business letters – writing routine and persuasive letters.ppt

bussiness communication

1. Business Letter Writing

2. Purpose of Business Writing
•Businesslettersarewrittenforthefulfillmentofseveralpurposes.
•(1)To inform
•(ii)To enquire
•(iii) To order
•(iv) To request
•(v) To collect dues
•(vi) To complain
•(vii) To make an adjustment or settle a claim
•(viii) To sell a product, service or scheme
•(ix) To apply for a job
•(x) To win contract
•(xi) To express gratitude
•(xii)To congratulate

3. Formats of Business Letters
•FULL BLOCK FORMAT
•Modified Block Layout
•Semi Block Layout
•Simplified layout

4. FULL BLOCK FORMAT
•Most common format in use today,
•It is the easiest to remember and it is well suited to the way a word
processor works.
•Everyline begins at the left margin, the return address,
complimentary closing, signature, and even the first line of each
paragraph.
•Paragraphs are separated by a double space.

5. 123 Centre Street
Yorkton, NS B4T 1Y9
February 21, 2005
John Clancy
Personnel Manager
Greenbay Publishers Inc.
99 Hollingshead Road
Fredericton, NB
Dear Mr. Clancy
We are pleased to _______________________________your account.
In addition,________________________________________the work.
It would be our pleasure________________________contact us.
Yours truly
Shirley Paterson
Shirley Paterson
Director of Research

6. Modified Block Layout
•Differs from full block in the positioning of certain elements like the
heading, dateline, complimentary close, signature block are right
aligned.

7. 123 Centre Street
Yorkton, NS B4T 1Y9
February 21, 2005
John Clancy
Personnel Manager
GreenbayPublishers Inc.
99 Hollingshead Road
Fredericton, NB
Dear Mr. Clancy
We are pleased to _______________________________your account.
In addition,________________________________________thework.
It would be our pleasure________________________contactus.
Yours truly
Shirley Paterson
Shirley Paterson
Director of Research

8. Semi Block Layout
•Resembles modified block style except that the first line of each
paragraph is indented.

9. 123 Centre Street
Yorkton, NS B4T 1Y9
February 21, 2005
John Clancy
Personnel Manager
GreenbayPublishers Inc.
99 Hollingshead Road
Fredericton, NB
Dear Mr. Clancy
We are pleased to ____________________________________________________________
your account.
In addition,_______________________________________________________________the work.
It would be our pleasure ________________________contact us.
Yours truly
Shirley Paterson
Shirley Paterson
Director of Research

10. Simplified Layout
•Omits salutation
•Often includes a subject line in capital letters.
•Omits complimentary close.
•Convenient when the recipient is not known to you.
•Objections are raised on impersonal appproach.

11. 123 Centre Street
Yorkton, NS B4T 1Y9
February 21, 2005
John Clancy
Personnel Manager
GreenbayPublishers Inc.
99 Hollingshead Road
Fredericton, NB
BALANCE PAYMENT ALREADY MADE
We are pleased to _______________________________your account.
In addition,________________________________________thework.
It would be our pleasure________________________contactus.
Shirley Paterson
Shirley Paterson
Director of Research

12. Writing routine letters
•Letters that please the receiver are called good-news letters.
•Those letters that neither please , nor displease are called routine
letters.
•Sequence of presentation of ideas in routine letters
Major ideas
Details or
explanations
Closing
thoughts

13. Business Enquiry Letter
Sometimes prospective buyers want to know the details of the goods which
they want to buy, like quality, quantity, price, mode of delivery and
payment, etc. They may also ask for a sample. The letter written to sellers
with one or more of the above purposes is known as enquiry letter.
•Could be of two types –Solicited Inquiry and Unsolicited Inquiry.
•Solicited inquiry means an inquiry made in response to the advertisement
of the seller.
•Unsolicited inquiry means an inquiry made by the buyer at his own
initiative enquiring about the product or service that he wants to purchase.

