An employee of any field sooner or later faces the problem of writing a business letter. The main question is how to start and how to finish? Many sites offer ground rules and examples, with little attention to the final part of the documents.

The letter should be perfect in everything. Even the slightest violation of the rules can harm your credibility or the prestige of the company.

In a short form, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the main rules of business letters and dwell in more detail on the final part of the official letter.

You will need:

General rules of business letters

1. When filling out a letter, remember that you are not expressing your own opinion, but acting on behalf of a legal entity (institution, organization or enterprise).
2. You must clearly present the results that you want to achieve with this letter, and effectively use all the possibilities of the text.
3. Determine the outline of the story clearly by highlighting information for the introduction, main part, or ending.
4. In the introduction, after the appeal, we prepare the addressee for perception. This could be a summary of the events that led to the origin of the document. The main part contains a statement of the essence of the problem with the necessary argumentation (explanation, numerical calculations, references to legislative acts).

A more effective and easy-to-read text, in which, first, a proposal, request or demand is stated, then - the argumentation, and there is no introductory part at all.

Part of the ending - appendices

Certain documents have attachments that supplement, clarify, or detail specific issues. They must be noted at the end of the letter, indenting a few lines from the last paragraph.

Application design methods:

1) Applications mentioned in the text, then a note about this is drawn up as follows:

Appendix: on 5 pages, in 3 copies.

2) Applications that are not specified in the text must be listed, be sure to indicate the title, the number of pages in each application and the number of copies.

Appendix: "The act of assessing the cost of construction in progress", on 2 pages, in 3 copies.

3) Sometimes there are several applications. Then they are listed by name and numbered. With a large number of applications, their list is separately compiled, and in the letter after the text they note:

Appendix: according to the list on… p.

Attach copies of documents to the letter in the order in which they were numbered in the attachment.

The application is usually signed by managers structural units... In case applications are stitched, there is no need to indicate the number of pages.

Politeness and correctness are the basis of the ending

There are various options for building the ending. It depends on what the letter said.

The most common completion examples are:

1) Repeat the gratitude given at the beginning or simply thank for the help:

Thank you again ...

Let me thank you again ...

We would like to express our sincere gratitude once again ...

Thanks for the help …

2) Express hope:

We hope that the agreement will be mutually beneficial ...

We hope that our offer will interest you ...

We look forward to close and mutually beneficial cooperation ...

I hope that soon I can personally meet with you ...

Hope to receive your answer as soon as possible ...

3) Reassurance of the addressee (usually, it has a psychologically positive effect on the addressee):

We assure you that you can well count on our support ...

We will be glad to cooperate with you ...

I would be glad to cooperate with you and look forward to your reply ...

4) Request:

Please read the materials carefully and give an answer ...

We ask you to inform us urgently ...

Please take urgent action to improve the situation ...

Please call me at any time convenient for you ...

5) Repetition of the already expressed apology for the inconvenience:

Once again I apologize for the inconvenience caused ...

We sincerely apologize for this involuntary delay in payment ...

Parting

1) In official correspondence, you can say goodbye in different ways:

Sincerely…

Best regards and Best wishes…

With sincere respect to you ...

We wish you every success.

2) If you are well acquainted with the addressee or are successfully cooperating with him, then you can end the letter with friendly phrases (not familiar phrases):

Yours sincerely…

Best wishes…

With gratitude and best wishes.

You can finish the document without using these constructions!

English letter completion features

1. They usually end an official letter like this: Sincerely Yours or simply Yours(Yours) and signature, indicating your name and position under it.
2. In order not to put your partner in a difficult position and not make assumptions about your gender, take the trouble to write your name in full, that is, not P.R. Dovzhenko, but Pavel Dovzhenko.

Signature

Officials sign documents within their competence.

The requisite "signature" consists of the title of the position, initials and surname of the person who signed the document.

Director of the "Mramor" plant (signed) A.B. Koval

Documents that are concluded in institutions operating on the principle of one-man management are signed by one official (manager, deputy or employee who is entrusted with this).

On the documents of collegial bodies (protocols, decisions), two signatures are put (head and secretary). The order is signed by the head.

