How to Write a Formal Business Letter

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

Write a Formal Business Letter Write a Formal Business Letter

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The business-letter format is very important for communicating formally with a company. You shouldn't write in the same voice as when you write family or friends, a business letter needs to be more formal. These steps describe the full block format, in which all lines start at the left.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Step1
Type the letter using a word processor. Formal letters should not be written by hand.
Step2
Use your own letterhead. If you don't have letterhead, use formal, 8 1/2-inch-by-11-inch stationery with a matching envelope. Avoid store-bought note cards.
Step3
If you don't have preprinted letterhead, type your name, title and return address four to six lines down from the top of the page.
Step4
Type the date two to six lines down from the letterhead or return address. Three lines below is the standard.
Step5
Choose your alignment: left aligned or justified on both sides.
Step6
Skip two lines and type the recipient's full name, business title and address, aligned at the left margin. Precede the name with Mr., Ms. or Dr. as appropriate.
Step7
Skip two to four lines and follow with your greeting, again using the formal name and closing with a colon "Dear Mr. Jones:" for example.
Step8
Skip two more lines and begin your letter. Introduce yourself in the first paragraph, if the recipient does not already know you. Examples: 'We recently met at a seminar at the Biltmore' or 'I recently purchased an insurance plan from your company.'
Step9
Continue with the body of the letter, stating your main purpose for writing. This may be to lodge a complaint, compliment the business on its products or services, or request information. Be as brief and concise as possible.
Step10
Skip two lines and conclude the letter with 'Sincerely,' 'Thank you' or 'Best wishes,' followed by a comma.
Step11
Leave at least four blank lines for your signature, then type your name and title. Sign the letter in ink in the space created.

Tips & Warnings

  • Some people prefer to center the date and closing section instead of aligning them at the left.
  • Try to keep the letter to one page. Generally, a short letter will get a quicker response than a long, rambling composition that takes several pages to come to the point.
  • Make certain your punctuation, spelling and grammar are letter-perfect. Use your computer's spell-checking program or have someone proofread the letter before you send it.
  • No matter how upset you are with the recipient, try not to show your anger in your letter. You are much more likely to get the response you desire if you remain courteous.

Comments

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Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 4/13/2007 The salutation can be followed by either a colon (formal) or a comma (familiar). However, the complimentary close is only followed by a comma.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 6/11/2007 Remember not to indent paragraphs. Any number below or equal to ten should be written out. Dates must be written "October 20, 2005" or "20 October 2005." In the last paragraph, thank the reader for his or her time. The letter will usually receive a delayed response, if any, if it is more than one page long. If the sex of the recipient is unknown, the salutation should be "Dear Sir or Madame:" or something very similar. The letter should be in plain text; no use of colors, formatted text, etc. Don't use contractions. Limit the use of "a lot," "people," "things" and first person words. Be as formal as pssible. Be quick and to the point. In addition, there should be only one space between sentences, no commas after final items in a list and commas should be inside quotes.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Use the same thing for both your salutation and your closing. If you use a colon for you salutation, then use a colon for your closing. If you use a comma for your salutation, use a comma for your closing. This is for balance.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 6/11/2007 Always use Ms. for women unless asked to use Mrs. or Miss.

This one had me stumped for a long time!

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 If you do not know the name or the sex of of your reciever adress it to
Dear Madame/Sir

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eHow Article:  How to Write a Formal Business Letter

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