Business Letter ~ Journal of Annisya

Definition of business letter

Business letter is a letter with formal language from one company to another, or between corespondence such organization and their costumer, client and another external parties. The overall style of letter will depend on the relationship between the parties concerned. There are many reasons to write a business letter. It could be to request direct information or action from another party, to order supplies from a supplier, to identify a mistake that was committed, to reply directly to a request, to apologize for a wrong or simply to convey goodwill. Even today, the business letter is still very useful because it produces a permanent record, is confidential, formal and delivers persuasive, well-considered messages.

2. Mention and explain the types of bssiness letter and the part

a. Type of bussiness letter

Sales Letters

Typical sales letters start off with a very strong statement to capture the interest of the reader. Since the purpose is to get the reader to do something, these letters include strong calls to action, detail the benefit to the reader of taking the action and include information to help the reader to act, such as including a telephone number or website link. Part of sales letter :

Order Letters

Order letters are sent by consumers or businesses to a manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler to order goods or services. These letters must contain specific information such as model number, name of the product, the quantity desired and expected price. Payment is sometimes included with the letter.

Letters of Resignation

When an employee plans to leave his job, a letter of resignation is usually sent to his immediate manager giving him notice and letting him know when the last day of employment will be. In many cases, the employee also will detail his reason for leaving the company.

Complaint Letters

The words and tone you choose to use in a letter complaining to a business may be the deciding factor on whether your complaint is satisfied. Be direct but tactful and always use a professional tone if you want the company to listen to you.

Inquiry Letters

Inquiry letters ask a question or elicit information from the recipient. When composing this type of letter, keep it clear and succinct and list exactly what information you need. Be sure to include your contact information so that it is easy for the reader to respond.

Adjustment Letters

An adjustment letter is normally sent in response to a claim or complaint. If the adjustment is in the customer’s favor, begin the letter with that news. If not, keep your tone factual and let the customer know that you understand the complaint.

Letters of Recommendation

Prospective employers often ask job applicants for letters of recommendation before they hire them. This type of letter is usually from a previous employer or professor, and it describes the sender’s relationship with and opinion of the job seeker.

Acknowledgment Letters

Acknowledgment letters act as simple receipts. Businesses send them to let others know that they have received a prior communication, but action may or may not have taken place.

Follow-Up Letter

Follow-up letters are usually sent after some type of initial communication. This could be a sales department thanking a customer for an order, a businessman reviewing the outcome of a meeting or a job seeker inquiring about the status of his application. In many cases, these letters are a combination thank-you note and sales letter.

Cover Letter

Cover letters usually accompany a package, report or other merchandise. They are used to describe what is enclosed, why it is being sent and what the recipient should do with it, if there is any action that needs to be taken. These types of letters are generally very short and succinct.

b. Part of business letter

· The Heading or Letterhead

Companies usually use printed paper where heading or letterhead is specially designed at the top of the sheet. It bears all the necessary information about the organisation’s identity.

Ms. Annisya
Pulo Gebang St
Cakung, East Jakarta 13950
Tel:089608647913
Fax:
Email:annisyaichacha@gmail.com

· Date

Date of writing. The month should be fully spelled out and the year written with all four digits September 13, 2015 (13 September 2015 - UK style). The date is aligned with the return address. The number of the date is pronounced as an ordinal figure, though the endings st, nd, rd, th, are often omitted in writing. The article before the number of the day is pronounced but not written. In the body of the letter, however, the article is written when the name of the month is not mentioned with the day.

· The Inside Address

In a business or formal letter you should give the address of the recipient after your own address. Include the recipient's name, company, address and postal code. Add job title if appropriate. Separate the recipient's name and title with a comma. Double check that you have the correct spelling of the recipient 's name.
The Inside Address is always on the left margin. If an 8 1/2" x 11" paper is folded in thirds to fit in a standard 9" business envelope, the inside address can appear through the window in the envelope.

