Purpose of A Business Letter
Purpose of A Business Letter
Purpose of A Business Letter
Sincerely,-------- Closing
Signature
Clara Winters -------- Typed Name and Position
Enclosures: 2 -------- Abbreviations
Legend:
1. Return Address:If your stationery has a letterhead, skip this. Otherwise, type
your name, address and optionally, phone number. These days, it's common to
also include an email address.
2. Date:Type the date of your letter two to six lines below the letterhead. Three are
standard. If there is no letterhead, type it where shown.
3. Reference Line:If the recipient specifically requests information, such as a job
reference or invoice number, type it on one or two lines, immediately below the
Date (2). If you're replying to a letter, refer to it here.For example,
Re: Job # 625-01
Re: Your letter dated 1/1/200x.
4. Special Mailing Notations:Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate.
Examples include
SPECIAL DELIVERY
CERTIFIED MAIL
AIRMAIL
5. On-Arrival Notations:Type in all uppercase characters, if appropriate. You might
want to include a notation on private correspondence, such as a resignation letter.
Include the same on the envelope. Examples are
PERSONAL
CONFIDENTIAL
6. Inside Address:Type the name and address of the person and/or company to
whom you're sending the letter, three to eight lines below the last component you
typed. Four lines are standard. If you type an Attention Line (7), skip the
person's name here. Do the same on the envelope.
7. Attention Line:Type the name of the person to whom you're sendingthe letter. If
you type the person's name in the Inside Address (6), skip this. Do the same on
the envelope.
8. Salutation:Type the recipient's name here. Type Mr. or Ms. [Last Name] to show
respect, but don't guess spelling or gender. Some common salutations are
Ladies:
Gentlemen:
Dear Sir:
Dear Sir or Madam:
Dear [Full Name]:
To Whom it May Concern:
9. Subject Line:Type the gist of your letter in all uppercase characters, either flush
left or centered. Be concise on one line. If you type a Reference Line (3),
consider if you really need this line. While it's not really necessary for most
employment-related letters, examples are below.
SUBJECT: RESIGNATION
LETTER OF REFERENCE
JOB INQUIRY
10. Body:Type two spaces between sentences. Keep it brief and to the point.
11. Complimentary Close:What you type here depends on the tone and degree of
formality. For example,
Respectfully yours (very formal)
Sincerely (typical, less formal)
Replace the text in brackets [ ] with the componentindicated. Don't type the
brackets.
Try to keep your letters to one page, but see page 2of this sample if you need
continuation pages.
How many blank lines you add between lines that require more than one,
depends
on how much space is available on the page.
The same goes for margins. One and one-half inch (108 points) for short letters
and one inch (72 points) for longer letters are standard. If there is a letterhead, its
position determines the top margin on page 1.
If you don't type one of the more formal components, don't leave space for them.
For example, if you don't type the Reference Line (3),Special Mailing
Notations (4) and On-Arrival Notations (5), type theInside Address (6)four
lines below the Date (2).
Business Letter Format
Block Format: Business Letter
Return Address Line 1 1
Return Address Line 2
Date (Month Day, Year) 2
Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr. Full name of recipient. 3
Title/Position of Recipient.
Company Name
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name: 4
Subject: Title of Subject 5
Body Paragraph 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .
..............
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
...
Body Paragraph 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .
..............
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
...
Body Paragraph 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .
..............
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .
...6
Closing (Sincerely...), 7
Signature 8
Your Name (Printed) 9
Your Title
Enclosures (2) 10
Typist Initials. 11
Sample Business Letter
3519 Front Street
Mount Celebres, CA 65286
October 5, 2004
Ms. Betty Johnson
Accounts Payable
The Cooking Store
765 Berliner Plaza
78555 NY.
Dear Mr. Kent,
I am returning with this letter a recent shipment of 300 imprinted t-shirts (order #
234A5) along with a copy of our original purchase order.
As stated, the logo should be reproduced in our corporate logo in color. The logos on
the t-shirts you sent are in black, which is unacceptable.
