How to Write Business Letters!

It’s true; the internet levels the playing field and empowers us (the little guy) to compete with the big boys of business.

Yes, you can work from home. Yes, you can work in your PJ’s. And yes, you can even work in bed if you want to… but there are some rules you just can’t break if you want to be taken seriously in the business community.

Don’t panic! I’ll show you a sample business letter and how to write one so it reflects your personal style and business.

Ready to get started? The most important thing to remember when learning how to write business letters is to keep it simple and keep it short! Time is most definitely money in the business world. If you want to get your letter read. It must be clear and come straight to the point.

You should use Proper English (or what ever language you are writing in). Save the alphabet soup for IMing and NO SLANG.

All business letters must include the following…

Heading or Letterhead… Center this part. It should include your Company Name or Your Name if you’re not writing on behalf of a company. The company’s or your address and other contact info such as web site or email address. Don’t get carried away here and include every email you have. Keep it simple.

Date… Leave two blank lines between the heading and the date. Right align the date. Type out the month name, don’t abbreviate or use only numbers.

Inside address…Leave two blank lines between the date and the Inside address. The inside address should be left aligned. This is the address of who you are sending the letter to.

Greeting, otherwise known as the Salutation… Leave two blank lines between the inside address and the Salutation. The salutation should be left aligned. Type Dear followed by the persons name. If you don’t know their name use their title i.e. Dear Editor:, Dear Madam: End this line with a colon.

Body text… Leave two blank lines between the salutation and the Body (are you sensing a pattern here?) Left align your message, indent the first line of each paragraph. If writing more than one paragraph only leave ONE blank line in between them.

Closing… Leave two blank lines (yes, we’re back to two again LOL) between the last paragraph of the body and the closing. Indent this line to the center of the page. Use a conventional closing i.e. Sincerely, Sincerely Yours, Respectfully end this line with a comma.

Signature…Your hand written signature should follow the closing. Leave enough room for it. Four lines should be plenty. Use both your First and Last name unless you have a personal relationship with who you’re sending the letter to. Sign directly under the closing.

Your Name and Position…Leave four blank lines between the closing and this part. Line it up with the closing near the middle of the page. Type out your First and Last name and on the line directly under this type your position i.e. Owner Soy-Candle-Business.com.

That’s all there is to it. See, learning how to write business letters wasn’t so bad, was it?

Want to see the format of a completed letter? You can download an example of a standard business letter form my Free Business Forms page.

Remember, taking the time to learn how to write business letters properly will pay off for you in the long run. Your soy candle business will be taken seriously whether you run it from Fifth Avenue or your kitchen table.

Happy Writing!

Let’s work together to create a home based candle business for you!