· The Greeting

Also called the salutation. The type of salutation depends on your relationship with the recipient. It normally begins with the word "Dear" and always includes the person's last name. Use every resource possible to address your letter to an actual person. If you do not know the name or the sex of of your reciever address it to Dear Madam/Sir (or Dear Sales Manager or Dear Human Resources Director). As a general rule the greeting in a business letter ends in a colon (US style). It is also acceptable to use a comma (UK style).

· The Subject Line (optional)

Its inclusion can help the recipient in dealing successfully with the aims of your letter. Normally the subject sentence is preceded with the wordSubject: or Re: Subject line may be emphasized by underlining, using bold font, or all captial letters. It is usually placed one line below the greeting but alternatively can be located directly after the "inside address," before the "greeting."

· The Body Paragraphs

The body is where you explain why you’re writing. It’s the main part of the business letter. Make sure the receiver knows who you are and why you are writing but try to avoid starting with "I". Use a new paragraph when you wish to introduce a new idea or element into your letter. Depending on the letter style you choose, paragraphs may be indented. Regardless of format, skip a line between paragraphs.

· The Complimentary Close

This short, polite closing ends always with a comma. It is either at the left margin or its left edge is in the center, depending on the Business Letter Style that you use. It begins at the same column the heading does. The traditional rule of etiquette in Britain is that a formal letter starting "Dear Sir or Madam" must end "Yours faithfully", while a letter starting "Dear " must end "Yours sincerely". (Note: the second word of the closing is NOT capitalized)

· Signature and Writer’s identification

The signature is the last part of the letter. You should sign your first and last names. The signature line may include a second line for a title, if appropriate. The signature should start directly above the first letter of the signature line in the space between the close and the signature line. Use blue or black ink.

· Initials, Enclosures, Copies

Initials are to be included if someone other than the writer types the letter. If you include other material in the letter, put 'Enclosure', 'Enc.', or ' Encs. ', as appropriate, two lines below the last entry. cc means a copy or copies are sent to someone else.

	American Style	British Style
Heading	According to the format but usually aligned to the left	The heading is usually placed in the top right corner of the letter (sometimes centred)
Date	October 19, 2005 (month-day-year) According to the format but usually aligned to the left (two lines below the heading)	19 October 2005 (day-month-year) Usually placed directly (or 1 blank line) below the heading.
Salutation	Dear Mr./Ms. Smith: Dear Sir or Madam: Gentlemen: After the salutation there is a colon (:)	Dear Mr./Ms. Smith, Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Sirs, After the salutation there is a comma (,)
Complimentary close	Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Yours truly,	Sincerely, Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully,

3 3. Style of business letter

a. Block Format

The Block format is by far the simplest. Every part of the letter starts at the left margin, with spaces between each part.

b. Modified Block

It is similar to Block format, but the date, signature and closing are placed to the right, thus allowing them to stand out. The complimentary close and the signature are aligned and placed near the center of the letter, two spaces below the last paragraph.

c. Modified Semi Block

It is the same as the Modified Block except that the paragraphs are indented five spaces. All spacing remain the same.

d. Simplified Format

This is useful when you do not know the title of the person you are writing to or when you are writing to a company, government agency or organization. It eliminates the courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.), the salutations and the complimentary close. The focus of the letter is on the body and what is to be said. The spacing is the same as the Block format.

e. Memo

It is used as an interoffice communication.

The top of the Memo indicates :

the date,

the name(s) of the recipient(s),

the name(s) of the sender(s)

the subject.

The abbreviation “RE” is sometimes used instead of “Subject.”

This information is placed at the left margin.

The body of the Memo is in Block form.

A signature and additional information are optional. The signature is often placed near the center with the additional information at the left margin.

Refrensi penulisan :

https://www.nmu.edu/writingcenter/parts-business-letter

http://www.studyenglishtoday.net/business-letter-parts.html

http://work.chron.com/10-types-business-letters-9438.html

www.vitoselling.com

grolandvideo.com

myexceltemplates.com