Please make the necessary corrections and send another shipment of 300 t-shirts
(with the correct logo colors) by the 10th of March. We need them for a company
event that starts on the 20th of March.
Thank you for your prompt attention on this matter.
Sincerely,
Miss Tony Braxton
Head of Purchasing
Phil Packart
5170 Greenbrier Ave
San Diego, CA 92120
April 7, 1999
Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce
2837 Patriot Way
Williamsburg, VA 05987
To whom it may concern:
I am planning a vacation to you area this summer and like would like to get some
information on about Williamsburg. I need to find areasonable place to stay,
some affordable restaurants, and what kind of activities there are to do while I
am there. We are planning our trip at the beginningof July and plan to stay for
about a week. Can you also send me a list of eventstaking place around that
time.
We may also take some side trips during the week, so any information you may
have on other locations around your area would alsobe helpful. Thank you for
your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely
Phil Packart
(print corporate Letter of Appreciation on standardletterhead)
November 30, 2006
Mr. David Kimberly
Director General, Civil Aviation
Government of Seychelles
10 Island View Parkway
Seychelles
Dear David,
I would like to take this opportunity to express myheartfelt thanks to you for your
very active participation in
our recent conference in Montreal on the "future ofaviation". The Chairman and
Board Members have also
asked me to pass on their sincere appreciation for your efforts in supporting the
Institute in this important
undertaking.
Your skill in chairing the controversial panel on "The Role of Developing Countries in
the Future of Aviation
Management" was very much appreciated by those representing all sides of that
extremely sensitive topic. As
well, we have received numerous post-conference requests for the paper you
delivered on "The Critical Issue
of Cooperation Between Airlines and Airports." It appears that you may have
penned a best-seller with that
one!
On both a professional and a personal level, I really appreciated the time that the
two of us were able to spend
together for fun and reflection during conference down times. I certainly learned a
lot about the unique
aspects of aviation operations in your part of the world (not to mention the things
you taught me about the
backhand on the squash court!).
We are currently hard at work producing the "Compendium of Conference
Proceedings" document, and we
expect to be sending it out to all participants early in the new year.
Again, thanks so much for your enthusiastic participation in our conference. I have
no doubt that it would not
have been the success that it was without your presence.
Please keep in touch, and drop in and visit us whenever you are in this part of the
world.
Very sincerely,
Peter Smithfield
President and CEO
(print Business Introduction Letter on corporate letterhead paper)
February 20, 2006
Ms. Margaret Campion
Director, Corporate Services
Riviera Industries Inc.
245 Dearborn Park Road
Chicago, Il 60610
Dear Ms. Campion:
It was a pleasure meeting you briefly at last week's Board of Trade event. It's
amazing how small the world
does seem sometimes, considering that we both earned our undergraduate degrees
at U. of Kansas, even
overlapping for one year! I suppose we were destined to eventually meet face-toface.
I was fascinated by your synopsis of the history ofRiviera Industries over the past,
almost half-century.
Clearly, your company has a rich corporate heritageand tradition. At the same time,
the company has been
blessed with a continuum of leaders of foresight and imagination who had the
courage to change course at
key points along the way so that the company could remain competitive and
continue to lead its industry.
As I was mentioning to you, Final Edition Publications is a specialty publisher that
focuses on corporate
publications including annual reports, corporate profiles and corporate histories. We
have been in business for
over 15 years and during that time have grown from a two-person start-up, to a
serious corporate publisher
with over 100 employees. We have been contracted byover a dozen Fortune 500
companies to produce both
annual and special occasion publications on their behalf.
After our chat at last week's meeting, it occurred to me that with Riviera
approaching its 50th anniversary, it
would be the perfect occasion to produce a Corporate History to celebrate your
company's first half-century.
It so happens, that these are exactly the types of corporate publications that we
specialize in here at Final
Edition. In fact, we have produced corporate histories for a number of companies.
