Business Letters:Proper Unisex Greetings

Even though e-mail takes over most everyday business correspondence, there is something to be said about snail-mail. It may seem out-dated and old fashioned, the printed business letter still holds its own and has its place. In some instances, printed letters provide a tamper-proof formal record of business arrangements.

Formal Business Letter

NOTE:These tips are for times you are not sending it through E-mail , but rather mailing it out via "snail mail".

The Layout

1.Your company name and letterhead, the date, the addressee's name, title, company name and address. ( whew!)

The salutation " Dear Sir/ Madam" and your sign off with "Yours Truly"

This may seem like grade school stuff, but with E-mail we tend to forget these simple steps.

2. ALL BEFORE the salutation!...... Y'know..."Dear So and So".

3. The topic of your letter.... the icing

4. The body of your letter....ah, the heart of the matter!

5. The sign off "Yours whatever"........Once you've done the body, create one or two spaces and put the sign off. Create enough space for your signature.

Yes imagine that!! You will use a pen!

Then key/type in your name starting directly under the Y in "Yours"

Less Formal Business Letter

1. Warning! people nowadays don't always tell if they are Mr.or Ms. When in doubt, call the company first don't risk embarrassment.

2. Unisex Names! be aware ( or is it beware!) of names like Chris, Jackie, Sam, Alex. Well, you understand. This will be a little difficult to address it as Mr./ Ms/ Mrs.

3. They are not your friend! Don't use the person's whole name in the salutation. You still want it to look professional.

Just in Case

If the body of your letter goes to a second page, create a space then key/type in "cont'd" at the bottom right.

You can start the second page by typing in " page 2" at the top , starting three spaces below.

OR....Some people place a mini heading see my example:

Addressee Name................... . Date....................................page2

This is very useful in case the two pages become detached. I hope this article has been helpful .