Steps for writing a business letter

A business letter is a formal letter written from one professional to another. Business letters are unique and although there are a few basic rules of etiquette to follow when writing one, you can certainly put your own personal touches in your letter to make it less stark. Below are simple steps for writing your own business letter.

To Begin
The start of your business letter needs to include the person that you are writing to as well as a the word "dear" in most cases. First names are only used if the business letter is meant to be informal or if you have a close relationship with the person to which you are writing. Some common male titles are Sir or Mr. For females you should address them as Madam, Mrs, or Ms (only use Mrs if you know that the woman to whom you are writing is married and prefers to use the title of Mrs If you are unsure, play it safe and use Ms for women). Other non-gender specific titles include: Personal Director, President, Human Resource Department Member, etc. Of course it is appropriate to write "to whom it may concern" if you are unsure as to who will actually be receiving your letter.

Acknowledgement or a reference
Many times a business letter will be in response to a previously received letter. Make some sort of acknowledgement that you have received the previous letter and that the letter you are now writing is in response to that. Some examples are listed below:

"Thank you for your letter dated Feb.20th, ..."
"With reference to your proposal given on the 13th of October, ..."

Clearly state your purpose for writing
Obviously you are not going to be writing a business letter for no reason at all. Make sure you clearly state your reason for writing. Remember that your business letter should be clear and to the point. It is to your disadvantage to state something unclearly or to leave a comment opened to interpretation. Some introductions to this part of your letter include:

"I am writing to inquire about ..."
"I am writing to apologize for ..."
"My reason for writing is to ask you a favor ..."
"I would be grateful if you could ..."

Answering requests
Just as you should be clear when you ask for something in a business letter, the response to a request should also be clear. Give clear and polite answers as well as reasons for not being able to accommodate a request if such disclosure of information is appropriate. Here are some examples of how to word your answers:

"I would be happy/honored to ..."
"Unfortunately" or "I am afraid that ..."

Enclosed documents
When you send a business letter that also has documents attached to it, make sure that you mention these enclosed documents in the letter. You want to make sure that the recipient of your letter gets all of the information that you have sent. Below are examples:

"I am enclosing ..."
"Enclosed you will find ..."

Conclusion
The conclusion of your business letter has several components. The first is to sum up the general emotions of the letter by thanking the individual who you are writing to for their time, consideration, help, etc. You also want to offer your services in whatever capacity you are able. Make sure that you give your reader information about how you can be contacted if there are any questions of concerns about the contents of your letter.

You will also want too reference any future contact. Especially in the case where you will be meeting another individual for the first time, you want to make sure that you state something like "I look forward to meeting you next Tuesday," "...seeing you soon," "finally meeting you in person," etc.

The end
The last thing in your business letter should be your name and the word "Sincerely" or one of the following,

"Yours faithfully," (If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to)
"Yours sincerely," (If you know the name of the person you're writing to)
"Best wishes,"
"Best regards," (If the person is a close business contact or friend)

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