Two or more signatures are put on documents, for the content of which several people are responsible:

• Monetary documents are signed by the head of the institution and the chief accountant;
• agreements are signed by representatives of the contracting parties.

The signatures of several persons on documents are placed one under the other in a sequence corresponding to the service hierarchy.

Director (signature) S.P. Antonyuk

Chief Accountant (signature) V.T. Dudko

If a document is signed by several persons holding the same position, their signatures must be at the same level.

Director of the Luch plant Director of the Svet plant

(signature) V.R. Sakhno (signature) L.P. Kotov

The signature begins with the initials (placed before the surname), then the surname. Decryption of the signature in brackets is not necessary!

Seal

On some documents, in order to consolidate legal force, they put an imprint of the seal: contracts, decrees, conclusions,. The imprint should capture part of the title of the position and a personal signature.

date

The date is placed below the signature on the left.

The official letter is dated on the day it was signed or approved by the head of the institution.

There is a generally accepted dating order:

1. Date elements are written in one line with three pairs of Arabic numerals in sequence: day, month, year;
2. if the ordinal number of the day or month is the number of the first ten (from 1 to 9), then a zero is put in front of it: 03.01.15 .
3. Word year, reduction G... do not put.

• When finished, check the letter for grammatical errors and see if there is anything extra.
• Let a colleague or, if possible, a manager read the letter. An outside perspective will help you identify flaws that you might not notice.
• Don't forget to include your phone / email address. This is often necessary to quickly resolve the problem indicated in the letter.
• In addition to general universal requirements and design rules, it must be borne in mind that each type of document has its own design features.

Remember that not all documents have a complete list of the above details, but only a certain set of those that provide the legal force and completeness of this particular type of document.

Successful deals and desired answers!

Frequently asked questions and answers

What is pleasant to write at the end of a business proposal?

Do not use at the final stage words and phrases that can be considered manipulations ("we hope for mutually beneficial cooperation", "thanks in advance for the answer", "we will wait for your reply letter", etc.).

What to write "best wishes" or "best wishes" at the end of the letter?

Definitely, "with respect", you need to adhere to business style communication.

What do they usually write at the end of a letter if they ask for a quick answer?

They don't write anything like that in a business letter.

What to write in the signature email: "best regards" or "best wishes"?

"Sincerely".

How to replace the signature "with respect"?

"With all due respect", "Respectfully."

How to end your presentation letter?

Thank you for your attention.

How else to write "would like to notify"?

"I would like to inform", "notify", "inform", "announce", "bring to notice".

Is the phrase "I'll end my report with words," is it correct?

Probably, everyone at least once had to deal with the need to write a business letter. When compiling it, you involuntarily come to the conclusion that it is not at all easy. There are many rules and regulations for writing business letters that you need to know. The article describes in detail the process of drawing up a document, provides samples of a business letter, discusses their types and design.

Form

Ready-made letterheads will add solidity and indicate the reliability of the company. They contain the necessary information about the organization, such as:

• Name.
• Address.
• Contact phone numbers.
• Site.
• Email.
• Logo.
• Other contact details.

There are no strict rules for forms. Therefore, each organization independently decides what information to put in them.

How to write business letters correctly? Preparation

Business letters are written and formatted in a certain way, obeying their inherent rules and requirements. Depending on the goal, the author thinks over the content in detail in order to get the result he calculates. He must clearly understand what information the addressee already knows about the subject of the letter, what to start from and what will be new in it. The arguments depend on what the author is pursuing. The process of preparing a business letter can be divided into the following stages:

• Study the issue.
• Writing a draft letter.
• Its approval.
• Signing.
• Registration.
• Sending to addressee.

Structure of business letters

When composing a letter, it is necessary to saturate it with information, that is, to put everything there necessary information... It can be simple or complex. V simple letter the content clearly and concisely displays information that generally does not require a response from the addressee. A complex one can consist of several sections, paragraphs and paragraphs. Each paragraph sets out one aspect of the information. Samples of this type of business letter usually consist of an introductory, main, and final part.

Below is an example of writing a business letter - its introductory part.

