Etiquette formulas are required in the design of a business letter. They are determined by the genre of the message (letters of invitation, letters of congratulations, letters of condolence) and are largely conditional, ritual in nature. More A.S. Pushkin remarked in Journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg: “Every day we sign as our humble servants, and it seems that none of this has yet concluded that we should be asked to be valets.”
Business Letters of Invitation and congratulations include many etiquette phrases. Instead of an etiquette frame (words of greeting and farewell), business letters use the following appeals: Dear Nikolai Ivanovich! Dear sir Bobylev! IN At the end of the letter, before the signature, the final courtesy formula is placed: Yours sincerely!;Sincerely;With sincere respect!;With best regards!;Thanks in advance for your reply…;We hope that our request will not be difficult for you.…;We look forward to a successful continuation of cooperation…;We look forward to your interest in expanding connections…etc.
These closing remarks of courtesy are followed by self-name official signing the document, and his signature. Self-naming includes an indication of the position held and the name of the organization, if the letter is not sent on the letterhead of the institution, otherwise - only the position:
If a letter is sent on behalf of the Academic Council of a scientific institution, the self-name is an indication of the role that this or that person performs in this body:
Etiquette rituals, expressed by performative verbs, are included, as a rule, in set expressions, like the rest of the speech etiquette formulas: With pleasure) invite You to take part in...; Thanks to You for participation...; Sincerely thank you You for...; Cordially thank you You for...; ask You will be directed to our address...; I assure You that we will do our best...; wish Good luck to you and we look forward to future mutually beneficial cooperation...; With thanks confirm receiving from you...;
Etiquette rituals used in business letters include
– different kinds praise : You showed heartfelt attention to orphans and children left without parental care...(direct praise); Considering your great contribution to the development of technological progress in industry...(indirect praise); Since your firm is a leading supplier of computer equipment...(indirect praise)
expression of hope, confidence, gratitude at the end of the letter : I express hope for…;I hope for further good and mutually beneficial relations…; We hope for a speedy decision ... We hope that the result of the negotiations will be a long-term and fruitful cooperation between our enterprises…; We look forward to further fruitful cooperation…; We wish you success and look forward to future mutually beneficial cooperation…;We hope that our request will be considered as soon as possible.…;We hope for a speedy answer (solution of our issue) ...;We were glad to receive your letter.…; Many thanks for fax dated 04.06.2010…; We acknowledge with gratitude the receipt of your letter…;Thanks to behind...;
expression of congratulations, apologies, wishes: Congratulations ...; We wish you success in…;We apologize for… about…etc.
Polite form addressee naming in business correspondence involves the use of the pronouns "you", "your" with capital letter: According to your request we send To you latest catalogs of our products; At the end of this month, we will be happy to use your services.
It is impossible not to take into account the effectiveness of etiquette formulas, the arsenal of which in Russian speech etiquette very large. The success of the case largely depends on the tone of the letter.
The universal principle of using etiquette means is the principle of politeness, which is expressed in the recommendations given to readers in one old Russian letter book and which have not lost their relevance to this day: “The first duty of the writer is to remember his own position, to know the position of the person to whom we are writing, and to imagine the latter is as clear as if we were standing in front of him and talking. This is especially important today, when official correspondence is becoming more personal and dynamic. Today, the genre of business writing requires the compiler not only to standardize language tools but also manifestations of one's own individuality.
A businessman must convince a partner that cooperation will bring refutable benefits to both. It should also be explained under what circumstances he will receive it.
When compiling a commercial offer (CP), one should take into account the status of the enterprise and listen to the recommendations of experienced marketers.
Of course, promoted companies with famous brands(Mercedes, Gazprom, Coca-Cola, etc.), you do not need to make an effort and in every possible way to be sophisticated in order to convince a representative of a particular company to cooperate with them. In this case, it is enough to issue a letter with summary the benefits of your product or service.
For other businessmen, it is very important to observe some subtleties in order for this proposal to have the desired effect.
Important components included in the commercial offer
When drawing up a document on cooperation, it is necessary to adhere to standard requirements.
- Use letterhead.
- Compose a competent appeal to the representative of the company.
- Select original title.
- Briefly state the essence of the proposal.
- Encourage your counterparty to take action.
- Provide current contacts.
- Show courtesy in the form of advance thanks.
Use of forms
KP can be drawn up on a regular sheet of paper, this is quite acceptable. However, the use of letterhead with the company logo will become a kind of advertising element of your company and will eloquently complement the content of the letter.
Welcome text
An important part is the appeal to a potential client. Its compilation must be taken seriously and understand who and how to contact. For example, by name and patronymic it is permissible to address in such cases:
- when the offer is sent after the preliminary telephone conversation with a potential partner;
- The CP is addressed to the target consumer, to whom an individual approach can be applied.
original title
The title is required as an advertising effect, it must contain main concept KP. When contacting government agency a creative title is optional. You can also refuse it if the company is already sufficiently advertised.
