How to start a letter

Business letters follow guidelines in formatting and style.

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Starting a formal letter to a company has several purposes. The letter must introduce the writer, provide contact information and reference the reason for the communication. The start of the formal letter must also capture the reader's attention and quickly explain why the company should take an interest in the information provided within the letter.

1.

List the sender's address if the information is not included on the letterhead. Include the full address without the sender's name. Use the U.S. Postal format for abbreviations and state information.

2.

Provide the date of the letter one space below the sender's address. Do not abbreviate the date information. Write out the full date and include a comma between the date and the year, such as January 1, 2011.

3.

Announce the letter's recipient with an inside address. Include the recipient's formal name with title, such as Dr. Edwards or Mrs. Smith, and follow with the formal address information. Investigate the recipient's title if it is unknown to avoid inadvertent disrespect of the recipient.

4.

Include a formal salutation to the recipient. Use a same title and name that is included in the insider address. Use the first name of the recipient if you already have a friendly relationship with the recipient. Otherwise, keep it formal, such as Dear Dr. John Smith.

5.

Use a block style format for the body of this formal letter. Single space the sentences within the paragraph and double space between each paragraph. Use an easy-to-read font, like Arial 10 or New Times Roman 12.

6.

Use the first paragraph to introduce and outline the reason for the letter. Use the following paragraphs to provide supporting facts and information. Include only pertinent information within the letter. Avoid rambling and be sure to use the spell check.

]]> About the Author

Writing professionally since 2004, Charmayne Smith focuses on corporate materials such as training manuals, business plans, grant applications and technical manuals. Smith's articles have appeared in the "Houston Chronicle" and on various websites, drawing on her extensive experience in corporate management and property/casualty insurance.

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Smith, Charmayne. "How to Start a Formal Letter to a Company." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-formal-letter-company-10030.html. Accessed 18 February 2019.

Smith, Charmayne. (n.d.). How to Start a Formal Letter to a Company. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-formal-letter-company-10030.html

Smith, Charmayne. "How to Start a Formal Letter to a Company" accessed February 18, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-formal-letter-company-10030.html

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Alexandrians for Better City Government (A4BCG) was formed by a non-partisan group of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans to promote real choice and constructive change through the ballot box in the June Democratic Primary election.

There are no Republican or Independent Council members and there was no Republican open primary, so this was the only election where such change could be achieved. We believed this City Council, in particular, needed a shock to their collective senses to better understand the level of citizen frustration with their poor performance, their disdain for residents' views, and their apparent air of entitlement.

While Mo Seifeldein was our only endorsed candidate who won, two incumbents lost this primary and one, Dak Hardwick, lost a shot at a seat all thought was his to win. In this primary, we got the change we wanted, but, certainly not the mayor we needed. Just as the city elected new Democratic candidates for council, it also elected a mayor who finds himself in serious trouble explaining his actions informing citizens and other council members in the Potomac Yard Metro fiasco on the heels of his similar maneuvers to overcome the valid environmental concerns of residents and city staff in the Karig Estates debate.

Still, our hearty congratulations to all non-incumbents. We are especially pleased to see a majority of new Democratic leaders with new perspectives vying for City Council seats. Four new votes on council is a new block that could accomplish constructive changes sought by A4BCG and the many Alexandrians we represent.

And, congratulations to city voters. In total, 21,637 voted for a mayor candidate. It's a simple assumption to assume these same voters cast their six votes for council candidates. But, they didn't. Election data shows almost 20 percent chose to cast less than six votes and, instead, voted very selectively with no "throw away votes." In fact, as many as 4,233 votes were not cast for incumbents or others. This highly unusual outcome easily explains how incumbents lost, the "old boy" block was broken, and new council primary candidates were elected.

Our conclusion? Our efforts prompted change, educated voters on choices, and built a new coalition – it was well worth the effort. Passing out thousands of fliers, knocking hundreds of doors, and posting numerous ads was an excellent use of the donations from supporters across all parties, neighborhoods, and affiliations.

