The business letter is a document for all those people who are dedicated to business and establish relationships between them according to the products and services contained. There are several types of business letters , but the truth is that at the time of its creation, the parts of a business letter are the same for most of them.
Structure of the business letter
In total, the structure of a business letter is made up of 11 different points, although these may be reduced depending on the needs at each moment. We can differentiate the parts of the business letter in the following sections:
- Main parts of the business letter. Within here are several sections:
- Locality, date.
- Message Subject.
- Initial courtesy greeting.
- Explanatory text.
- Presentation and signature of the sender.
- The letterhead. The truth is that it is part of the main parts of the business letter . In some ways it is the heading of the letter. Here the address and personal or most important data of the entity for which it is intended must be added, placed at the top, occupying the role of correspondence.
- The annexes. They are grouped in the secondary parts of the business letter . They are all those documents of interest that will be added in the letter. They must appear correctly cited.
It should also be remembered that the language used may vary depending on proximity or level of formality. For this reason, it is important to take full advantage of the forms of greeting in business letters , as it is the best way to capture the recipient’s interest and achieve the stated objectives .
In short, the outline of the business letter must be objective and define all its parts well so that communication flows properly.
The business letter is a document that is addressed to customers, suppliers, businesses or companies in order to establish or maintain a business relationship with the recipient , about a particular product or service.
The business letter can be presented in a printed or digital format, as well as dealing with various commercial issues that captivate or generate interest in the recipient.
Therefore, the business letter is characterized by having a formal and expository content about the advantages and benefits that can be obtained from a commercial commitment after a purchase, sale or affiliation with a particular company.
Likewise, the business letter can deal with various commercial content such as requesting a meeting, catalogs, price lists, credits, promotions, orders, discounts, invitations, among others.
Hence, through the commercial letter, important alliances or negotiations are established that benefit the parties involved.
Parts of a business letter
Below are the parts that make up the structure of a business letter.
- Letterhead: it is made up of the data of the sending company, which are the name, address, contact numbers and email. It is located at the top of the letter.
- Place and date: the place and date on which the letter was written are indicated.
- Recipient’s name : name and surname of the person to whom the letter will be sent.
- Greeting or heading: a brief greeting is written using the courtesy and respect formulas. The greeting precedes the subject of the letter. For example: “Dear Sir”, “Dear Client”, “Distinguished Client”, “Dear Client”.
- Subject: it is a short text in which the reason for the letter is exposed, such as the invitation to an event, the presentation of a new product or service or talk, among others.
- Body of the message: it is the most important part of the letter where the reason for the letter is exposed and developed in order of importance. The writing must have a sense of respect and avoid misspellings.
- Farewell: it is a paragraph with which the main idea of the letter closes. It must be brief and you must maintain the courtesy stated in the greeting. For example: “For no other reason, say goodbye”, “Best regards”.
- Signature: the sender’s name, title (if it is a natural person), and the company or trade stamp are placed.
Sample business letter
Below is a simple example of a formal letter.
(Letterhead)
Company name
Address
Phone number
Date
Dear Customer:
Through this, we are pleased to invite you to the talk that will take place on June 21, 2017, at 7:00 p.m., in the auditorium of our prestigious company, presented by the renowned author and researcher on sustainable consumption, Mr. Luis Armando López.
In the talk the following topics will be discussed: “Types of consumption”, “Consumption and environment”, “Sustainable consumption”, “How to carry out sustainable consumption?”.
This invitation is only for our most exclusive clients, that is why, we would be pleased to have your presence.
A cordial greeting.
Sincerely,
Teresa Barrientos
Marketing director