If the proposal comes from a budgetary organization, the proposal is formulated according to the established model, in which creativity is not required. Such a letter is of a standard nature and does not require initiative from its originator, its form remains within the accepted rules.
The essence of the proposal should be stated meaningfully, but concisely: short story about the company, offered goods, services, work or mutually beneficial cooperation.
Main body of the document
How to motivate a customer to take action
To force to agree to cooperate, one should not apply pressure. Such an approach will only alienate the recipient of the letter, and hope for cooperation will be lost forever. It is much more effective to make a tempting offer by providing some kind of encouragement or reward. For example, a discount for a timely response.
Contact details
You should write not only a phone number, but also an email address so that the client has physical ability respond to a proposal for cooperation.
Thank the recipient of the letter in advance for taking the time to read it. Although, if we are talking about a personal business proposal, gratitude is accepted by default.
Learn from mistakes
To make the perfect commercial offer, you should always listen to the advice of professionals. But there is another old proven method - to learn from the mistakes of others. In practice there are various errors Let's list some of them.
Complicated syntactic forms
To formulate a CP, it is not necessary to build phrases that are too correct, with a complete meaning. Short sentences with unsaid thoughts, interjections have a more effective effect on a person. The presentation should have a living language, not dry conclusions.
Too short
The opinion that an extremely short text limited to one page is needed can be called a stereotype. And this is far from what can give the desired result. The best thing to do when writing a sales pitch letter is to forget about recommendations in terms of length, especially when there is something interesting to talk about. You can find many samples of such letters and see how they are informative and able to hook.
duplication
Usually the same mistakes are repeated when they talk about a similar product or service in exactly the same phrases as a competitor does. It is necessary not only to describe and praise your product, but to prove that it is in this company that it is the best and indispensable. Here it is appropriate to be eloquent in order to draw attention to the exclusivity of the product. What follows is the disclosure of the essence - why it will be more profitable to cooperate with this company.
Enumeration of merits
A simple story about the merits of the company's products will not lead to anything. Any praise requires proof: why this particular product is the best and most profitable. For this, reviews of those who used this service or product are perfectly used, and these should be either well-known personalities (movie stars, sports stars, pop stars), or well-known representatives of companies with a positive image.
No less effective interesting story that happened to a customer who became a user of a particular product or service. At the end of the story, be sure to talk about the results of its use, preferably in numbers. If cooperation is meant, then indicate how much profit the partner received.
Everyone is the same
The biggest mistake can be the wrong approach to sending the same offer to several customers without focusing on individuality. Such a proposal loses weight and, as a rule, remains unrealized. A client who can become a potential partner should feel that this offer is addressed to him, this will flatter him to some extent and make him respond.
Photo gallery: examples of successful commercial offers
When compiling a commercial offer letter, a foreign client should follow a standard structure and form. The CP should begin with an appeal, a catchy, captivating title. This is followed by a clear statement of the essence of the proposal, its benefits and ends with conclusions and contact details. If there is no English-speaking manager on staff, such services can be provided by a translator or copywriter with knowledge of English.
Sample commercial proposal in English
The need for a cover letter
The cover letter contains the principles of cooperation in a concise manner. Escort is used to reduce the volume of the main sentence.
Escort is compiled at the request of the sender, however, there must be a clear structure and compliance with the requirements of the basics of office work.
First of all, you need to address the addressee and greet him. If it is sent after a previous phone call, it is advisable to apply with the name and patronymic.
Case example
“Hello, dear Stepan Vasilyevich!”
or “Good afternoon, welcome to the company…”
"Domosed LLC makes you an offer of the widest range of kitchen accessories at the manufacturer's price."
Report attached documents:
"We invite you to take a look at advantageous offer discounts.
Encourage a decision:
“Would you like to cooperate with us? Contact the address ... ".
Escort Sample
Hello, dear Maria Semyonovna!
My name is Dmitry Pavlovich. I am the chief manager of the supply and sales department of Mobile LLC, we spoke with you by phone on Wednesday at 11.40. At your request, we send information about the payment system.
Mobile has a wide range of Vehicle for various purposes(passenger cars, trucks) and a flexible system of payment by affordable prices:
- Cash and non-cash types of payment.
- For payment within 12 months with a down payment of 10% of the cost.
Our offer is complemented by an invitation to an exhibition and sale of our products, where discounts that are beneficial to you are offered. The event starts at 12.00 12.08.2016. Our address: Moscow, st. Timiryazev, 45.
For all questions, please call: (325) 503–23–45.
Sincerely, Chief Manager of the Supply and Sales Department of Mobile LLC.
Sending an offer
The commercial offer can be delivered in person or by regular mail. However, these traditional forms of communication are considered somewhat obsolete. The most modern and efficient way of sending is, of course, e-mail.
