Writing is an essential element of every business and administration-related course. Without solid business writing skills, entrepreneurs, as well as other professionals, wouldn’t be able to build trusted and lasting relationships with partners and customers. So, there is no wonder why colleges focus on this skill in related majors.
Although the importance of business writing skills is huge, this won’t comfort you much if you are a student. Assignments that involve crafting professional letters are extremely time-consuming and complicated—no wonder why many students hate them. But, we have a few tips that should make writing business letters a piece of cake and help you hone your skills. Read on to find them!
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Regardless of the major, students have to deal with tons of written assignments. This can be very draining. So, the first tip to make your life easier is to never be afraid to ask for help. Whether you need to buy essay or a top-notch business letter, PaperWriter has you covered. The service employs a huge pool of qualified specialists who can help you save time and get high grades with ease.
What’s more, if you order professionally-written letters, you will be able to boost your own skills too! With a reliable academic help service, you can get solid examples of business writing that will help you learn how to create such pieces on your own. And you will also have the opportunity to communicate with professionals, ask your questions, and get helpful tips.
Grasp the Difference Between Letter Types
If you decide to handle the task on your own instead of asking for professional help, the first tip for honing your skills is to study the different types of messages that are there.
In business, there are several types of letters that serve different purposes. Namely, the key types you need to know about include:
- Complaint – This type of message is meant for expressing dissatisfaction or complaint about something, often a service or product. Although it delivers complaints, it needs to have a polite and friendly tone.
- Inquiry – Typically, an inquiry letter is sent when you need to ask questions about a particular company, its activities, and/or products. Such messages must be clear and straightforward, and they also require doing sufficient research.
- Cover letter – This type of business writing is used when applying for a job and typically accompanies a sender’s resume. It must be impressive and make the right impression on the recipient. Yet, it also has to be concise and straightforward.
- Adjustment letter – Typically, an adjustment message is a response to a complaint. This is one of the trickiest types of business writing as it requires the sender to give a clear, data-driven, and polite response to a complaint that would leave the reader satisfied.
Apart from these types, there are also other kinds of messages meant for different situations and purposes. If you want to craft any kind of letter with ease, you should carefully study different types of communication and always keep the type and purpose of writing when creating your messages.
Use the Right Salutation
If you are writing a business letter, you always have to use an appropriate salutation to open it. This should sound like a no-brainer, but many beginners make some mistakes here, using improper greetings. So, to hone your skills, you need to learn how to start your messages the right way.
The first important tip is to strive for personalization. When the recipient is known, it is always good to use a personalized salutation like “Dear Ms./Mr. + Last Name,” “Dear + First Name” (if you know the recipient well, or “Dear + First and Last Name.”
Sometimes, a piece of correspondence might be meant for a group of people or an unknown recipient. There are a few options that you can use as a salutation:
- Dear Sir or Madam;
- To Whom It May Concern;
- Dear Team/Department;
- Dear + The Recipients Role.
You can use any of the aforementioned salutations to begin your message. Just make sure that the chosen option fits the situation and the purpose.
Follow the Right Structure
Another important tip for bringing your professional correspondence to perfection is to study the right structure and always adhere to it.
The structure of business letters (regardless of the type) typically looks the same and consists of the following blocks:
- Salutation;
- Body Text;
- Closing;
- Signature.
Clearly divide these blocks in your message for better format and readability.
Close Your Message Right
Apart from starting your professional correspondence right, you also have to close it appropriately. Here are the most commonly used closings that your can try:
- Personalized message (Dear Ms./Mr.): Yours sincerely / Sincerely / Sincerely yours.
- Personalized message to someone you know well (Dear First Name): Best / Best regards / Kind regards.
- A Message to an unknown recipient (Dear Sir or Madam, To Whom It May Concern, etc.): Yours faithfully / Faithfully / Faithfully yours.
After the proper closing, don’t forget to add a signature that includes your name and title in a company (optional).
Use Appropriate Vocabulary
Finally, one more tip for bringing your professional communication to perfection is to always use appropriate vocabulary. Every business letter must sound professional and have a positive tone of voice. There is no space for casual or slang language. But, at the same time, it is crucial to keep the recipient in mind.
The vocabulary used in a message must be clear and easy to understand for your recipient. So, using industry-specific or heavy professional language is also not always the best idea.
The Bottom Line
Practicing business letter writing is hard. There are many small details and nuances to keep in mind. But, since correspondence is an important part of every job, it is crucial that you do your best to acquire the needed skills early on.
Hopefully, this small guide will help you take your business writing skills to the next level. Use the tips from this article to sound professional in every message you write!
Last Updated on by Sathi