The main part describes situations, events, provides their analysis and evidence. It is in this part that they convince that it is necessary to act in one way or another, prove how the matter was and inform about the need to participate in any event, giving different arguments.

The conclusion contains conclusions that are made in the form of proposals, requests, reminders, refusals, and so on.

An example of writing a business letter - the final part of it - is presented below. Here summarizes the requirement set out in the main.

All information provided should be optimally consistent and understandable.

Each letter begins with a center-aligned appeal. This little part is extremely important. When choosing it, the author should take into account:

• Destination position.
• The nature of the relationship.
• Formality.
• Etiquette.

A polite form should be included at the end of the letter. For example: "... I hope for further cooperation (thanks for the invitation) ...". These phrases are followed by the signature of the author.

Style

All letters must be in a formal business style, which means the use of speech means for formal business relations. The features of such a language are formed under the following circumstances:

• The main participants in the business relationship are legal entities, on behalf of the leaders and officials of which letters are written.
• Relationships in organizations are strictly regulated.
• The subject of communication is the activities of the company.
• Administrative documents generally have a specific addressee.
• Often in the course of the organization's activities, the same situations are encountered.

In this regard, the information set out in the business letter must be:

• Official, impersonal, emphasizing the distance between the participants in communication.
• Addressable, intended for a specific addressee.
• Relevant at the time of writing the letter.
• Credible and impartial.
• Reasoned to induce the recipient to take any action.
• Complete for decision making capability.

Requirements

Business letter must meet the following requirements:

• Speech is standardized at all levels - lexical, morphological and syntactic. It contains many phrases, terms and formulas.
• The tone of writing is neutral, restrained and strict, without the use of emotional and expressive language expressions.
• Accuracy and clarity of the text, without logical errors, clarity and thoughtfulness of formulations.
• Conciseness and brevity - without the use of expressions that carry additional meaning.
• The use of language formulas formed as a result of repetitive situations.
• The use of terms, that is, words or phrases that have special concepts.
• The use of abbreviations, which can be lexical (that is, compound abbreviated words formed by removing letters from parts of words: OOO, GOST, and so on) and graphic (that is, the designation of words in abbreviated form: grn, zh-d and others).
• The use of constructions in the genitive and instrumental cases.
• Collocations with verbal nouns ("to support" instead of "to support").
• Using simple common sentences.

The above business letter samples are shown below in full version (with main part). The information meets all the requirements of the official business style.

Types of business letters

It is best to write a business letter on any one specific issue. If it is necessary to resolve several issues at once, it is recommended to draw up several different options.

Business letters can be by their content:

• Accompanying. Such letters are usually needed to communicate where to send documents.
  (How to write a business letter? Sample cover letter will help those who need to compose this kind of document.)

• Warranty. They are written in order to confirm any promises or conditions. For example, labor charges, rent, delivery times, and more can be guaranteed.
• Thankful. They have begun to be used especially often lately. These emails demonstrate a good partner tone. They can be issued on a regular letterhead or on colored paper with a beautiful print.
  (How to write a business letter? A sample of the gratitude variety is compiled in free form, depending on the tasks that are being solved by it. In this case, the letter in the shortest form expresses its essence. Such a sample, made on colored paper with an ornament, can hang on the wall in the room company in a place of honor.)

• Informational.
• Instructive.
• Congratulatory.
• Advertising.

There are also letters:

• Cooperation proposals. Quite widespread recently, sent to organizations, they are often of an advertising nature, for example, like this sample. Commercial letters it is quite difficult to write, you need to take into account many nuances in order to pay attention to it, and even more so to become interested. But if compiled according to the example below, it has every chance of success.

• Invitations. They are sent offering to participate in various activities. Usually they are addressed to the manager or official, but can also be addressed to the whole team.
• Requests.
• Notices.
• Requests and many others.

How to write a response to a letter. Example

The answer must begin by repeating the request in the first letter. Then the results of its consideration are given and approval or motive for refusal is expressed. The business response letter may contain an alternative solution to the expected information. It usually meets the following principles:

• The presence of a link to the first letter and its content.
• Identical language means.
• Comparable volumes and aspects of content.
• Compliance with a certain sequence.

