Business Letter Handbook

Michael Muckian, John A Woods

• Publisher: Adams Media
• Year: 1997
• ISBN:
  9781440519727
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Communication
• Index: Business

With hundreds of ready-to-use model business letters that you can adapt for your own business correspondence! These clear, easy-to-follow sample letters cover the most important type of business correspondence:

• Proposals and requests for bids or information
• Claims, complaints, and policy statements
• Sales and solicitation letters
• And many more!

They'll make your business communications quicker, easier, and more efficient by showing you how to create outstanding letters that get your point across—and get results you want. Effective phrases • Clear terminology • Proper format

The Letters

What follows are approximately three hundred examples of letters and memos designed to help you craft your own more effective communications for a large number of different business and personal situations. We have grouped the letters by type in alphabetical order.

Throughout the text, you will find skeleton structures, designed to be filled with your own facts and data, for the more common types of letters. We believe that the mix of more creative approaches and structural outlines should give even the most casual letter writer both basic and advanced approaches and examples covering common problems.

Finally, the book concludes with pointers on the use of e-mail and various examples of e-mail messages.

1a. ACCOMPLISHMENTS—CIRPORATE

Date

Name/Title
Business/Organization Name
Address
City, Stale ZIP

Dear Chairman (name):

We will release our annual report within the week, but I wanted to reach you first with our good news. Not only has the firm reached its projected budget increases of 6.3 percent in all categories, but several categories have surpassed their goals by as much as 3 percent. This means corporate performance has not only improved but, in light of the current financial climate facing our industry, exceeded our most optimistic expectations.

Specifically, overall revenues in all categories met or only slightly missed budgeted goals. The greatest disparity was less than 3 percent. In several categories—notably electronic applications, bulk distribution, and specialty services—performance exceeded budget by 1.3 percent to 4.9 percent. Our average overall revenue increase totaled 7.2 percent, or 0.9 percent more than budget.

Operational cost savings also exceeded expectations. If you will recall, we had projected cost reductions totaling 18 percent compared to last year's operational budget. While some categories varied, our overall reduction totaled 23 percent, or 5 percent more than the budgeted amount.

Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Toole will brief the entire board on all details at this month's meeting. But I chose to exercise my right as chief executive officer to share the good news with you first. I know Jeff won't mind.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call either Jeff or me. Otherwise, we look forward to a productive board meeting and a prosperous new year.

Best regards,

Signature

Name
Title

1b. ACCOMPLISHMENTS—DEPARTMENTAL

MEMORANDUM

TO:	All Departments
FROM:	President
DATE:
SUBJECT:	Outstanding Achievement

In today's competitive marketplace, innovation and originality are important. But unless they are accompanied by the ability to get to market first with new products and services, they do little to accomplish corporate goals. We are proud to recognize a department within our own firm that has mastered all three levels of achievement.

Molecular Development, which explores and analyzes the molecular structures that make up the compounds on which many of our products are based, has discovered new applications for a familiar compound that have reduced costs and production time. The department's efforts also set the stage for new product development that could revolutionize the cosmetics industry. This past week, the department received a new federal patent that will enable us to command a new segment of the market and set the stage for aggressive growth into the next century.

Our appreciation and thanks go to John Edelstein and his group of chemists and analysts. Under his leadership and through their teamwork, they have helped position our firm as an industry leader. We all owe them our congratulations and thanks.

1c. ACCOMPLISHMENTS—PERSONAL

Date

Name/Title
Business/Organization Name
Address
City, State ZIP

Dear (name):

The news of your appointment as vice president has yet to hit the street, and no doubt it will make more than one of your company's competitors nervous. But let me be the first to say

CONGRATULATIONS

on this outstanding achievement. Few deserve it more, and I know no one who could do the job better.

Before your schedule heats up, we'd like to take you and Alice out to dinner to help you celebrate the honor. You have been so supportive over the years that such a trifle hardly compensates, but Peg and I would be pleased if you two would find the time to join us and help us recognize the rise to the top of one of our own.

You know where to find us. We await your call. In the interim, again, heart...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• PREFACE
• INTRODUCTION: YOU AND SUCCESSFUL WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
• THE LETTERS AND MEMOS BY CATEGORY
• 38. PURCHASES
• FOCUS ON E-MAIL
• EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVE E-MAIL