Clear explanation for (Dutch) students on how they should write a formal business letter.

1. WRITING A
BUSINESS LETTER

2. Why?
 Suggestions/Requests
Compliments
 Complaints
 Rebates/Offers
 Subscriptions/Cancellations
 Questions/Comments

3. FORMATTING
 Business letters should be
typed
 They should not include
spelling-mistakes.
 All typing begins at the left
margin
 Use formal language.

4. HEADING
 Begin typing the letter head
on the left-hand side of the
page
 The heading includes your
address.
 Skip one line

5. J. Bieber School
27 Penny Lane
London
Great Britain
M25 2ED
Letter head

6. Date
London, 5 December 2015
Do not refer to a city or town: this is not a Dutch business
letter!
Months of the year with a capital letter:
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August,
September, October, November, December.
Skip one line

7. J. Bieber School
27 Penny Lane
London
Great Britain
M25 2ED
5 December 2015 DATE
Letter head

8. INSIDE ADDRESS
 Write the name of the company and its
address.
 ATTENTION OF > if you want to send this
letter to a specific person you may use
this line ‘for the attention of’ above the
inside address or use the abbreviation
‘attn’ before writing the person’s name.
 Type the Postal code or zipcode below the
country reference (Same as Letter head).
 Skip one line

9. J. Bieber School
27 Penny Lane
London
Great Britain
M25 2ED
5 December 2015
Inside
Address
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH

10. Reference line
 The reference line on a business letter is a
statement describing the main focus of the letter,
a number for an account, invoice, etc. or a
reference to previous correspondence. Examples:
RE: Request for refund, order number 12345 Ref:
Black Arrow refill number XF8910 REF: Case
Number JFL4321 The reference line is optional
but can be important for the recipient if an
account, invoice, claim, proposal, document
number of any kind is the subject of the letter.
The reference line is placed between the inside
address block and the Dear..., leaving blank lines
between each.
 Skip one line

11. J. Bieber School
27 Penny Lane
London
Great Britain
M25 2ED
5 December 2015
Reference line
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH
Ref: your letter of 31 July 2015

12. SALUTATION
 Type the salutation at the left-hand
margin.
 Begins with the word “Dear”
and is followed by “Mr.” or
“Mrs.” and last name.
 Place a colon after the
person’s name.

13. When a Name Is Known
•If the name of the individual to whom you are writing is
known, always use it. It is wise to discover the name of the
individual who heads the department to which the letter is
being directed. Often a phone call or e-mail to the company or
a quick search of a company's website will reveal the name
you need.
•A personal friend or close business associate may be
addressed on a first name basis, such as Dear Amy:
•If marital status is known, use it, as in Dear Mrs. Smith: or
Dear Miss Jones:
•When marital status is not specified, use Ms., as in Dear Ms.
White:

14. Salutation
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH
Ref: your letter of 31 July 2015
Dear Mrs. O. Kay

15. BODY - Format
 Skip one line after the salutation.
 DO NOT indent each new
paragraph.
 Double space between
paragraphs.
 Keep paragraphs short for easy
reading.
 The body of a business letter has
a specific order

16. BODY – 1st Paragraph
 May only be two sentences long:
 Who you are (in relation to the
company – make them
understand why they should
listen to you)
 Reason(s) you are writing
(complaint, compliment, request
information, etc.)

17. Free
Communications
27 Penny Lane
London
Great Britain
M25 2ED
5 December 2015
1st Paragraph
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH
Dear, Mrs. O. Kay
I am a victim of your business’s services. I am writing to both
you and the Better Business Bureau to complain about your
company.

18. BODY – Middle Paragraphs
 Middle Body Paragraphs:
Thoughts, suggestions,
compliments, or
complaints about the
topic – ONE IDEA per
paragraph

19. J. Bieber School
27 Penny Lane
London
Great Britain
M25 2ED
5 December 2015
Middle
Paragraphs
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH
Dear Mrs. O. Kay,
,
Iam a victim of your business’s services. I am writing to both you and the
Better Business Bureau to complain about your company.
I am a teacher who is constantly harassed over the phone by
my students, who are using your services. I would like to
request that you stop dealing with my students. By using your
services, my students are losing the chance to use their minds
to come up with their own put-downs, insults, and jokes. I
don’t want to be crank-called, but if I must be, I’d prefer my
students learn something from it.

20. BODY – Last Paragraph
Last paragraph:
 Thanks for time &
consideration
Request for
acknowledgement
 Necessary contact
information

21. 5 December 2015
Last
Paragraph
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH
Dear Mrs. O. Kay,
,
I am a victim of your business’s services. I am writing to both you and the
Better Business Bureau to complain about your company.
I am a teacher who is constantly harassed over the phone by my students,
who are using your services. I would like to request that you stop dealing
with my students. By using your services, my students are losing the chance
to use their minds to come up with their own put-downs, insults, and jokes.
I don’t want to be crank-called, but if I must be, I’d prefer my students learn
something from it.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. I am
certain you will see the importance of letting children make their
own crank calls. I look forward to hearing your response. In
lieu of writing, feel free to call me at 732-855-5397.

22. Closing
 Skip one line after the body.
 Capitalize only the first word.
 Follow with a comma
 Business letter closing words:
Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely,
Yours Truly

23. 5 December 2015
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH
Dear Mrs. O. Kay,
:
I am a victim of your business’s services. I am writing to both
you and the Better Business Bureau to complain about your
company.
I am a teacher who is constantly harassed over the phone by
my students, who are using your services. I would like to
request that you stop dealing with my students. By using your
services, my students are losing the chance to use their minds
to come up with their own put-downs, insults, and jokes. I
don’t want to be crank-called, but if I must be, I’d prefer my
students learn something from it.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. I am
certain you will see the importance of letting children make their
own crank calls. I look forward to hearing your response. In
lieu of writing, feel free to call me at 732-855-5397.
Closing Yours sincerely,

24. Signature
 “RETURN” four times.
 Type your full name.
 Between your closing and
your typed name, sign your full
name, preferably with blue
ink.

25. 5 December 2015
Blueberry Group
Attn. Mrs. O. Kay
34 Drury Lane
Manchester
Great Britain
W34 4GH
Dear Mrs. O. Kay,
I am a victim of your business’s services. I am writing to both you and the
Better Business Bureau to complain about your company.
I am a teacher who is constantly harassed over the phone by my students,
who are using your services. I would like to request that you stop dealing
with my students. By using your services, my students are losing the chance
to use their minds to come up with their own put-downs, insults, and jokes.
I don’t want to be crank-called, but if I must be, I’d prefer my students learn
something from it.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. I am certain you
will see the importance of letting children make their own crank calls. I look
forward to hearing your response. In lieu of writing, feel free to call me at
732-855-5397.
Yours sincerely,
J. Bieber School
Signature
Cookie Baker
Mrs. C. BAKER
Teacher of domestic science
Typed Name
Position(functie)

27.  Once you have revised,
edited, and re-drafted your
letter several times, you
are ready to mail it.