For all its popularity, not everyone knows about the intricacies of the process of sending an email. Firstly, it is important to use the PDF format, it is more versatile and well adapted for different versions. Secondly, it must be taken into account that such an offer is sent exclusively from the person with whom preliminary agreements were made.
Equally important is the subject of the letter, in no case should you send “without a subject”. It should sound something like this: "Proposal for cooperation in the supply of sporting goods."
So, you need to follow the following sequence:
- fill in the email address;
- attach the main document in PDF format;
- formulate the subject of the letter;
- write a short accompanying text in the body of the letter.
www.sb-advice.com
Etiquette formulas are required in the design of a business letter. They are determined by the genre of the message (letters of invitation, letters of congratulations, letters of condolence) and are largely conditional, ritual in nature. More A.S. Pushkin remarked in Journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg: “Every day we sign as our humble servants, and it seems that none of this has yet concluded that we should be asked to be valets.”
Business letters of invitation and congratulations include many etiquette phrases. Instead of an etiquette frame (words of greeting and farewell), business letters use the following appeals: Dear Nikolai Ivanovich! Dear Mr. Bobylev! IN At the end of the letter, before the signature, the final courtesy formula is placed: Yours sincerely!;Sincerely;With sincere respect!;With best regards!;Thanks in advance for your reply…;We hope that our request will not be difficult for you.…;We look forward to a successful continuation of cooperation…;We look forward to your interest in expanding connections…etc.
These closing remarks of courtesy are followed by self-name official signing the document, and his signature. Self-naming includes an indication of the position held and the name of the organization, if the letter is not sent on the letterhead of the institution, otherwise - only the position:
If a letter is sent on behalf of the Academic Council of a scientific institution, the self-name is an indication of the role that this or that person performs in this body:
Etiquette rituals expressed by performative verbs are included, as a rule, in set expressions, like the rest of the speech etiquette formulas: With pleasure) invite You to take part in…; Thanks to You for participation...; Sincerely thank you You for…; Cordially thank you You for …; ask You will be directed to our address ...; I assure You that we will make every effort ...; wish Good luck to you and we look forward to future mutually beneficial cooperation...; With thanks confirm receiving from you...;
Etiquette rituals used in business letters include
- different kinds praise : You showed heartfelt attention to orphans and children left without parental care...(direct praise); Considering your great contribution to the development of technological progress in industry ...(indirect praise); Since your firm is a leading supplier of computer equipment…(indirect praise)
expression of hope, confidence, gratitude at the end of the letter : I express hope for…;I hope for further good and mutually beneficial relations…; We hope for a speedy decision ... We hope that the result of the negotiations will be a long-term and fruitful cooperation between our enterprises…; We look forward to further fruitful cooperation…; We wish you success and look forward to future mutually beneficial cooperation…;We hope that our request will be considered as soon as possible.…;We hope for a speedy answer (solution of our issue) ...;We were glad to receive your letter.…;Thank you very much for the fax dated 04.06.2010…; We acknowledge with gratitude the receipt of your letter…;Thanks to behind…;
expression of congratulations, apologies, wishes: Congratulations …; We wish you success in…;We apologize for… about…etc.
Polite form addressee naming in business correspondence involves the use of the pronouns "You", "Your" with a capital letter: According to your request we send To you latest catalogs of our products; At the end of this month, we will be happy to use your services.
It is impossible not to take into account the effectiveness of etiquette formulas, the arsenal of which in Russian speech etiquette is very large. The success of the case largely depends on the tone of the letter.
The universal principle of using etiquette means is the principle of politeness, which is expressed in the recommendations given to readers in one old Russian letter book and which have not lost their relevance to this day: “The first duty of the writer is to remember his own position, to know the position of the person to whom we are writing, and to imagine the latter is as clear as if we were standing in front of him and talking. This is especially important today, when official correspondence is becoming more personal and dynamic. Today, the genre of business writing requires from the compiler not only the standardization of language means, but also the manifestation of their own individuality.
studopedia.org
Who writes to whom
A letter of offer for cooperation is drawn up by an authorized employee who is engaged in business development or a similar direction. The text of such a letter must be agreed with the head of the organization. Such proposals can be made by the head of the company himself.
General rules
The letter is written in the name of the director of the company with which cooperation is planned in the future. Also, the addressee can be the deputy director or any person who deals with similar issues and has the authority to make decisions on possible cooperation. But all business proposals for cooperation are ultimately considered by the management of the organization.
General rules
The most important thing to remember is that the offer is a kind of hook that should hook a potential partner. The text of the letter should be meaningful, interesting and competent. The ideal outcome of reading such a letter would be a request for a commercial offer or price list for goods and services.
Despite the fact that the proposal for cooperation (a sample of it will be presented below) is considered official document, some standard form no. A letter is drawn up in free form or according to a template that is developed in specific organization based on the tasks and capabilities of the enterprise.
When compiling proposals, you need to follow the elementary rules of the Russian language, office work and business ethics.
