Chapter XV Business Letters
Not long ago the head of one of the biggest mail order firms in this country said: “Business needs the boys and the girls. Do not let them think they can be but cogs in the great system of wheels. More to-day than at any previous time the world needs men and women who can speak and write themselves into English. Four hundred million dollars is wasted every year in unprofitable advertising alone, and as much more in bad handling of good prospects and loss of customers through inefficient letters. We look to the future generation to conserve a part of this enormous loss. If a single page advertisement in a single issue costs $7500, what you say on that page is important. Look into any current magazine, and you will be tremendously impressed with the importance of English in this branch alone, not to mention its importance in letter writing.”
There is no greater power in business to-day than the ability to use convincing English in correspondence and in advertising. Any one who can write good letters, letters that the reader feels he must answer, has success ahead of him, because the market of a good letter is practically unrestricted. Wherever a letter can penetrate, it may create desire for an article and make sales.
But what is a good letter? Nothing more than a bit of good English. Can you write clear, direct, crisp, yet fluent English? Then you can write good letters—but not till then.
In modern business the letter has become the advertiser, the salesman, the collector, and the adjuster of claims. An advertisement must be attractive; it must arouse the interest of the one who sees it. A salesman must understand human nature; he must forestall objections by showing the customer how he will gain by buying. The collector and the adjuster of claims must be courteous and at the same time shrewd. If a letter is to meet all of these requirements it cannot be dashed off at a moment’s notice. It must be thought out in detail and written carefully to include all that should be expressed. This means, especially in a sales letter:
1. An unusually worded opening that puts the writer’s affairs in the background and the reader’s gain in the foreground. Begin with you, not we. The reader is interested in himself, his own progress, his own troubles, and not in the possessions of the writer, except as the writer can show that those possessions affect him.
3. A clear, simply worded explanation of the purpose of the letter.
3. Proof of advantages to the reader.
4. Persuasion or inducement to act now.
5. Conclusion, making this action easy.
Above all, if a letter is to be good, it must not be too short. In the pursuit of brevity too many pupils in business English make the mistake of writing altogether too little to get the reader’s attention; and if his attention is not aroused, the letter fails. The letter should be long enough to suggest interest in the welfare of the reader and enthusiasm for the subject under discussion.
Enthusiasm in business involves knowledge both of your project and of your customer. You cannot attempt to write a letter of any kind unless you know the facts that require it. Perhaps it is a complaint that you must try to settle. Without a knowledge of the facts, of the truth or the untruth of the claim, how can you write the letter? Sometimes it requires both time and study to gather the necessary details, but they must be gathered.
When you have your details and begin writing, be sincere. You must be so absolutely in earnest that the reader will at once feel and begin to share your enthusiasm.
Knowledge of the person to whom you are writing is fully as important as knowledge of your subject. You must get his point of view, understand his character, and appeal to the qualities that you recognize in it, to the desires or ambitions, that it shows. To a certain extent all of us are alike. There are certain fundamental interests that we all possess; these may safely be appealed to at almost all times. But our employment, our habits of life, our ways of thinking make us different. The same argument, probably, will not always bring satisfactory replies from a manufacturer, a farmer, a judge, a minister or priest, a carpenter, and a woman. Some people like to receive a long letter that goes carefully into detail; others will not take the time to read such a letter. Each customer must be studied. This is so difficult a matter that no one can expect to learn it all at once.
Finally, from the first word to the last be courteous. No matter how righteous your indignation, be courteous. You cannot afford to lose your temper. Courtesy does not imply flattery nor a lack of truth. Your letter can be strong and yet polite in tone. Lose your temper, and your letter will probably fail. Keep your temper, show thoughtfulness for the reader’s interest, and your letter will more likely fulfill its purpose.
Exercise 216—The Form of the Letter
Before we look at some actual letters to judge of their effectiveness, we must learn the conventional form of a letter, the parts which many years of use have shown to be necessary. There are six parts to a formal or business letter:
1. The heading, which includes the writer’s address and the date.
2. The introduction, which includes the name and the address of the one to whom you are writing.
3. The salutation; for example, Dear Sir:
4. The body of the letter, the important part.
5. The courteous close; for example, Yours truly,
6. The signature.
Each part ends with a period except the salutation, which ends with a colon, and the courteous close, which ends with a comma. The various groups of words within the heading and the introduction are separated by commas.
Why does the salutation end with a colon?
Why does the courteous close end with a comma?