14. •Most examples of this letter type contain three short paragraphs.
•The first paragraph specifies the SUBJECT of the inquiry and indicates WHY the
inquiry is being made.
•The middle paragraph lists the specific items or questions that the letter writer
wants or wants answered; usually the items or questions are presented in
bulleted list form.
•The last paragraph tactfully indicates a deadline by which the items being
requested or the answers to questions need to be supplied.

15. M/s AcronElectricals
22/c, Main Road.
Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2
July 27,2019
Ref. PR/F/2002/27
M/s Bharat Fans
Bharat Complex
Hyderabad –500032
Dear Sir:
Subject: Enquiry about the prices of fans
We are dealing in retail trade of electrical appliances. We would be interested in selling your product,
Bharat Fans through our retail showroom.
Could you, therefore, send us your quotations and let us know the terms and conditions of payment.
We would appreciate an early response for a fruitful business association.
Yours sincerely,
(A.B.Kumar)
For M/s AcronElectricals

16. Quotation Letter
•Alettersentinreplytoanenquiry.
•Afterreceivingtheletterofenquiryfromaprospectivebuyer,the
sellerssupplytherelevantInformationbywritingaletterthatis
calledquotationletter.
•Theselettersarewrittenkeepinginviewtheinformationaskedforlikepricelist,
modeofpayment,discounttobeallowedetc.
•Businessmanshouldreplytotheinquiriescarefullyandpromptly.
•Be prompt in sending all the required information.
•Must give point-by-point detailed information.
•As the enquiry letter is sent to a number of organizations, a quotation letter is
judged by its quality, price, promptness in reply, additional advantages, etc.

17. M/s Bharat Fans
Bharat Complex
Hyderabad –500032
Dated: August 10,2019
Ref.-SL/F/2002/12
M/s AcronElectricals
22/c, Main Road
Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2
Subject: Your letter No. PR/F/2002/27 dated July 27, 2002
Dear Sir:
Thank you for your letter of enquiry. We would be glad to meet your requirements of selling our
fan in your retail showroom.
Our quotations are given in the price list enclosed. We offer 10% discount on order above Rs.
50,000. Besides, we allow a grace period of 45 days for payment of dues to our regular customers.
We are confident that you will find our prices competitive and our terms and conditions
reasonable. We look forward to meeting your requirements.
Yours sincerely,
Signature
(Des Gupta)
Sales Manager
For M/s Bharat Fans
Encl: Price List & Terms and Conditions

18. Order Letter
•The prospective buyer after receiving the reply to his enquiry letter may
decide to place on order with that business house which offers goods at
minimum price and at favorable terms and conditions.
•Letters written by a buyer to the seller giving the order to purchase the
goods is called order letter.
•Request for dispatch and delivery of goods or services.
•Should include particulars with regard to the quantity, size and other
specifications.

19. M/s Acron Electricals
Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2
August 22,2019
Ref. PR/F/2002/32
M/s Bharat Fans
Bharat Complex
Hyderabad –500032
Subject: Your letter of quotation No. SL/F/2002/12 dated August 10,2019
Dear Sir:
Many thanks for your prompt reply to our enquiry letter of July 27, 2002. As we find your prices and
terms quite reasonable, we wish to place a trial order as per the list enclosed.
As pointed out in our enquiry letter, quality is important. Should the goods meet our
expectations,substantial orders will follow.
Payment will be made within the time limit prescribed in your quotation letter.
Yours sincerely,
(A.B.Kumar)
For M/s Acron Electrical
Encl: Order List Partner

20. ABC Computers
Computer Market, Ghaziabad
3 November 2015
Mr. Vijay Jindal
Sales Manager
Dell Computers
Noida
Sub: Order for printers
Dear Sir:
Please enter our order no. 2145 for the following:
We shall appreciate your shipping these goods so that they will reach us not later than
December 01,2015.
Yours Sincerely,
M. Krishna
Purchase Manager
ABC Computers
S.no Product type Quantity
1 Deskjet Printers 35

21. Claim Letter
•Are written to bring mistakes to the notice of those who must own
the responsibility for them.
•Motive of these letters is not to express your anger but to correct
the mistake either by repair or replacement.
•Claims must be supported with sales receipts, letters, catalogue
descriptions or invoices.