Before writing a letter, you should find out the details of the employee with whom you intend to communicate.
So the offer will be:
- Header (this step is optional, because a poorly written header can discourage you from reading the rest of the letter).
- Appeals (it is better to start this stage with the words “dear / th”).
- The offer itself.
- Addressee's signature.
Main part
How to write a proposal for cooperation so that the opponent does not consider other invitations? The body of the letter should contain the essence of the entire proposal. Ornate statements and vague phrases, long and confusing sentences, as well as special terminology are inappropriate here. The essence of the letter is clear, concise and concise. The emphasis is on special features and a profitable offer.
In the main part, the sending company should be mentioned, but it should only be the year from which it has been operating and the main activities. At this stage, other information will be redundant.
You can also indicate the current partners or clients of the organization, who certainly respond only positively about the company's activities.
The tone of the letter should be more motivating than narrative. But the main thing here is not to go too far, to compose the text correctly, without imposing services and cooperation.
In the event that the text is long, but all the information is important to read, it should be divided into paragraphs and highlight important points. So the perception will be complete, and a large text will be perceived easier.
The main idea of the letter or an important message should be placed either at the beginning or at the end. The whole secret is that these parts are more deposited in the reader's subconscious.
As practice shows, the one who receives a letter of cooperation proposal (sample below) is ready to spend no more than 60 seconds reading it, this fact must also be read when writing a letter.
Mandatory Information
When making a proposal, be sure to remember about mandatory information contained in it. This:
- the name of the organization that sends the letter;
- actual address and telephone number for contacting a contact person;
- Full Name authorized person and his position;
- the main essence of the appeal.
The proposal may be accompanied by additional documents or references to legislative acts and norms that are directly related to the proposal for cooperation.
Registration
There are several ways to write a letter:
- Write a proposal by hand.
- Type the sentence on the computer.
How to "force" to cooperate
The first option, of course, is somewhat outdated, but in some cases it turns out to be the most effective, because there are leaders who do not accept new technologies and prefer to communicate and work “in the old fashioned way”.
The second option is more familiar and convenient. Firstly, in electronic form, there is probably a preparation of the official letterhead of the organization with the necessary details, and secondly, if proposals are made constantly, then there may be a ready-made letter template where you only need to substitute the addressee and, possibly, change some information that is correct in a particular case.
The offer can be made in any number of copies, but at the beginning it must contain an appeal, and at the end - the signature of the sender.
The date should only be set in situations where the offer contains promotions or special conditions that are active for a certain amount of time.
You do not need to register a proposal for cooperation in the journal of outgoing correspondence.
How to "force" to cooperate
Of course, “to force” does not mean to exert physical pressure on the person making the decision to cooperate. The example of a proposal for cooperation that was presented earlier shows that the letter should encourage the opponent to make a positive decision.
To induce this, one organization will need only a motivational speech calling for cooperation, and another enterprise will need to offer a discount or a small reward for accepting the offer.
Before writing letters, you need to study your opponent well: what he can agree to and what is unacceptable for him. After all, one word or phrase can instantly spoil the idea of the whole company.
Do you need gratitude?
Another important point of the proposal for cooperation is gratitude. At the end of such letters, without fail, there should be gratitude for the time spent and the letter read.
This speaks both of the seriousness of the organization, and of elementary courtesy for the time taken from the opponent.
Such letters will not contain gratitude by default, as this is an individual approach of each organization to its potential partner or client.
Departure
So, what is the best way to send a letter of proposal for cooperation (sample presented earlier)?
This can be done in different ways, each organization chooses for itself a more acceptable and convenient option. Consider the most common:
- Email. This method is rightfully considered the simplest, most efficient and affordable. But a letter to an opponent can easily get lost, getting into the unwanted correspondence of the addressee. This method can only be used if the sender and the addressee have established contact. Well, or send a letter “at random”, suddenly you are lucky and it will not end up in the Spam folder.
- Mail. This method is considered the most reliable, since the letter will reach the addressee in any case. But it is also the most time-consuming, because everyone knows how slowly the Russian post works. Of course, if the mailing is massive, then this method is clearly not suitable, it is better to use the first option.
- Fax machine. Slightly outdated, but still used method of submitting offers. Suitable also for a specific offer of a specific company.
- Any Method modern look communications (messengers, social networks, etc.). Such a method is appropriate only if the parties are well acquainted with each other and the written proposal is only a formality for further continuation of cooperation.
So, now you know what a cooperation proposal letter is, how to compose and send it.
businessman.ru
The principle of writing letters to well-known people
Before you begin to deal with the ending of the message, it is important to write the letter itself correctly, following a very simple rules. When sending a message to friends, relatives and friends, in fact, you don’t even have to really think about what a sample letter written by you should be. Here it will be enough to simply conditionally divide the message into three parts.