With Riviera's 50th just around the corner, I'm sure that you have been thinking
about ways to make that
anniversary a special one. Accordingly, I would very much like to meet with you and
show you some of the
corporate work we have done, and brief you further on our services. I have a strong
feeling that what we offer
at Final Edition might be just the kind of thing you've been looking for to celebrate
Riviera's 50th.
Please feel free to call me at 745-2398 so that we can discuss this further. If I don't
hear from you by the end
of next week I will follow up with you and see if we can set up a meeting at your
convenience.
Yours truly,
Raymond Gaudet
Manager, Corporate Programs
(print Business Letters on corporate letterhead paper)
July 20, 2006
Mr. Rodney Giles
Manager, Customer Support
Inter-Office Solutions Inc.
1289 Luxor Station Rd.
Cedar Springs, IL, 34985
Dear Rodney:
This is further to our meeting of last week at which we agreed to hold a series of
meetings over the next two months to review your experiences with the pilot
implementation of the 1to1 Customer Relationship Management Program.
As discussed at that meeting, the objectives of ourreview sessions will be to:
Review and assess the overall effectiveness of the program;
Identify and document strengths weaknesses of the program;
Propose customer-focused solutions to address areasof weakness;
Develop an approach and action plan for Phase 2 of the project;
Determine the staff members who will make up the Phase 2 Team.
As agreed, meetings will be held every second Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until noon,
and
the location will alternate between our two offices, the first one to be convened here
at
Inter-Office on August 14, 2005. Fred Johnson of your CRM group is to act as the
meeting co-ordinator and recording secretary throughout the process.
As discussed, at the end of the process, Deborah Buxton of Consultek will draft the
summary report for review by the steering committee. As you requested, a copy of
her
c.v. has been enclosed.
I trust I have covered all of the points that we discussed. If you have any questions
or
would like to add anything please give me a call at745-9878.
We look forward to seeing you at the August 14
th
meeting.
Sincerely,
Marilyn French
Senior Consultant
Encl.
(print Business Memo on corporate memorandum letterhead)
MEMORANDUM
Date:September 30, 2006
From:Meridith Bronson
To:Franco Marconi, Director, Research Programs
Subject: Commendation - Henry Stapleton - Transport
Demand Project
The purpose of this is to officially commend Henry Stapleton for his exceptional
of their contributions resulted in a major success that they should all be proud of
taking part in.
I believe that the 27 companies that participated in this effort have set a new
standard for social responsibility
in this community, and have set a powerful example that will inspire other
companies and organizationsto do
the same.
I look forward to seeing you at the Mayor's specialthank you reception next month.
Yours sincerely,
Jackson Pritchard
Fundraising Chair
(print Congratulations Letter on business or personal stationery, as appropriate)
June 25, 2006
Belinda Asher
620 Mayview Ave.
Pineville, WV 24874
Dear Belinda:
On behalf of everyone here at Deerwood Resorts Ltd., I would like to sincerely
congratulate you on your recent graduation from Mountain State University with
your
M.B.A. (Marketing).
I must say that I was not surprised to read of yoursuccess in the newspaper. During
your
first of four summers as an employee at our Lakeland Family Resort I noted how
bright
you are and how you have a very quick mind for business. Combine those attributes
with
your relentless work ethic and commitment to quality customer service, and it is
obvious
that you have a wide-open future ahead of you. I can only hope that your
experience
working with us contributed in some small way to your success.
On behalf of the management and staff at Deerwood Resorts I wish you all the best
in your
future career and life endeavors, whatever they maybe.
Yours sincerely,
Bruce Atkinson
President and CEO
(print Donation Letter on company letterhead paper)
November 30, 2006
To Customer List
Customer Address Line 2
Customer Address Line 3
Customer Address Line 4
Dear [Customer Name]:
Will You Join Me In Protecting Our Community?
I am sending this to you as a fellow member of the Pinewood Acres community. I'm
sure that you must value
living in such a quiet and peaceful neighborhood, just like I do.
You know, sometimes in order to keep one's community "quiet and peaceful" one
has to take action. That's
what this letter is all about - taking action - community action.