22. Guidelines for claim Letters
•Provide a reference point (consignment no., invoice no., date, etc)
•Explain the problem clearly giving data where necessary.
•Explain briefly the difficulty you are facing.
•Appeal to the supplier’s sense of fair play and its reputation.
•Specify clearly what adjustments you want to consider.
•Address the letter to a senior officer of the organization.

23. EXAMPLE OF A ‘LETTER OF CLAIM / COMPLAINT’
XYZ
H. No. –71,
Rajiv Enclave
P.O. –Mohan Nagar
Distt. –Ghaziabad (U.P.)
Mob. –9015037121
09 November, 2009
Manager
M/S Hotspot Retails Pvt. Ltd.
Ghaziabad (U.P.)
Sir,
Subject: REGARDING MALFUNCTIONING OF THE NEW MOBILE SET

24. I purchased a CDMA Mobile set on 23 August 2009, from Reliance Web World Express, Meeting Palace WWE-209, B-4, Shani
Tower, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad.
In the new set I observed following malfunctions:
(i) Very Poor sound quality, in that the Sound is not clear most of the times, it is
bursting; to some extent it becomes little clear when heard in the speaker.
(ii) Some numbers do not get connected even after trying many times, appears to be engaged,
but when dialed from other mobile sets they get connected within first attempt.
(iii) Sometimes immediately after dialing a subscriber, the conversation of other is heard, and
the actual number does not get connected. The call is now required to be disconnected and
tried again.
An early and suitable action at your end will go a long way in restoring my faith in Spice Communications Ltd. which is very lowat
present.
Yours truly,
XYZ
Enc: Bill Receipt.

25. Adjustment Letter
•Written in reply to claim letters.
•Objective is to satisfy your customer and safeguard the
reputation of your organization.
•Help in restoring the confidence of the customer in an
organization.

26. Guidelines for adjustment letter
•Begin with a good attitude statement : thank the customer for bringing the mistake to your
notice.
•Convey good-news first, the adjustment you are offering or the action you are taking.
•Apologize for the problem : do not use overly dramatic tone.
•Explain why things went wrong, if situation warrant.
•Be careful while explaining the claimant’s role, if any, in creating the problem.
•Give additional information for the same product or send new sales material about any other
product of yours in which the customer might feel interested.
•Remind the customer how you are honoring the claim.
•Clarify any action that your customer must take.
•Address your letter to the claimant by name.

28. FULFILLING ORDERS
An order mustbe promptly acknowledged in either of the following
ways
By writing a special letter of acknowledgement
the acknowledgement of an order has the following aims
building up goodwill by expressing gratitude for the customer’s
interest in the seller
legal acceptance of all the points mentioned in the order
reference to the date of receipt of the order
statement of when the order will be fulfilled and when it will be
delivered
Statement of desire to be further service to the customer

29. UNIQUE BIOTIQUE PRODUCTS
16,ANDHERI(WEST) MUMBAI
Date---------
NO.---------
Thank you for your order letter no …..…….dated……….…
the goods ordered by you will be dispatched within……...
We appreciate your cooperation
for GEN MANAGER
(SALES)

30. UNIQUEBIOTIQUE PRODUCTS
16,Andheri (west) Mumbai
Date-29/11/2010
Himalaya stores
16,inner circle
Connaught place
New Delhi
Dear Sir
Thank you very much for you order letter no…NOV 2010.
WearearrangingtosendthegoodsorderedbyyouwithinfifteendaysbyPassengertrain
Wearesureyouwillbewellsatisfiedwiththegoodsatthispricetheyrepresentthebest
valueforyourmoney.Besidethese,wemanufactureandsupplyavastrangeofherbaland
naturalhealth–careitems.
Weareenclosingherewithourlatestcataloguefor,wearesureyouwillcertainlybe
interestedinorderingalargequantityofthem.
We look forward to a mutually satisfactory and cordial working relationship.
Yours Sincerely
Satyam