Registration

In addition to using company letterheads for business letters, you need to consider other subtleties in their design. These are details, rules for abbreviations, spelling of the address, heading, text length, field width, and more.

Samples of a business letter help to compose it, taking into account all the subtleties and nuances. They are used by both novice clerks and experienced workers. Using samples, they learn how to write letters correctly and save a lot of time.

Think about how formal the letter should be. This is determined by the relationship with the recipient of the letter. For example:

• If you write to an official, future employer, supervisor or someone else with whom you have a purely professional and business relationship then the letter should be formal.
• If you are writing to your current employer, coworker, relative, or someone you don't know very well, then a semi-formal writing style is acceptable.

Think about how you will send the letter, by email or on paper. This also affects the degree of formality of the letter.

• The most formal letters should be typed on a computer, printed and sent by mail, except in those cases, of course, when it is urgent or when the recipient prefers e-mail.
• For informal letters, email or handwritten letters are also suitable.
• In the case of semi-formal letters, a phone call must be made. If in the course of a conversation you decided that correspondence should be carried out by email - well, that's why. If you are not sure about this, write regular letters.

Are you sure that among the hundreds of emails the recipient is viewing, your email really stands out? Career development specialists and marketers talked about how to correctly indicate the subject of an email so that the recipient will open it and respond to it in a timely manner.

1. Always include a subject line

Ignoring the subject field is one of the biggest mistakes a sender makes when they expect to receive a timely response. The subject line of the letter usually tells the recipient the content of the message and forces him to make a decision - to open or not open the letter. An email message with an empty subject field is likely to be deleted immediately, as it annoys the recipient because they will need to open the email to find out what it is about.

2. First, specify the subject of the letter, and then start writing your message

Many people believe that the subject line is a secondary concern after writing. However, Amanda Augustine, career development consultant at The Ladders, emphasizes that the subject line is a priority for the author. Firstly, it is the topic that sets the tone for the message, and, secondly, it does not allow to be distracted by other topics.

3. Be brief

Whereas when you open an inbox with an incoming mail on a computer monitor, you can see 60 characters in the subject line, on a smartphone you can see only 25-30 characters. So fit your subject line into 6-8 words. This will be more than enough.

4. Include the most important at the beginning of the subject line.

Dmitry Leonov, vice president of SaneBox, said that about 50% of emails are viewed from mobile phones... Consider this, and write the most important thing at the very beginning of the subject line. Otherwise, in 50% of cases, important parts of the message may simply be cut off by mobile devices and not read by the recipients.

5. Avoid unnecessary words

Don't clutter the subject line with unnecessary phrases like "Good afternoon", "Nice to meet you", "Thank you" and so on. First, they mean nothing to the recipient. Secondly, you can safely use them in the letter itself, which will be even more logical.

6. Be clear and specific in the subject line.

The subject of the letter should indicate exactly what the letter is about. It is on the subject of the letter that the recipient must prioritize and decide when exactly he needs to answer it. For example, a message in the subject line "Do you have free time now to resolve my question?" very vague, since it does not give the recipient an understanding of what exactly they want from him and forces him to open the letter. Therefore, if you are sending a resume, then in the subject line, feel free to write your name and the name of the vacancy for which you are applying. And if you want to ask a question about the current project to your colleague or partner, then in the subject indicate the name of a specific project.

7. Make the theme simple and call-to-action

This tip is especially useful for marketers and those who send marketing emails. Kip Bodnar, vice president of Hub Spot, recommends writing a subject line that encourages the recipient to take action.

8. Use keywords for further search and filtering

Many professionals in e-mail there are thematic folders, and they also actively use filters to search for certain letters. Therefore, if there are no such tags in the subject of your letter, then your letter will most likely simply not be noticed. Therefore, it is very important to use keywords that reflect the subject of the letter so that in the future the recipient can easily find it through the search system.