The Arrangement
In the following, notice the spacing. If the heading is short, it is put on one line; as,
| Heading | Hilliard, Fla., June 30, 1914. |
| Introduction | Mr. Thomas Barrett, |
| Boston, Mass. | |
| Salutation | Dear Sir: |
| Body | .................................................. |
| ................................................................ | |
| ................................. | |
| Courteous close | Yours truly, |
| Signature | Samuel Garth |
If the heading is long, arrange it in one of the following ways:
1
334 Lexington Ave., Chicago,
May 19, 1915.
Mr. Thomas Barrett,
Boston, Mass.
Dear Sir:
2
334 Lexington Ave.,
Chicago, Ill., May 19, 1915.
3
334 Lexington Ave.,
Chicago, Ill.,
May 19, 1915.
4
334 Lexington Ave.,
Chicago, Ill.,
May 19, 1915.
The superscription on the envelope is arranged and punctuated like the introduction in the letter, except that the punctuation may be omitted from the end of lines.
There is a growing tendency to “block” the different parts of a letter; that is, to begin each item of each part directly below the first, with no indentation.
There is also a tendency to use no abbreviations (except for titles like Mr.), the name of the month and of the state and the word street, avenue, or building being spelled out.
Note.—The punctuation as shown in the examples given above is that in more prevalent use. Certain writers, however, advocate the omission from the formal parts of the letter of commas at the end of lines and of periods (except to show abbreviations).
Arrange the following headings, supplying capitals and punctuation marks:
1. 55 water st mobile ala june 16 19—
2. calmar iowa september 1 19—
3. 453 marquette building chicago ill jan 5 19—
4. 123 salem st springfield mass june 23 19—
5. highland park grand haven mich may 3 19—
6. 220 broadway new york n y february 15 19—
7. 78 main street portland oregon december 10 19—
8. 32 lincoln st kansas city mo oct 2 19—
9. room 15 1321 pennsylvania ave washington d c sept 2 19—
10. 25 chestnut st philadelphia pa april 14 19—
11. 212 tribune building new york n y march 2 19—
12. 98 dorchester ave boston mass feb 12 19—
13. 24 milk st boston mass June 14 19—
14. 231 west 39th st new york city march 4 19—
15. 345 newark ave jersey city n j (supply date)
16. 44 fifth ave detroit mich sept 1 19—
17. 102 west 42d st denver colorado (date)
18. Explain the difference between (16) and (17). Notice that the name of the street in each case is a numeral. Why is it spelled out in (16) and not in (17)?
Exercise 217
Supplying the name of the firm and the business engaged in, write letter heads using the items given in Exercise 216. For example:
Barrett, Brown & Co.
Groceries
55 Water Street
Decorah, Iowa, — 19
When may & be used?
What is the advantage of using a letter head?
In making letter heads, imagine you are a printer. Arrange the items so that they may show to the best advantage. Let your lines of printing or writing be of different lengths. Add any details that you wish, such as trade-mark designs or the names of officers.
Arrange and punctuate:
1. citronelle business mens association citronelle alabama may 2 19— mr john harvey 19 e monroe st rochester n y dear sir
2. 173 broadway new york June 10 19— mr walter thomas 191 e main st waltham mass dear sir
3. 25 broad st maplewood n h messrs hausen & ottman 18 la salle station chicago ill gentlemen (supply date)
4. john randolph & co druggist 14 jefferson st charleston s c jan 8 19— gerhard mennen & co newark n j gentlemen (letter head)
5. 43 south 5th ave madison wis aug 8 19— the white mountain freezer co nashua n h gentlemen
Address an envelope for each of the above, using the following as a model.
Exercise 218—Cautions
The Heading
Always date your letters.
Give your full address, even if you are certain that the one to whom you are writing knows it.
The Introduction
The person addressed must always be given a title. If you address one man, use Mr.; if a firm, use Messrs.; if a woman, Miss or Mrs. If a man has a title like Professor or Doctor, it should be used, and Mr., of course, omitted.
Hon. (Honorable) is used for a person who holds, or who has held, a public office. It is a very formal title.
Esq.(Esquire) is a legal form used by some correspondents in addressing any man. It is an English usage. It always follows the name, and, if it is used, Mr. is omitted. In this country Mr. is preferable.
In writing to a man in his official capacity, the following form is correct when there is no street number or when the title is short. Notice that Mr. is omitted.
G. N. Fratt, Cashier,
First National Bank,
Racine, Wis.
The following is correct when the title is long:
Mr. John Frederick Pierce,
Ass’t. Engineer of Bridges and Buildings,
607 White Building, Seattle, Wash.
Notice that in the last example, the city and the state are put on the same line as the street in order to make the three lines of about the same length. Four lines might have been used.
The Salutation
If you address one man, the salutation is Dear Sir; as,
Mr. John Pierce,
Seattle, Wash.