31. UNIQUEBIOTIQUE PRODUCTS
16,Andheri (west)Mumbai
29Nov 2020
Himalaya Stores
16,Inner Circle
Connaught Place
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
Wearepleasedtoinformyouthatyourorderof24Nov2020hasbeenpromptlyfulfilled.The
cosmeticitemsorderedbyyouhavebeendispatchedandyoushouldbegettingtheminabout
tendaysfromtoday.
Ifyouwishtohaveanyfurtherinformationpleasecontactus.Weshallbereallyhappytoserve
youinwhateverwaywecan.
Yours faithfully
Satyam

32. COMPLAINTS
LETTER
Thecomplaintletterismuchliketheadjustment
letter.Howeveritiswrittenjusttoletthereader
knowthatanerrorasbeenfoundandneedstobe
correctedassoonaspossible.Onceagain,this
letterisalegaldocumentlettingthereaderknow
thatsomethingisbeingdonetocorrectthe
problem.

33. Guidelines for drafting complaints
1Regrettheneedtocomplaininacalmandcourteousstyle,
2stateclearlywhathasgonewrongwiththefulfillmentoftheorder,
3Referencetotheorder/quotations,dateofarrivalofgoodsetcis
necessary,
4Refertotheinconvenience/losscausedintermsofmoney,sales,goodwill,
etc.
•5State/suggestwhatstepscanbetakentorectifythesituation.
•6Closewithexpressionoffaithinthesupplier’shonesty,andexpectationof
promptandfavourableaction.

34. Mr.PiyushTiwari
SR&Co.Bhopal
M.P.
21Nov2010
Mr.RakeshSharma
SoniPublication,
Indore(M.P.)
Subject:LetterforComplaint
DearSir
Wemustfirstofallthankyouforpromptdeliveryofthebookswehadorderedonlylastweekontelephone.Forthelastsomanyyears
ofourcontactwehavebeenhighlysatisfiedwithyourpromptandcourteousservice.
Todayunfortunately,onopeningthecartonwefoundthreesetsofcontemporaryEnglish’,part1,2and3incomplete.Thelastchapter
ofeachofthesebooksismissing.Weareconvinceditisnotyourfault.Maybeatsomestagethebookswerenotproperlychecked.
Anyway,werequestyoutokindlyreplacethemimmediatelysothatwecouldsendthemtothetext-booksectionwheretheyare
urgentlyneeded.
Yoursfaithfully
Mr.PiyushTiwari
SR&Co.

35. Guidelines for drafting replies to complaints
While planning a reply to a complaint, the supplier should :
•Promptly acknowledge the letter and thank the customer for writing it,
•Express regret for the inconvenience caused to the customer,
•Admit the fault if something has actually gone wrong,
•Assure the customer of his sincere efforts to make amends,
•Specially what action he is going to take, and
•Close with offer of better service in future.

36. SoniPublication,
Indore(M.P.)
Date25Nov2020
SR&Co.
Bhopal(M.P.)
Subject:Letterforapologizing
DearSir,
Pleaseacceptourapologiesforthislapseonourpart,Wealwayscheckallthebooks
beforepackinganddispatchingthem.Itisreallyunfortunatethatthistimeyoureceived
threedefectivesets.
Todayitselfwearereplacingthematourcost.Wemayalsoassureyouthatinfuturewe
willbemorecarefulinfulfillingyourorders.
Wearereallysorryfortheinconveniencecausedtoyou.
Yoursfaithfully,
ShivKumar
SoniPublication

37. STATUS ENQUIRIES
INTRODUCTION-----
AStatusenquirybydefinitionis“Checkingonacustomer’s
creditrating”andcreditratingmeans“Amountwhicha
creditagencyfeelsacustomershouldbeallowedtoborrow”.
Inotherwordsastatusenquiryisalettersentwiththeaimof
findingoutacustomer’screditworthiness.Itisneedlessto
saythatasizableamountoftradinginvolvescreditthatisa
meansbywhichgoodareboughtandsoldwithoutcash
payment.Thesupplierusuallyhastoextendcreditfacilityto
thecustomers,thusenablingthemtoconductbusinesswith
comparativelysmallcapital.