In turn, the message to a business partner is written in a completely different way. First of all, the style of the message should be strictly formal, it should not contain a single mistake, and the sample letter should be taken from an official source. However, despite the fact that there are different types of business correspondence and many features of each of them, you can compose rough plan any business message.
- The heading of an official message containing the name of the recipient company, indicating the last name, first name, patronymic and position of the recipient person, under which the date of the letter and its registration number are indicated.
- The title of the letter and its main text, concise, but containing all the necessary information.
- The end of the message, which has a number of its own nuances, so how to end a business letter , we will talk later, and at the very end, the date the message was sent and the signature of the sender - his last name, first name, patronymic and position.
Ending a letter to friends or relatives
Now it's time to dwell in more detail on how exactly you need to finish the message to a well-known or native person to leave behind the most favorable impression and make the interlocutor want to write an answer as soon as possible.
First of all, before finishing a letter to a friend, relative or close person you should read your message carefully. After reading the message, you will probably want to add something else, correct or supplement it in order to make the text as complete and understandable as possible. After that, it is recommended to re-read the letter again, after which it remains only to add a kind of “epilogue” at the end, clarifying the main idea of your message in it, and warmly say goodbye to your interlocutor.
End of official letter
In business correspondence, the ending of the message plays almost the most important role. That is why, when compiling it, special attention should be paid to how to finish a business letter in order to observe etiquette and good manners. And first of all, before writing the final part of the message, you need to re-read the letter again, correct all the errors in it and format it correctly so that the text is well readable, and important points are immediately noticeable thanks to the bold type.
After such preparation, you can proceed, in fact, to the end of the letter. If it consists of several sheets, at the end it is important to make a summary of the message, consisting of a couple of paragraphs, in which it will be necessary to reflect the most important points of the message, so that it is easier for the recipient to compose his answer. If the letter is small, then there is no need for a summary, so at the end it will be enough just to say goodbye, respectfully addressing the interlocutor, and sign.
Friendly or business correspondence with a foreigner
Our century is considered a time that erases boundaries. And this is no accident, because in the world of telecommunication technologies we can communicate not only with our compatriots, but also with foreigners. However, having decided to start a correspondence with a person from another country, it is important, firstly, to communicate freely in his mother tongue, secondly, to be at least a little familiar with the mentality of a foreigner, and thirdly, to know how to finish letters so that the interlocutor would be pleased to read them. But no matter what country the recipient of the letter is from, no matter what the correspondence is - business or friendly, it is very important to be mutually polite in it, be sure to greet the interlocutor and politely say goodbye to him.
Final lines of the message
Approaching the end of your message, it is very important to know how to end your letters with a final phrase that should convey all your respect and sympathy for the interlocutor.
So, the final line of a letter to a friend, loved one or relative might sound like this:
- With love, (your name).
- Great mood!
- See you.
- Waiting for an answer.
- Give my regards to all.
- See you soon.
But an official message should be written with respect at the end of the letter to its recipient and without any familiarity. So, finishing writing a business message, in the final you need to write:
- Looking forward to fruitful cooperation.
- Sincerely (your full name and position in the company).
- With respect (your full name and position in the company).
- Thanks for taking our offer.
- Please respond as quickly as possible.
- If you are interested in more information, please contact us.
www.syl.ru
I constantly receive letters in the mail with various proposals for cooperation. But half of them are not even opened, the second half are subjected to the most severe criticism. And only a small part (maybe every twentieth or thirtieth letter) achieves its goal and brings some fruits of cooperation.
I will try to give you the correct one.
So let's look at an example of a typical collaboration letter that periodically clutters up my inbox. This letter usually begins following words:
- Hello!
- Good afternoon.
Mistake #1. Or WHERE IS MY NAME???
Remember, this is very, very important, be sure to write the NAME of the person to whom this letter is intended in each letter. The absence of a name in letters of cooperation is the first sign of a template. And templates, as we know, don't work, they're just annoying!
An example of correct treatment:
- Hello Dmitry!
— Good afternoon, Tatyana.
- Greetings, Cyril
Mistake #2. Or I don't care about you!!!
My name is [XXX]. I represent the publishing house [XXX]
- My name is [XXX], I am the partner development manager of the company [XXX]
— My name is [XXX], I represent the company…
Remember, by nature it is more pleasant and interesting for us to discuss ourselves, solve our problems, and not listen to stories about what a great company you are!
How first paragraph rule? In which, you must, no - simply must, hook the reader?
I do not argue that it is necessary to introduce yourself in the letter so that you can have an idea of who sent this letter in general. But you need to specify this NOT IN THE FIRST paragraph. The first paragraph is only to interest the reader and encourage him to read the letter of cooperation in its entirety. Role model - selling articles. Letters must be written according to the same rules.
Mistake #3. Or why in letters of invitations to cooperation design?
If the letter contains design elements, it immediately goes to the wastebasket. I don’t understand why design is needed in invitation letters for cooperation? This is neither a website, nor a booklet, nor a leaflet - this is a LETTER.