Dear Sir:
If you address a firm, the salutation is Gentlemen; as,
Messrs. Brownleigh & King,
Portland, Oregon.
Gentlemen:
If you address a woman, married or single, the salutation in business letters is Dear Madam; as,
1
Mrs. John Pierce,
Seattle, Wash.
Dear Madam:
2
Miss Florence Pierce,
Seattle, Wash.
Dear Madam:
A more familiar form of salutation is either of the following:
1
Miss Florence Pierce,
Seattle, Wash.
My dear Miss Pierce:
2
Miss Florence Pierce,
Seattle, Wash.
Dear Miss Pierce:
In using Hon., the salutation is usually Sir.
The Courteous Close
The courteous close corresponds in tone to the salutation. If the salutation is Dear Sir, Gentlemen, or Dear Madam, the courteous close should be one of the following:
Yours truly,
Yours very truly,
Very truly yours,
Respectfully yours,
Yours respectfully,
Sincerely yours,
Very sincerely yours,
If the salutation is Sir, the courteous close should be Respectfully yours or Yours respectfully.
If the body of the letter and the courteous close do not agree in tone, the effect is often ridiculous. Suppose, for instance, that the courteous close of (2) under Exercise 220 were Yours respectfully. What would be the effect?
The Signature
If an unmarried woman is signing a business letter, she should avoid confusion by prefixing (Miss) to her name.
A married woman should sign her own name, as, Alice Pierce; she should indicate her title, as Mrs. John F. Pierce, either below the other or at one side.
No other title should be prefixed to a signature.
If a letter is signed by the name of a firm, the signature of the one who dictated the letter is usually added; as,
Yours very truly,
Smith Lumber Co.
by ——
This sort of signature gives a letter the “personal touch.” Explain.
Folding a Letter
Business letter paper is about eight by ten inches. In folding a letter sheet, (1) turn the lower edge up to about one-eighth of an inch from the top; press the fold firmly, keeping the edges even; (2) turn the paper so that the folded edge is at your left hand; (3) fold from you a little less than one-third the width of the sheet; (4) fold the upper edge down toward you so that it projects a trifle beyond the folded edge. Without turning it over, pick it up and insert it in the envelope, putting in first the edge that was folded last.
Write the address and the salutation for:
1. A business house in your town.
2. Mr. John R. Tobin, president of the Detroit State Bank, Detroit, Mich.
3. Miss Mabel Gunther, Shullsburg, Wis.
4. Professor C. M. Watson, Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.
5. John F. Campbell, Manager Bond Department, First Trust and Savings Bank, Boston, Mass.
6. Taylor and Critchfield, Chicago, Ill.
7. Mrs. Thomas D. MacDonald, 126 E. Second Street, Washington, Ia.
Write the courteous close and the signature for:
1. A letter from a business house in your town signed by F. R. Wilson.
2. A letter from Miss Mabel Gunther (2 above).
3. A letter from Professor C. M. Watson (4 above).
4. A letter signed by John F. Campbell (5 above).
5. A letter from Taylor and Critchfield signed by you yourself.
6. A letter from Mrs. Thomas D. MacDonald (7 above).
Exercise 219—Ordering Goods
If an order includes a number of separate items, it is usually written on a separate sheet of paper. Firms often supply blanks for this purpose. If the order is short, it forms part of the letter. In any case, each item is placed on a separate line, so that the items may be checked as the order is filled. In the following, notice the arrangement and the punctuation:
Hamilton, Montana, Feb. 16, 1914.
Messrs. MacBride & Dickens,
New York, N. Y.
Gentlemen:
At your earliest convenience please ship me the following via the Northern Express Co. from St. Paul:
| 6 doz. A 68 assorted sizes Men’s Black Caps | @ | 1.50 | 9.00 |
| 5 doz. D 71 Men’s Cotton Handkerchiefs | @ | .60 | 3.00 |
| 5 doz. X 30 Men’s Linen Handkerchiefs | @ | 2.00 | 10.00 |
| ——— | |||
| $22.00 | |||
Enclosed find a draft on New York for twenty-two dollars.
Yours truly,
S. D. Jensen
Write the letters outlined below:
1. Order fifty copies of the Business Arithmetic that you are using. How shall you pay for them?
2. Clip from a newspaper an advertisement of groceries. Imagine that you are a housekeeper, and spend ten dollars to the best advantage, ordering several articles.
3. Bring in an advertisement of household necessities—linens, tinware, etc. Spend five dollars, buying several articles.
4. Bring in an advertisement of furniture. Write a letter ordering enough to furnish a parlor or a dining room. Have the amount charged to your account.
5. A magazine offers one of several books as a premium with a year’s subscription. Answer the advertisement.