When you write a business letter, there are a few things you should be aware of and avoid. If you follow these guidelines, your letter will be a good example of good business etiquette.
Do you want to start by telling the reader about yourself? As an editor and a writer, we need to have information. We don’t need that. We don’t want that. In fact, we want information that is targeted toward the reader.
The reader needs to know who you are and what you do. They need to know how you got where you are. It is not necessary to write a long paragraph describing all of your accomplishments.
They also need to know why they need your product or service. You don’t want to use grammar or punctuation that gets in the way of the message. Avoid long sentences that are meaningless.
Avoid mixing the personal and the professional. There is an old saying that the personal is always more important than the professional. That is very true, but it does not mean that the personal must be the lowest form of communication.
Readers understand that. And, there is a world of difference between writing for one person and writing for many. If you have more than one business with employees, you may not want to include each employee in the letter. Keep it within the scope of each one.
Include one paragraph about yourself and then two paragraphs about the customer. The goal is to show the reader why they should provide you with their business. Remember that your letter will be mailed to many people.
If you talk about the customer in more than one paragraph, you could offend them. So, stay on topic. Use direct, straightforward language.