By now, via media reports and word of mouth you must be aware of the significant
increase in house breakins in this neighborhood over the past couple of years. In
fact, the break-in rate has more than doubled over
the past two years. According to the police this isjust a sign of the times as the
economic downturn continues
and local businesses and factories continue to close their doors for good.
As you may know, a local Community Action Committeehas been meeting over the
past two months to try to
find ways to reduce the break-in rate in Pinewood Acres. Last week they released
their recommendationson
how best to combat that problem. Their primary recommendation calls for increased
police and security
patrols to supplement the local Neighborhood Watch program. They estimate that
the extra cost to double
nighttime (after dark) security patrols by Secure Inc. will be in the range of $15,000
to $20,000 per year.
Unfortunately, this amount is not included in this year's municipal budget allocation
and there are no
additional funds available.
Therefore, as a concerned member of this community I have decided that my
business will take the lead in
assisting with this year's security control budget.Accordingly, Branscombe's Hardare
will donate $1 for every
$2 raised in the community to cover the additional security costs.
I urge you to join me today in supporting this worthy cause for our common good. To
make your donation
today you can drop in to either one of our two stores and deposit your donation in
the boxes provided near the
front cashes. If you can't make it to the store, please send a check or money order,
made out to "CAC Security
Patrol" and mail it to the address listed above.
Together, we can make sure that Pinewood Acres continues to be "a better place to
live".
Yours in community spirit,
Gerry Cartwright
President and Owner
(print business Letters of Invitation on corporate letterhead)
In closing, we would be pleased and honored if you would consent to be our closing
speaker at the 2006
ICDRI Conference.
I will call you in a week or so to follow up on this.
Yours sincerely,
Richard Bagnall
Executive Director
International Disabled Children Research Institute
(print Letter of Commendation on corporate letterhead stationery)
January 12, 2008
Ms. Rita Gonzalez
Managing Director
Marketing and Communications
The Evanston Agency
1500 Congress, Ste. 750
Austin, TX 78701
Dear Ms. Gonzalez:
Re: Commendation - Shannon Berloitz
The purpose of this letter is to formally and publicly commend Shannon Berloitz for
the excellent service she
provided to Target-Track Inc. throughout the ramp-up and launch of our new product
line. In my opinion, the
level of service that Ms. Berloitz extended to our company was far beyond our
expectations.
I have never before written a letter like this on an entirely unsolicited basis.
However, in this caseI was so
impressed by the support and service provide by Ms.Berloitz and her small team of
marketing and
Sincerely,
_____________________
John Livingstone
Corporate Credit Department
(print Letter of Introduction on corporate letterhead paper)
Novenmer 27, 2006
Professor Andrew Morrissey
Executive Director
Executive MBA Program
University of Ottawa
1350 Sparks St., Suite 725
Ottawa, ON, K1P 1C4
Dear Professor Morrissey:
Please allow me to introduce the bearer of this letter, Ms. Catherine Nasslund.
Catherine is the architect that I
spoke to you about last week when we talked on the phone.
As I explained, I am working on a feasibility studyfor one of the university programs
here in Montreal that is
considering the development of an Executive Management Training Centre. Part of
my study involves having
to estimate the possible fit-up costs for the proposed new centre.
The client is intent on making sure they get a "state-of-the-art" executive training
facility. Naturally I thought
of my alma mater at the Ottawa U. Executive MBA Center, as the perfect example
as to how it's done.
As we discussed, if you would be kind enough to have one of the staff members
there spend about one hour
giving Catherine a tour of your facilities there, Iwould very much appreciate it.
Catherine tells me that it is
important that she take the tour when the classroomand case rooms will not be in
use, since she will need to
take various measurements.
As you suggested, Catherine contacted Sharon Hudsonof your staff to make sure
that she would be traveling
there at a time when it would be possible to do everything she needs to do.
Thanks so much Professor Morrissey. I really appreciate your co-operation on this.
All the best,
David Cameron, M.B.A.
Senior Consultant
(print Letter of Interest for project participationon corporate letterhead)
November 18, 2006
Mr. Raymond Fielding
President
Campus Renaissance Inc.