Design elements instantly give out that the letter is template, which means that it was sent to hundreds, maybe thousands of other people. Disgust immediately arises, because you feel the insincerity of this letter. You begin to perceive all the written words differently, as if you know that everything written is exactly as false and fake as this design. And all because there is no individual approach. For an individual approach, many clients are ready to almost “sell their souls”.
* Please do not confuse design elements and formatting. The second, just, is very necessary in letters.
**An example of a letter with a design can be found in your mail in the "SPAM" folder
Mistake #4. The entire letter is a solid template.
95% of letters with an invitation to cooperation are a banal template that is written in violation of all possible marketing and copywriting rules. These letters constantly BOOM, they are saturated from head to toe with their stereotypes and do not represent any value for the addressees. Strict business writing style, rigid framework, complete lack of emotions - and how can one hope for successful cooperation with such a set? I do not understand…
You can find an example of such a cooperation letter in your mailbox I'm sure they are no different.
And now, using the material in this article, try to compose your own. This is to practice your writing skills. After all, letters are easier to write than articles. In addition, I advise you to read about how to write correctly thank you letter for cooperation.
tutext.ru
Everyone knows that the column "knowledge foreign languages” is in the resume of any serious company. And if you write in such a column " Fluency”, then the chances of getting a tasty place increase many times over. And the phrase "business English" will have an almost magical effect.
As a rule, business English involves written communication. And this is good. Firstly, there is always the opportunity to think and get into the dictionary. Secondly, there are so many standard expressions that a person who speaks English from Pre-Intermediate level and above, it is almost not difficult to write a decent letter and send it to business partners.
The main thing in writing a letter is its framing. That is the beginning and the end. As they say, they meet by clothes, and last words are remembered best of all (thanks to Stirlitz). Accordingly, if you start your appeal correctly and end it just as correctly, then the very essence of the letter will be perceived better, and the overall impression of your speech in general can play a decisive role.
sticking to certain rules writing, you will definitely succeed. Let's start writing a business letter in English!
Greetings
As befits all polite people: any communication begins with a greeting. And in the same not tricky way, the structure of a business letter also begins with a greeting.
Dear Sir or Madame- an appeal to a person if you do not know either the name, or the title, or even whether it is a man or a woman. Important: after this greeting is not put exclamation mark! And even no punctuation mark is put at all, just the next sentence comes from a new line. You can put a comma if you really want to.
Dear Mr White(Ms White / Mrs White / Miss Catcher) - addressing the addressee by last name (after Mr, Ms, etc., the name is not put!) I hope everyone remembers that Mr is an appeal to a man, Miss - to unmarried woman, Mrs - to a married woman, Ms - to a woman who does not want to emphasize her marital status.
Important: never write with the full word Mister, Mistress - only in abbreviation (Mr, Mrs)!
Dear Mr John- addressing the addressee by name (with a closer business acquaintance)
Dear Nick- addressing the addressee by name with a very old, almost friendly business acquaintance
It is important to focus on appeals to a woman. Now the universal appeal Ms (this is both married and unmarried) is very common. Therefore, in business letters they often write exactly that, so as not to offend :) If you know for sure that the addressee is married woman, you can safely indicate Mrs. But if you know that you are definitely not married, it’s better not to take risks with Miss. Because some of it, oddly enough, offends.
After the greeting, you can remind yourself. More precisely, about the last communication: by e-mail, by phone, in person, etc. Even if the memory of the addressee is not girlish and he addressed you 5 minutes ago.
Thank you for your message.- Thank you for your message.
Thank you for your e-mail of…- Thank you for your email from (date)…
With reference to your phone call/ letter of (date)/ advertisement in “NW Magazine”…- in relation to your phone call / letter (on such and such date) / ad in NW Magazine ...
In reply (in answer/ in response) to your request… In response to your request...
In accordance (in conformity) with your request …- As per your request...
In compliance with your request…- As requested by you...
Further to our conversation/telephone talk…- In continuation of our conversation / telephone conversation, etc.
We are writing in response to your publication in… We are writing in response to your posting in...
We were pleased to receive your inquiry… We were pleased to receive your request...
Reasons for contacting
After the greeting and reminders, there should be a phrase that will bring the addressee up to date and explain why you are actually sending him this letter.
We are writing to inquire about…- We write to inquire about...
We apologize for… We apologize for...
We confirm that…- We confirm that...
We would like to clarify… We would like to clarify...
We kindly ask you to… We kindly ask you...
I am writing to enquire about/ to apologize for/ in connection with/ get more details about/ explain…- I am writing to you to inquire about / to apologize for / in connection with / to find out details about / to explain ...
This is to confirm … To confirm…
We hereby inform you … We hereby inform you…
Letter Completion
This is your catchphrase.
As always, if you have any questions, please send them directly to me. - As always, if you have any questions, please contact me directly.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me. /Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly- If you have any questions, feel free to contact me / directly to me, please.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. - If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact (literal translation).