38. Sources of Information about Credit Worthiness :
Informationaboutacustomer’screditworthinessorcredit
ratingcanbegatheredfromthefollowingsources;
(a)Thecustomerhimself’throughinterviewandthefinancial
statementsubmittedbyhim;
(b)Thecustomer’spastordersandthesalesmen’sreportabout
himand
(c)Externalsourceslikethetradeandbankreferencesgivenby
thecustomerandinformationfromtradeassociations,
chambersofcommerce.

39. Date-18Nov2020
RamaStores
16,Innercircle,
Connaughtplace,
NewDelhi.
DearSir:
Itisapleasuretoreceiveyourorderof20thDecember.forcosmetics,items.
Weshallgladlyopenanaccountforyoufurnishuswiththreetrade’sreferencesalongwithyourbank
referencesothatwecouldcompletetheformalitiesnecessarytoestablishyourfirm’scredit.
Gettingtradeandbankreferencesisageneralpolicymatterandwerequestallournewcustomerstosendus
thisinformationbeforeweopenanaccountintheirname.
Pleasewritetousassoonaspossiblesothatthereisnodelayinyourshipment.Wewillsupplyyourorderas
soonaswegetthenecessaryinformation.
Thankyou
Yoursfaithfully
Creditmanager
Unique Biotique Products

40. Reply to the above letter
RamaStores,
16,innercircle,
ConnaughtPlace
Date-20/11/2010
Thecreditmanager,
UniqueBiotiqueproducts
16,Andheri(west)
Mumbai.
DearSir,
Thankyouforyourkindnessinagreeingtoopenouraccountinyourbooks.Asrequiredbyyou,weare
givingbelowthreereferenceswithwhomwehavehadanopenaccountforthepastfiveyears;
1.JaiBhartTradingco.
Matunga,Mumbai.
2.WadekarBros(p)Ltd.
26,collegeRode,Pune.
3.ShivajiStores,
FortRoad,Panaji,Goa
OurbankersaresyndicatingBank,bankroad,newDelhiyourequireanyadditionalinformation,pleaseto
us.However,sincewewishtoaddcosmeticitemstoourstocksforthefestivalseason,pleasecomplete
yourcreditcheckaspossible.
YoursFaithfully

41. Date-23 Nov 2020
Jai Bharat Trading co.
Matunga
Mumbai.
Dear Sir,
The firm named below wishes to open an account with us for Rs. 150000, 3 months and has given
your name as a credit reference;
Rama Stores,
16, inner circle
Connaught place, New Delhi.
Any information you may furnish us will be treated as strictly confidential. We look forward to an
early and assure you of our cooperation whenever needed. A stamped, addressed envelope with this
letter.
Yours faithfully,
Credit Manager.
Unique Biotique Products
16, Andheri (west)
Mumbai.

42. 25Nov2020
UniqueboutiqueProducts
16,Andheri(west)
Mumbai.
DearSir:
RamstoresofnewDelhi,aboutwhomyouhavesoughtcreditinformationinyourletter
of23
rd
October,havebeenonourbooksforfiveyears.Theirrecordofpaymentduring
thisperiodhasbeenverysatisfactory.TheirpurchasesaverageoverRs.150,000a
monthinthepeakseasonandaboutRs.75,000permonthduringtheotherperiods.
Mr.ShyamAhuja,Managingpartnerofthefirm,enjoysahighreputationinourarea,
andwearehappytoprovideareferenceforhim,wewouldliketoaddthatour
confidenceinthishasneverbeenmisplaced.
YoursFaithfully,
Jai Bharat Trading Co.
Matunga , Mumbai.