9. Indicate if you need an answer

When a person receives a letter, it is also important for him to know whether he just needs to read it or whether it needs to be answered. So, says Amanda Augustine, include "Please answer" or "Please read" in the subject line. You can also use the expression "For your information". It is used to inform the recipient that the message will be of interest to him. In business e-mail emphasizes that the sender wants to inform the recipient, but the message is not an order and does not require the recipient to perform actions directly related to the message.

10. Enter a deadline in the subject line

If you send a lot of information in the body of the letter, but you need to be responded to within a certain time frame, then indicate them in the subject line of the letter. This will greatly increase the chances of reading and responding to the message in a timely manner. For example, you might specify, "Please respond to this email by Friday end of business."

11. If someone sent you to this recipient, let us know

If the recipient's contact was given to you by some partner, client, colleague, then indicate his name directly in the subject, and not in the letter itself. First, a familiar name will grab the recipient's attention. Secondly, it will give the recipient an idea of ​​the project or issue with which you can contact him.

12. Highlight what you want to offer

If you are sending a cold letter, you do not know if your offer will interest your recipient. Therefore, indicate in the subject what you offer, and also tell us about bonuses - discounts, special offers.

13. Enter the recipient's name or company name

You must know who you are sending the letter to. And the recipient should also immediately realize that this letter is intended specifically for him. Kip Bodnar claims to be one of the most better ways this show is the indication of his name or company name in the subject line of the letter. For example, you can write this: "Vladimir, take a look at these numbers: the company's sales increased by 25%."

14. Use words that limit the time it takes to reply to an email.

If you want to attract someone's attention and convince the recipient to answer you, then in the subject line of the letter indicate the period of your proposal. For example: "Registration is required today", "The number of places is limited - hurry up to sign up for the event."

15. Do not start a sentence in the subject line that ends in the letter itself

If you start to write any question or sentence in the subject line of the letter, then end it immediately, without continuing in the letter itself. This annoys the recipient, as it forces him to open the letter and continue reading. Think, maybe a messenger or even a call is more suitable for a short question?

16. Re-read the message in the subject line

Amanda Augustine recommends rereading the subject line before submitting. Why is this? Very often, when the sender sends a whole bunch of letters to different recipients, he forgets to change the name or company name in the subject line. This can annoy the recipient or even offend. Therefore, before sending the letter, re-read it and check for inconsistencies.

17. Don't write in uppercase

The use of uppercase words grabs attention, but in the wrong direction. This makes the letter difficult to read and makes the recipient worry on a subconscious level. Instead, you can use dashes, colons, to draw a line between words and to emphasize something.

The translation of the article was prepared by Ekaterina Nikitina based on the materials of Business Insider

If you think that the epistolary genre has sunk into oblivion, you are deeply mistaken. In everyday life, you can't argue, it has become habitual to make phone calls or exchange instant messages ICQ - simply and quickly. However, in business relationships, letters still play important role: phone conversation, correspondence on ICQ will not come to the point: more serious documents are needed here.

You need to be scrupulous and responsible when writing business letters. For any business letter, including sent by email, it is recommended to use letterhead, where the details of the organization are indicated. This emphasizes that there is a solid firm behind the letter and can be dealt with. Be sure to indicate the date of writing the letter. It is advisable to write the month in letters, abbreviations, such as 01.20.02, are accepted only in Russia and are not used in international practice.

The business letter must contain heading revealing the content of the text. This greatly facilitates the processing and sorting of letters by the recipient. First of all, you need to ensure that your letter is distinguished from the mass of similar ones and sent to the right employee. The subject line is underlined or written in capital letters.

Address of the recipient written twice: on the envelope on the lower right side and in the upper left corner of the letter. If the letter is put into an envelope with a transparent window, then the address is written once - in the letter, and it is folded so that the recipient's address appears in the window. The address is written in the following order: house number, street, city, region, republic (state, county, canton, etc.), postal code, country.

After the address - the initials and surname of the addressee. The initials are preceded by the abbreviations "Mr.", "Mrs." or "G-dame". If the addressee has a title or title, it is better to indicate it instead of the address "Master". In all Western European countries and in the United States, it is considered impolite to omit titles. However, it is customary to write and say "Master + title + surname" only in Germany. In France and England, the addressee's title of nobility is always indicated in the address, but it is not customary to mention it in the text of the letter.