Thank you and I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks in advance.- Thank you in advance.
Please contact us again if we can help in any way.- Please contact us again if we can help you in any way.
Signature, or formula of politeness
The last touch remains. In Russian official letters, everything ends in a standard way: "With respect, ...". In English, it is customary to say "sincerely yours." But in accordance with etiquette, it will have to be translated into Russian anyway as "with respect."
yours faithfully,
Sincerely, ... (if the name of the person is unknown, i.e. the letter began with Dear Sir or Madam)
yours sincerely,
Sincerely, ... (if you know the name, i.e. the letter began with Dear Mr / Miss / Ms / Mrs)
If you have been communicating with a person for a long time and address him in a letter by name, then it is appropriate to use any of the following options (you can translate as “best wishes”):
best wishes
kind regards,
Warmest regards.
For sim - I'm sorry.
kind regards,
iLoveEnglish.
We hope that this sample business letter in English will help you find a new job or create business contacts in the near future.
Do you write business letters in English every day? Or are you just learning the basics of official correspondence in business English courses? Our selection useful phrases and expressions will teach you how to compose correct business letters in English and help diversify your speech.
Thanks to business etiquette It is common knowledge that customers should be greeted at the beginning of a letter and said goodbye at the end. Does the problem start when writing the body of the letter? How, for example, to tell customers that the cargo is delayed, or how to hint that it would be nice to receive money for the services rendered? All this can be correctly told if you use the right “blanks” for different situations. With such "blanks", writing letters will be an easy and enjoyable task.
The beginning of a letter or how to start a correspondence in English
At the beginning of every business letter, immediately after the salutation, you need to explain why you are writing this at all. Perhaps you want to clarify something, get Additional information or, for example, to offer their services. The following phrases will help with everything:
- We are writing - We write to ...
- I am contacting you for the following reason... - I am writing to you with the following purpose / I am writing to you in order to ...
- I would be interested in (receiving/getting information) - I would be interested in (acquiring/getting information)
To confirm... – confirm…
- to request ... - request ...
- to inform you that ... - to inform you that ...
- to require about ... - learn about ...
Establishing contacts or how to tell the interlocutor how you know about him
Sometimes it is worth reminding a business partner when and how you last time met or discussed their collaboration. Maybe a couple of months ago you already wrote a business letter on this topic, or maybe you met at a conference a week ago and then already began to negotiate.
- Thank you for your letter regarding ... - Thank you for your letter regarding ....
- Thank you for your letter of May 30. - Thank you for your letter of May 30.
- In reply to your request, ... - In response to your request ..
- Thank you for contacting us. Thanks for writing to us.
- With reference to our conversation on Tuesday... - Regarding our conversation on Tuesday ...
- In reference with your recent letter - As for the letter recently received from you ...
- It was a pleasure meeting you in New York last week. – It was a pleasure to meet you in New York last week.
- I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed yesterday - I would like to confirm the main points that we discussed yesterday.
Expressing a request or how to tactfully ask an interlocutor in English
In business letters, sometimes you have to ask partners for something. Sometimes you need a delay, and sometimes additional material samples. To express all this in business English there are well-established phrases.
- We would appreciate it if you would ... - We would be very grateful if you ...
- Could you please send me/ tell us/ let us...
- It would be helpful if you could send us ... - It would help us a lot if you could send us ...
- I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter. I shall be grateful for your prompt attention on this matter.
- We would be grateful if you could ... - We would be grateful if you could ...
Complaints in English or how to make it clear that you are not happy
Unfortunately, it often happens that we do not like something. But when writing business letters, we cannot give vent to feelings and directly test what we think of the company and its services. You must use business English and carefully express your dissatisfaction. That way we can keep a business partner and let off some steam. Standard phrases business correspondence that will help you with this:
- I am writing to complain about ...
- I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ...
- I am afraid there may be a misunderstanding…
- I understand it is not your fault, but ... - I understand that this is not your fault, but ...
- We wish to draw your attention to ... . We would like to draw your attention to
How to communicate good or bad news in business letters in English
In business correspondence, it often happens that we have to upset customers. It is worth doing this gracefully so as not to anger the partner even more.
Bad news
- I am afraid that I must inform you that ...
- Unfortunately we cannot / we are unable to ...
- We regret to inform you that ... - We regret to inform you that…
- I "m afraid it would not be possible to ... - I'm afraid it will be impossible ...
- After serious consideration we have decided to ...- After serious consideration, we decided that…
Good news
Fortunately, sometimes everything goes well, and we can please our customers with good news.
- We are pleased to announce that ... - We are pleased to announce that ...
- It is our pleasure to announce that ... - We have the pleasure to announce that ...
- I am delighted to inform you that ..
- You will be pleased to learn that ... - You will be pleased when you find out that ...