43. Collection Letter
Meaning-Collectionletterismeantbytheletterpertainingtothepaymentagainstthe
goodsboughtincreditbythecustomer.Thecustomerpurchasegoodsoncredit.The
rendertherefore,writeslettertothemforcollectionofthepaymentagainstgoods
boughtoncredit.

44. STAGE 1. ‘WILL PAY’:REMINDERS
Reminder1
DearMr.jain:
Thisisjustafriendlyreminderthatyouraccountwithusnow
istwomonthspastdue.Perhapsyouhaveoverlookedit.
Wegenuinelyappreciateyourbusinesslookforwardto
servingyoubetterinfuture.
Sincerely,
Siyaramclothmills.

45. Reminder 2.
Dear Sirs,
We check our accounts book and your account which has been due for more than two months. We send
you a reminder last week.
We know quite often such matters slip by. We are also confident that you don’t mind this friendly note.
We look forward to hearing from you soon after you receive this letter.
your faithfully,
Siya ram cloth mils.

46. STAGE 2. ‘SHOULD PAY’PERSUASIVE LETTER
Persuasive letter 1.
Dear Mr. jain
Looking into your records we find that your credit worthiness is really high what really worries us is
that even the fourth reminder of ours has not been replied. I hope everything is fine with you. Do let us
know by return whether there has been any lapse on our part. Are you not satisfied with our goods or
our services? Is there any thing that we can do to help you? In case there is any problem in settling the
account we can talk it out so that you feel comfortable with us.
You will always find us willing to accommodate you. With this promise we eagerly await your reply.
Sincerely
Siya ram cloth mils

47. STAGE 3. ‘MUST WAY’: LAST RESORT LETTER
Last resort letter
Dear M/r jain,
You have this last opportunity to set right your account by paying in full the out standing amount of Rs.
…….or at least in part with a definite promise of paying the balance as son as possible.
Your account has been kept open for quite a long period in order to help you arrange for settlement of
the above balance within 6 days.
We are sue you will avoid the unpleasant consequences of our resorting other measures to collect.
Your sincerely,
Siya ram cloth mils.

48. Sales letters or offers
Sales letters or offers are the most
important written form of business
communication. Their primary aim is
publicity or to reach out to a large
number of interested in a particular
product/service and turn into buyers.
They are unsolicited letters, mostly
written by professionals writers. They
are a work of imagination. Taking many
forms.
The effectiveness of such letter’s
depends on the writer’s ability to use
language suited to his purpose that is
above all to influence the recipient-his
thinking, his taste, his behavior. This is
the aim of persuasion. Sales letters are,
therefore persuasive or indirect
approach letters

49. Characteristics Of Sales Letter
Lengthy Discourse
Focus On A Particular Class
Specialized Information
Arresting Opening
Emotional Vs Rational Appeals
Highly Conversational Style
You Attitude
Urging Action
Highlighting Importance/Exciting Parts Of The Message

50. A offer of exiting breakthrough in cosmetic eye care.
April 1 , 2020
Mr. Tarun Sinha
Pocket C flat no 38B
Siddharth Extension
New Delhi 110014
Cleaning disinfecting and Deproteinising
Just one solution for all your needs !
Dear Mr. Sinha
Bausch & Lomb introduces yet another international breakthrough in contact lens care. Yes
RENU MULTIPLUS the world’s first and only multipurpose lens care solution that cleans ,
disinfects and deproteins –all in one go –is now available in India.
And the best news is that you are also entitled to a Special introductory offer-a discount of
Rs .30 on a 360 ml bottle of RENU MULTIPLUS solution. All you have to do is visit any
eye care practitioner or chemist in your locality pick up a bottle for your self an safe rs 30.
The enclosed broacher explains the over whelming advantages of new RENU
MULTIPLUS.
Your Sincerely
JP Singh
Vice President vision care business