Business etiquette is fundamentally concerned with building relationships founded upon courtesy and politeness between business personnel. Etiquette, and especially business etiquette, is a means of maximising your potential by presenting yourself positively.
Writing a business letter is not simply a matter of expressing your ideas clearly. The way you write a letter and the etiquette you employ may have a significant impact on your success or failure in business.
Failure to observe correct business letter etiquette can result in you adopting an inappropriate tone, causing offense or misunderstandings, lack of clarity or purpose and hostility or soured relations.
The foundation of good business letter etiquette is 'Think before you write'. You should be considering who the letter is addressed to, how and why? This will then influence style, content and structure.
Here we cover some of the main issues relating to good business letter etiquette:
Addressing the Letter
Always make sure you have spelt the recipient's name correctly. It may sound simple, but you would be surprised at how many people fail to do so. The recipient's name should include titles, honours or qualifications if deemed necessary.
Many people use the 'Dear Sir/Yours Faithfully' formula when addressing the receiver. Although this is acceptable for routine matters it is impersonal and should not be used when dealing with those you know, queries or complaints. With these the 'Dear Mr?./Yours Sincerely' formula should be adopted.
Once a certain level of familiarity is reached it is not considered bad etiquette to use phrases such as 'Kind Regards' or 'All the best' at the end of the letter.
Confidentiality
If the content of the letter is sensitive, personal or confidential it must be marked appropriately. Marking the letter 'confidential' will suffice in highlighting this fact. If you only want the letter read by the receiver without the interception of a secretary or PA, mark it as 'Private', 'Personal' or 'Strictly Confidential'. If you have received such a business letter it is good etiquette to reciprocate and ensure that all future correspondence is kept at that level of confidentiality.
Style
Proper business letter etiquette requires that a consistent and clear approach, combined with courtesy, be employed. As a rule of thumb, aim to keep all business letters formal in style. Even when the receiver is familiar to you, it is advisable maintain a certain level of business etiquette as the letter may be seen by others or referred to by a third party in the future.
However, this does not mean you should use long or uncommon words to express yourself. This merely looks odd and makes the letter unreadable. It is best to read a letter first and consider whether you would speak to that person face to face in the same way. If not, then re-write it.
Letters should be signed personally. It looks unprofessional, cold and somewhat lazy if a letter is left unsigned. However, having a secretary or PA sign on your behalf is not considered a breach of business etiquette.
Humour
Humour can be used in business letters but only when the writer is completely positive the recipient will understand the joke or pun. From a business etiquette perspective it may be wise to avoid humour. This is because firstly, the letter may be read during a crisis, after receiving bad news or on a sombre occasion. Any other time the humour may have been appreciated but under these circumstances it may dramatically backfire. Secondly, the written word is open to misinterpretation. Your sarcastic or ironic remark may be taken the wrong way. Thirdly, it is possible that the letter may be read by a third party who may deem the humour inappropriate and pursue a complaint of some sort.
Responding
Good business letter etiquette calls for letters to be responded to promptly or within certain guidelines. This may normally be considered as 5 working days. If this is not possible then some sort of acknowledgement should be sent either by letter, fax, phone or e-mail.
Always use reference numbers or clearly state the purpose of the letter at the top, for example, 'Re: Business Letter Etiquette Enquiry'. This allows the receiver to trace correspondence and immediately set your letter within a context.
When replying to points or questions the proper etiquette is to respond in the same order as they were asked.
Managing Conflict
Letters are often an arena for conflicts or disputes. Even in these circumstances there are rules of business letter etiquette that should be adhered to.
If you initiate the dispute then, 1) Explain and set out your case simply and clearly to the most appropriate person, 2) Offer information that may be required by the other party to help answer questions, 3) Indicate a time scale by which you expect a reply or the matter to be resolved.
If you are receiving the dispute then 1) inform senior colleagues who may be affected or who may be able to offer assistance, 2) Submit all replies in draft form for a senior colleague to check, 3) Stick to the facts and the merits of the case and do not allow emotions to become involved, 4) Be polite, patient and courteous.
Using business etiquette in all matters and especially in business letters will ensure you communicate effectively, avoid misunderstandings and maximise your business potential.
About The Author
Neil Payne is Director of cross cultural communications company Kwintessential - http://www.kwintessential.co.uk
Creative Writing Tips ?The writer, who doesn't have the time... Read More
Les Edgerton writes in his book, Finding Your Voice, that... Read More
Writer's block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits... Read More
Started a book and then got bogged down? Like many... Read More
Writing leads to reading. Therefore, it's only fair to supply... Read More
Just about every marketer on the Internet claims to be... Read More
Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project,... Read More
The dash--that curious mark of punctuation people use in their... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
A frequent conversation I have with my writing clients is... Read More
Ah, the age-old writer's debate--to outline or not to outline?Outlines... Read More
To write books for readers at an elementary reading level... Read More
Finding the time to write a novel is one of... Read More
LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two... Read More
Okay. So I'm not David Letterman. But I doubt if... Read More
A book coaching client recently emailed me that she was... Read More
Congratulations on writing your first book. That is quite an... Read More
Persisting With Bulldog Determination [Book excerpt from Successercising} by Rick... Read More
It occurred to me one day that I needed something... Read More
What is Sense of Place? It's the image of a... Read More
Verb and SubjectIncorrect:"I bet you two had a fine time,"... Read More
Interesting characters that readers care about are the most important... Read More
Dream that your book can be a number one best... Read More
Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a... Read More
When I was young, I used to talk to myself.... Read More
ESSAYS ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY: NUMBER 1Preamble:Nearly seven years ago I wrote... Read More
You know, I really hate it when someone catches me... Read More
"This is just brilliant. The whole interview is incredible? I'm?... Read More
There is no specific formula for children's fiction. There are,... Read More
The big question. Do you submit directly to the publishers,... Read More
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
If you're targeting an educated, more affluent audience with your... Read More
While novels do not usually attempt to convey concepts about... Read More
First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many... Read More
The process of developing a working title for your nonfiction... Read More
As a freelance writer, it is important to present yourself... Read More
Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More
Creating incredible characters can be easy if you know of... Read More
Real Estate has "Location, location, location," and writing has "Clips,... Read More
If you have an online home based business you know... Read More
Verb and SubjectIncorrect:"I bet you two had a fine time,"... Read More
A UK based freelance proofreader should be able to provide... Read More
9 out of 10 professionals and small business owners have... Read More
Ever wonder what an author's life is like? What that... Read More
Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:? The theme... Read More
In his book, "Achieving Financial Independence as a Freelance Writer,"... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips -We've established what a title should... Read More
In my ten years as an advertiser, I've encountered plenty... Read More
Has the thought run across you mind that you might... Read More
Many of us have always wanted to write. We have... Read More
Writing |