1850 Highridge Road
Columbus, Ohio 43201
Dear Raymond:
Mitchell-Maxwell and Timberline Properties are pleased to submit herewith our letter
of interest to participate
in your campus neighborhood redevelopment project.
Since being invited to address this exciting opportunity, our team members have
collaborated to produce a
preliminary plan that we believe will energize the neighborhood, strengthen the
University community, and
produce long-term benefits for the entire City of Columbus.
As you know, we are a team of professionals with a proven track record in this
region that has the ability to
successfully transform our plan into reality. Our team is comprised of members who
have worked together on
numerous successful projects. They have been assembled for this project because
of the enormous trust and
confidence thay have in one another. You can be assured that the lead partners in
our group will manage the
project closely and carefully, and accountability for results will never be delegated.
In the weeks ahead, we look forward to receiving comments from Campus
Renaissance and the community at
large about our preliminary proposal during the public consultation process. We
understand that right now the
plan is clearly a 'work in progress' which can onlybe improved by input from the
various stakeholderswho
care the most about the area in question. We therefore look forward to using their
input to develop a
comprehensive integrated final development plan.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to participate.
Sincerely,
__________________ ___________________
Mary Louise Lasser Roy Gooding
Timberline Properties Mitchell-Maxwell
(print Letter of Recognition on corporate letterhead stationery)
June 14, 2006
Professor Edward Milton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Informatics
Independence University
1500 America Bouleverd
Raleigh, NC 27601
Montreal, QC
H2C 2M3
To Whom It May Concern:
RE: Customer Reference - Fairmont Litho Arts Inc.
I have been asked to write this letter of referencebecause our company will no
longer be operating its
printing plant that has served Fairmont Litho Arts Inc. for more than a decade.
Fairmont Litho Arts has been one of our top customers for the past 12 years.
Accordingly, I have no
hesitation in recommending them as a company with which to do business.
In addition to doing business with his company for many years, I have known the
president and founder of
Litho Arts, Glenn Ralston, for over 25 years. We were classmates and teammates at
McGill University inthe
late 1970s. Knowing him for so long I am quite comfortable in vouching for him as a
great individual as well
as a concerned and active citizen in this community.
As far as a company to do business with, Fairmont Litho Arts Inc. is one of the best
that we have everdealt
with. Its practice has always been to pay our printing invoices within the 30-day
time limit. We did
significant amounts of business, especially during the past 5 years, and I cannot
recall a late-payment
situation involving that company. Billing disputes were rare, and those only required
some minor additional
documentation for clarification and resolution.
Fairmont was one of the best companies that I have ever dealt with from a changeorder and work scheduling
perspective. We maintained close communication withthe company's production
people and they always kept
us apprised of their upcoming workload. Thus, scheduling jobs on our presses was
never a problem. In
addition, Fairmont's graphics people always provided us with high quality finished
artwork, and it was
unusual for additional changes to be made after theplates had been produced.
Based on our experience, any printing company should be very pleased to be the
one that Fairmont LithoArts
selects to do business with once we have closed ourdoors.
Sincerely,
Gordon Manning
President and CEO
(print Recommendation Letter on company letterhead paper)
November 25, 2006
Mr. Roberto Villas
Manager, Marketing Services
Allied Industries Inc.
110 Riverbend Drive, Suite 1550
Stamford, CT 06907
Dear Mr. Villas:
This is in response to your recent request for a letter of recommendation for Maria
Fuentas who workedfor
me up until two years ago.
Maria Fuentas worked under my direct supervision atJohnson Technologies for a
period of six years ending
in October 2003. During that period, I had the great pleasure of seeing her blossom
from a junior marketing
trainee at the beginning, into a fully functioning Marketing, Program Co-Ordinator, in
her final two years
with the company. That was the last position she held before moving on to a better
career opportunity
elsewhere.