Apologies or how not to anger the client even more
Of course, in business there are often overlaps. And you have to apologize for them. Be friendly, enter the position of the interlocutor. Remember, it's better to apologize a few times than to lose a valuable customer.
- I regret any inconvenience caused by... We regret any inconvenience caused by...
- Please accept our sincere apologies. Please accept our sincere apologies.
- I would like to apologize for the delay /inconvenience...
- Once again, please accept my apologies for ... - Once again, please accept my apologies for ...
Money or how to show your partner that it's time to pay
Sometimes you want to write in plain text that it's time to pay. But in business correspondence, you can’t do that. Instead, one has to use softer constructions, behind which there is the same hard question.
- According to our records ... - According to our records ...
- Our records show that we have not yet received payment of ...
- We would appreciate if you cleared your account within the next days. “We would be grateful if you would pay off in the next few days.
- Please send payment as soon as possible/ promptly - Please send us the payment as soon as possible.
Politeness in correspondence or how to hint at new meetings
It is not necessary to say goodbye to business partners completely. Even after the end of the project, you'd better keep the relationship for the next orders.
Catch you later
At the end of business letters in English, it will often be appropriate to remind your partner between the lines when you next expect information from him.
- I look forward to seeing you next week. – Looking forward to our meeting next week
- Looking forward to receiving your comments, - Looking forward to your comments.
- I look forward to meeting you on the (date). - I look forward to our meeting with you (date).
- An early reply would be appreciated. – I will appreciate your prompt reply
See you
After a successful order, it is worth writing a small letter to the customer in English, saying that you are not against a new project with him.
- I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm again. “I look forward to the opportunity to work with your firm again.
- We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future. We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
- We would be pleased to do business with your company. We will gladly do business with your company.
Of course, business English is not always easy. Fortunately, our selection of business phrases should make your task much easier. Now it will take you much less time to write a letter. So choose the right phrases, supplement with your information and please your boss with beautiful business letters in English.
Almost every person who is somehow connected with the Internet knows what e-mail is. Old friends, colleagues, relatives love to keep in touch with mail, because this is a really convenient service. True, some still prefer the good old handwritten messages. But the majority of people on Earth communicate in one way or another.
It is important to know that the letter can be business, congratulatory or personal. Depending on the style of the text and on who it is intended for, the text itself is already being compiled.
How to end a letter to a friend
Before thinking about the end of the message, check the text already written. It is important to correct all errors, both grammatical and stylistic. After that, think about the completion of your letter. Writing a letter in electronic form is much easier because you can always delete or add a new piece of text anywhere in the message. With a handwritten letter, everything is much more complicated, because it must be written without a single mistake.
You should immediately decide what you expect from the recipient. If you want the response to the letter to be quick, then add special notes or write it directly in the letter. If you have a little time to wait for a response, then leave it as it is.
The letter should end logically, the main idea should be fully conveyed. Otherwise, the recipient will be guessing what you wanted to say with this or that word. Write clearly and clearly so that there are no ambiguous questions.
So how do you end a letter to a friend? If unique ideas do not come to your mind, then you can use hackneyed expressions:
- Your friend, "Name"
- I want to see you
- See you!
- Waiting for an answer
- Wait for a visit!
- Kiss, "Name"
- Come soon
- Be happy!
- Good luck!
- All the best, your friend "Name"
How to end a business letter
When writing a business message, you need to conduct a deeper and more thorough check, otherwise your partner, having found errors, will not want to do business with you. The text must be written plain text, no need to make huge offers with various turnovers, get by with basic descriptions.
Watch your speech, do not use common words and expressions: “Che”, “Yes, no problem”, etc. Treat the interlocutor with respect, in no case do not insult him, otherwise you can not send messages at all.
The end of the letter should be intriguing, interest your interlocutor, add a little spark. From the beginning of the text, you need to bring the reader to the essence of the issue and only at the end fully open your cards. The fact is that the ending of the text is best remembered, which means that a person will pay more attention to it.
Before ending your message, type full list key documents, if any. Be sure to number each document, do it in chronological order.
- I look forward to further cooperation.
- Thank you for your attention.
- Sincerely, Name.
- Respectfully, Name.
How to finish a letter in English
In correspondence with friends or loved ones, you do not have to follow a clear text structure. Here, speech can be simpler, because the most important thing is to convey emotions, feelings, talk about what is happening. You can use jokes, common expressions, etc.
On the this moment the younger generation communicates in a completely different language. Many adults do not always understand what in question. Borrowed words are often used, new concepts are introduced, which is why our speech becomes completely different.
To complete a letter in English, you must also hold preliminary training. Check the entire text for errors, add the necessary notes, and then proceed to the ending.
- Good Luck - Good Luck!
- With Love - with love!
- Good cheers - good mood!
- See you soon - see you soon!
- Talk to you later - we'll talk after.
- Truly yours - with respect!
Now you know how to finish the letter. Use these tips to appear literate.
