How to start a letter

How you address HR depends on the topic.

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When you establish a new business, in most cases you'll find that communication is key to growing your company. You must communicate with new and existing clients, suppliers and also employees. One common piece of business communication is a standard business letter. Though many choose to send business communications via the Internet, an old-fashioned business letter is still effective in some cases. How you start your business letter is important to its effectiveness.

1.

Print your business name, address, own number, website and email address at the top of the letter below your company logo. You can skip this step if your company letterhead is pre-printed with this information.

2.

Skip a line and enter the full date (month, day and year). Go down another two lines to type the full name, company name and address of the recipient.

3.

Skip another line and greet the recipient with "Dear" or "To" followed by the person's title and last name. Enter a colon to lead into the body of the business letter.

4.

Start off the business letter by identifying yourself to the recipient. One option is to mention the person or organization that referred you to the contact. For instance "I am writing to follow up on our conversation last week at the ABC networking event." You may also simply state your business in the introductory paragraph of the business owner. For example, "We are in the process of finalizing some details of our upcoming alliance and need to verify some information."

5.

Start with an enticing question if you are writing a sales letter to a business contact. For instance, "Have you been searching for a less expensive, more reliable consulting option?" You can also start with an attention-getting statement, like "This letter is your key to a more productive workforce." Proceed with the rest of your business letter.

Tip

Limit your business letter to one page whenever possible. Consider the business letter an introduction that leads into a future conversation, meeting or review of enclosed materials.

]]> About the Author

Louise Balle has been writing Web articles since 2004, covering everything from business promotion to topics on beauty. Her work can be found on various websites. She has a small-business background and experience as a layout and graphics designer for Web and book projects.

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Balle, Louise. "How to Start a New Business Letter." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-new-business-letter-4190.html. Accessed 05 March 2019.

Balle, Louise. (n.d.). How to Start a New Business Letter. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-new-business-letter-4190.html

Balle, Louise. "How to Start a New Business Letter" accessed March 05, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-new-business-letter-4190.html

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