The words "Mister" and "Mistress" are not accepted to be used without a surname, and they are always abbreviated to "Mr." or "Ms.", while titles and titles should preferably be written in full. In England, the polite address "Esquire" (Esq.) Is often written after the addressee's name, and it is never used in conjunction with the word "Master". If you want to send a letter in person, then after the last name indicate: "Personally" (Private - for England, Personal - for the USA).

If the letter is addressed to a firm and must be read by a specific person, the expression "Attention of ..." is used. You can send a letter to the address of the company to a person whose address is unknown, and the company in which he works maintains a business relationship with him, specifying "Through" (Care of or C / O).

Introductory address traditionally consists of the words “ Dear sir(Ms.) + last name "or" Dear Mr. (Ms.) + last name ". In official letters, it is not customary to address "you", even if you are short in life. Depending on the degree of closeness with your correspondent, the appeal may begin with the words "Dear + name" or "Dear + last name".

You should not write in circulation: “Uv. Mr. Director! " In this case, abbreviations are inappropriate. The words "respected", "lord", "madam", "deputy director", "head of department" and the like should be written in full. Otherwise, the recipient has the right to think that you do not really respect him very much.

Good impression produce business letters in which, after a greeting, they contain some introduction-compliment... Usually they say that they are happy to welcome such a well-known company that it will be a great honor for you to provide services to such a respectable partner, etc. We can express hope for long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Business emails containing verbal rubbish (“We, of course, are confident that cooperation with us will definitely be beneficial to you.", Excessive politeness (" Please read this letter please»), Empty adjectives ( outstanding, delightful, wonderful), unnecessary pronouns (" we are all happy to cooperate with you and your company »).

When writing business letters, do not use directive hint phrases (« you should contact us by phone ..."). With such a phrase, you psychologically turn people against yourself. Do not arrogantly tell your partners how they should behave. Better to write: “ To discuss the details of our offer, you can contact us by phone ... ". The meaning is the same, but the tone of the letter sets up a more benevolent attitude towards you.

When writing about the activities of your company, to create the impression of specific achievements, pay attention to choice of verbs... Verbs perfect kind talk about real results: completed, developed, increased, created, made, etc.... Imperfective verbs create more indefinite in relation to the result of the activity: we produce, we work, we carry out, we participate... They give an idea of ​​the functions performed rather than the results achieved. Using perfect verbs will give the impression concrete successes, which means it will create an impression of solidity and respectability of your company.

V letter of request, if possible, briefly indicate the reason, formulate the request itself clearly, thank in advance for the execution. As a token of gratitude for the answer, as an expression of willingness to cooperate or as an informational message, they write letters of notice... It is enough to sign the referent under such a letter.

Reminder letter sent in cases where the desired result cannot be obtained through telephone conversations or personal contact. The purpose of such a letter is to tactfully remind you of the need to fulfill your obligations.

Confirmation letter is a guarantee of previously made promises or already agreed conditions. Such a letter is an expression of courtesy and respect for the partner. V letter of claim must contain the claim itself, the basis for its presentation and specific requirements.

In response to the claim, they write refusal letters... It is better to start and end such a letter with positive information: for example, listing what you agree with, then explaining the reason for the refusal. The letter will help, despite the refusal, to maintain normal relations with the client or partner.

Letter of apology usually contains a statement of the reasons why the preliminary agreement is suddenly violated. In some cases, such a letter is sent after notification by telephone. Letter of guarantee sent as a commitment to pay for something with an indication of the type of operation to be performed. The letter ends with the phrase "We guarantee the payment" and indicating their bank details and has two signatures - the head and the chief accountant.

Congratulations, thanks, condolences it is better to write by hand to emphasize a sincere and individual attitude towards a partner.

The business letter must contain final courtesy formula: "Respectfully", "Sincerely." V official letter abroad, as a rule, Very truly yours is used. Moreover, in the reply letter, it is desirable to use the same politeness formula as in the received one.

As you can see, everything is very simple, although there are more than enough conventions. Write letters!

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