Maria is a hard-working self-starter who invariablyunderstands exactly what a
project is all about from the
outset, and how to get it done quickly and effectively. During her two years in the
Marketing Co-Ordinator
position, I cannot remember an instance in which she missed a major deadline. She
often brought projects in
below budget, and a few were even completed ahead of schedule.
Ms. Fuentas is a resourceful, creative, and solution-oriented person who was
frequently able to come up with
new and innovative approaches to her assigned projects. She functioned well as a
team leader when required,
and she also worked effectively as a team member under the direction of other
team leaders.
On the interpersonal side, Maria has superior written and verbal communication
skills. She gets along
extremely well with staff under her supervision, aswell as colleagues at her own
level. She is highly
respected, as both a person and a professional, by colleagues, employees,
suppliers, and customers alike.
Two years ago, when Ms. Fuentas announced her resignation to take up a new
position with a larger
company, we were saddened to see her leave, although we wished her the greatest
success in her new
undertaking. Even now, two years after her departure, I can state that her presence,
both as a person and as an
exemplary employee, is still missed here.
In closing, as detailed above, based on my experience working with her, I can
unreservedly recommend
Maria Fuentas to you for any intermediate or seniormarketing position. If you would
like further elaboration,
feel free to call me at (416) 765-4497.
Sincerely,
Robert Christenson
Director, Marketing and Sales
(print Letter of Sympathy to employee's family on corporate letterhead)
November 15, 2006
Mrs. Edith Hampton
4575 Village Drive
Seattle, WA 98105-5032
Dear Mrs. Hampton:
I was deeply saddened to learn of Frank's death andI would like to express my
sincere sympathy to youand
your family on behalf of the senior management teamhere at Interconnect Corp.
Your husband was highly
respected by managers and employees alike throughout the entire company. He
was regarded as a visionary
leader by anyone who ever worked with him.
Frank's contributions to this company during his 27years of dedicated and selfless
service were many and
varied. In the early years he was a major part of our initial expansion overseas, and
a number of the offices he
set up in Europe are still operating very successfully. In recent years Frank was a
key player in our
transformation to full digital technology, a move which catapulted us into a
leadership position in the
industry. Believe me, his contributions to this company will not be forgotten.
Please accept my heartfelt condolences at this difficult time and I ask you to please
pass these sentiments on
to your children. Your husband was a remarkable manin many ways. Knowing him
personally as I did for
many years, I am well aware of the difference he made in the lives of many people,
both here in the company,
and in his private life. He will be missed by many.
With sincere sympathy,
Charles T. Simpson
President and CEO
(print Employee Letter of Termination on corporate letterhead)
CONFIDENTIAL
December 5, 2006
Thomas Zatinski
795 Gilmour St.
Apt. 508
Chicago, IL, 60611
Dear Thomas:
It is with sincere regret that I must inform you that your employment at Addison
Systems Inc. will be
terminated as of Friday January 31, 2006.
As you know, the Downsizing Task Force delivered their report to the general
manager in late October, 2006.
Among the task force recommendations was the elimination of all temporary and
contract positions. Since
you occupy a temporary position, your position is automatically subject to the task
force recommendations.
I would like to make it absolutely clear that in noway does your termination reflect
that the companyis in
any way unhappy with your work performance over thepast 18 months. In fact, you
have been highly
regarded as one of our most productive contract staffers. Unfortunately, you and
the other non-permanent
staff that are being let go are simply a reflectionof the general economic downturn
in the fiber-optics industry
over the past year.
In an effort to try to reduce the impact of this termination, the company has worked
out a severance
arrangement that will give you one week's pay for each month you worked beyond
12 months. In your case
this will amount to six (6) weeks of severance pay.In addition, your medical and
dental coverage willremain
in effect until the end of the severance period. You will soon receive a letter from
the Human Resources
Department with all of the details on the severancepackage.
Thomas, given your qualifications and proven abilities, I am confident that you will
be able to find another
position in the relatively near future. If you would like, I would be pleased to write a
recommendation letter
for you, to help with your job search.
Sincerely,
Fred Shandling
Unit Manager
cc: R. Jackson, Human Resources
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