Business Writing

In most cases, a business letter is correspondence sent to someone outside the company or organization sending it.

A memo is a form of communication that is between parties within the same company or organization. A memo does not require a full address of the recipient.

Today, most physical memos and some business letters have been replaced by email.

A negative business letter is any document which generates a one sided benefit at the expensive of the other party. An ideal business letter always proposes a win-win solution.

Additional information:

A negative business letter would be a letter using negative terminology or a business letter that delivers bad news.

Negative terminology should never be used in business writing. Words like 'We're sorry', 'bad service', or the like should be avoided if possible. If they are necessary, they should start a statement with a positive ending, for example:

• We're sorry that your Acme X did not perform to your satisfaction, we value the feedback from our customers in our effort to produce the best possible Xs on the market.
• We are most grateful that you have brought your experience with customer service to our attention.

These statements are followed by what CAN be done to satisfy a customer or resolve a difficult situation.

When delivering bad news, be concise and to the point. Sometimes negative language can't be avoided, for example cancelling an account or an unpaid amount. Most likely, this news is not the first communication on the matter and should be stated as clearly and briefly as possible. If there are any remedies available for the recipient to mitigate the situation, the 'bad news' letter should end with that information.

Some advantages of written communication are:

• written messages do not have to be delivered immediately. so there is enough time to edit and revise before they are dispatched.
• the writer can review the content to make it more effective.
• content approved before message is sent.
• since they are permanent, written forms of communication gives the reader more time to review the message and provide appropriate feedback.
• written communications serves as a permanent record of the messages sent and can be saved for future reference.

there are several advantages of using written forms of communication. One advantage is that written messages do not have to be delivered on the spur of the moment; instead, they can be edited and revised several times before they are sent so that the content can be shaped to maximum effect. Another advantage is that written communication provides a permanent record of the messages that have been sent and can be saved for later study. Since they are permanent, written forms of communication also enable recipients to take more time in reviewing the message and providing appropriate feedback. For these reasons, written forms of communication are often considered more appropriate for complex business messages that include important facts and figures. Other benefits commonly associated with good writing skills include increased customer/client satisfaction; improved interorganizational efficiency; and enhanced image in the community and industry.

It goes after the negative symbol. For instance, if you have negative four dollars, you would write it as such:

-$4.00

Elements of a business letter:

Letterhead or sender's address.

Date the letter is written or sent.

Inside address, the name (optional), title (optional), organization name and address.

Reference line (optional), preceded by 'RE:' state the subject of the letter, or the applicable account, invoice, document, case (etc.) number.

Salutation(greeting): Unless the person is a close associate, never use just the first name; use 'Dear Mr. Jones', 'Dear Sir/Madam' (if name/s unknown), or title of person if known, 'Dear Prof. Jones'. Always use a formal greeting for a business letter.

Body of letter:

first paragraph, state why you are writing the letter.

second paragraph, state the information supporting your inquiry, request, advisory, sales information, etc. Only use more than one paragraph if there is a lot of related information, or use bullets if possible.

third paragraph, tell the recipient what you want them to do, giving them any information necessary for them to follow through (phone number, email address, third party, etc.). Always thank them for their time and/or effort. If you're not asking for a response, just thank them.

Complimentary closing: such as 'Sincerely' or 'Best Regards', etc.

Signature of sender.

Typed or printed name of sender, with title if applicable.

Enclosures, if applicable: list any thing included with the letter.

Copies: list of anyone else receiving the letter.