¶ ¶Sincerely, ¶¶¶ ¶ ¶[Your Name][Title]

1101 Military WestBenicia, CA 94510

January X, 20XX

Christopher NolanFilm Directorc/o Cheshire Agency231 Movieland DriveHollywood, CA, 94510 Dear Mr. Nolan:

I am a high school student who has seen Dark Knight four times, and bought it for my collection. I wanted to write and tell you how much I enjoy your work. I have seen all your movies. My favorites are Dark Knight, Batman Begins, and Memento. I like how you make surreal situations look real and believable. Batman seems like a real person. Memento is very twisted and fun to watch. I hope you make another strange, entertaining movie soon, and I hope Batman returns once again with you in charge.

If you have a poster or pictures of yourself that you send out to fans, I would be honored to hang it in my bedroom and keep it forever.

Sincerely, [Your Name][Title]

1101 Military WestBenicia, CA 94510January X, 20XX

Dean Chambers, CEOChambers Choice Chili999 Hot Tongue BlvdSlagway, Alaska, 94510 Dear Mr. Chambers:

I just ate a can of your great chili and liked it so much I am taking the time to write you a letter of compliment. I hate it when my mother buys canned chili because it always tastes nasty. I like chili, but I only like it homemade. My mother makes great chili and so does my Uncle Bobby Watson. He’s won two 1st Place Prizes in the Elko, Nevada, Annual Chili Cook-Off Competition.

I must admit, when I found your can of chili in our kitchen last Saturday, I almost skipped over it, but I was starving and there was nothing else to eat. From the first bite, I knew I would be eating your chili for the rest of my life – if you’re around that long. It tasted delicious. I couldn’t believe how many ingredients were in it. You had three kinds of beans, and big chunks of tomato. It was just hot enough, not too hot. I ended up eating two cans of it. I am going to ask my parents to buy more cans of Chambers Choice Chili.

I am only writing to thank you for making your excellent chili. Of course, if you have coupons or discounts or information on your other products that you send to devoted fans, I promise to use them wisely. However, I only wrote to say “Great chili!” Keep up the good work.

Sincerely, [Your Name][Title]

Design & Spacing Rules

• Letter should be positioned just above the center of your paper.

Steps

• Decide who you are writing to and find the address

• Write the body without formatting until you get the language perfect

• Handwrite the letter• Once approved, type the letter• Fold properly• Address envelope

Body Details

• You must have a real, sincere, concrete reason for writing the letter.

• The letter must give precise details at every step.

• If a compliment, it cannot be just general adulation.

• If a problem, offer a detailed solution.• If a complaint, extra effort must be taken to

give every piece of pertinent information.

Complaint letters• Tone must always be courteous and professional

– no anger or insults• Must, of course, be real and not exaggerated• Must give story line of exactly when, where

product was purchased• Must tell exactly what the defect is and how it

was discovered or how it occurred• Must tell all steps taken to remedy problem – did

you go back to the store? When? Why didn’t that resolve the problem?

When requesting something

• Don’t be blatant or greedy or needy. • Don’t ask for too much or for something big.• Ask sincerely, humbly, and only as an after-

thought.• If you write a good letter and ask politely for a

token of thanks, you are far more likely to get something in return. You have to make the reader WANT to reward you by being a sincere, devoted, polite customer or fan.

Extras

• If you enclose something else in the envelope, then below your signature line you type:

• Enclosure: (1) receipt• If you send your letter to two people, then

below your signature line you type:• cc. Other Name