Alexandrians for Better City Government will not stand down. We remain committed to a better government for this city – one that is transparent, accountable, and responsive to all citizens and their concerns. Whether registering new voters, highlighting government issues, or connecting neighbors, we will continue to build our presence in all ways necessary to best represent those who feel they have no voice or power, particularly if our new mayor elect continues to operate in back rooms with his signature lack of transparency.

Only 21 percent of registered voters cast primary votes for council and mayor. We encourage the other 79 percent to be counted on this upcoming election day, certainly, but also and always when city government fails to meet its fundamental responsibilities to all Alexandrians.

Kathy Burns

Bob Wood

Hal Hardaway

Re “Defining a traitor” (letter, Sept. 2): The writer attempts to create a false equivalency between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War by comparing George Washington and other national heroes to Robert E. Lee.

The letter writer uses the tired and well-worn excuse that members of the Confederacy were fighting for states’ rights. The Revolutionary War was fought to gain independence from a repressive government, but the Civil War was fought to repress those same values â€" which are outlined in our nation’s founding document, the Constitution.

The claim of states’ rights is nothing more than the excuse the South used for maintaining slavery, which was the economic engine of the agrarian South.

The sooner America removes all Confederate monuments or, at the very least, adds historical context, the sooner our nation can start to heal from the divisive issues that have plagued us as a society since the Civil War. If some people require a monument in order to celebrate a heritage that was, and is, based on subverting human rights, we will remain a divided country forever.

This issue of “the monuments” should remain front and center in our public conversation for however long it takes to finally rid our country of the most repressive issue of all â€" racial inequality.

Bob Tucker

Virginia Beach

Dear Auburn Basketball,

I've thought about doing this for awhile now but I hadn't put the words and thoughts together until now. But since it's now Valentine's Day, I felt the need to tell you how I and many Auburn fans feel right now.

Last season, you guys gave us one of the most memorable seasons in Auburn history. You were overlooked, disrespected, counted out, and yet time and time again, you fought through that adversity. You gave this university a basketball program that Auburn could believe in, get behind, and as a result, you guys did the unthinkable and won an SEC Championship. You made a university that's been indifferent to basketball for years actually give a damn about Auburn Basketball and that in itself is quite an accomplishment. The season may not have ended the way we wanted it to, but I've never been more proud of a team in my life than I was that team last year.

So that leads me to this year. This year was supposed to be all about Unfinished Business. Expectations were extremely high. You were expected to be playing in the NCAA Tournament again, make a Sweet 16 perhaps or even make the program's first ever Final Four. I genuinely thought that this team was going to be one of the best in Auburn history. So what in the world has happened?

You started the season off well blowing out your first 3 opponents, including Washington, a preseason Top 25 team and everyone told you how great you were. Then you went to Maui, pulled through against Xavier, played your tails off against Duke and put up a respectable result, and then knocked off Arizona. 3rd Place in the Maui Invitational was a solid result and things looked really good.

But things have looked and seemed different after that Maui trip.... this team hasn't played together in several games. There's been good moments (Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M). But there's been several bad moments (N.C. State, Mississippi State, last night, just to name a few). You guys seem to fix one thing and then another thing goes splat. One night it's bad 3 point shooting. One night it's free throws. One night it's not keeping guys healthy. Another night it's rebounding. And then last night, it's giving up 3-pointers at the end of shot clocks. At some point, you have to put it together, don't you?

Time and time again, I've defended you guys when you've come up short on the road thinking you're gonna get it together at some point. I've tried really hard to be one of the more optimistic people every time you guys have dropped a game knowing there is plenty of time to get this right. Playing at home has been huge for you guys but after losing a 2nd game at home last night, even now I have a few doubts. The talent on this basketball team is some of the best it's ever been at Auburn and yet you guys can't seem to put it together all at once. Newsflash: time is starting to run out to put it together!

And now I speak directly to you, Chuma Okeke. You were awesome last night! You played your heart out, you put the team on the back and did everything you could to will your team to victory. Keep playing with that aggression. Keep playing with that fire and make this your team. Lead this team coming down the stretch and don't be afraid to take games over!

People are doubting you again. Many people don't think you should be or deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament and when they think of Auburn Basketball, they think of you as one of the country's biggest disappointments. The fanbase is jumping off the bandwagon left and right. How do you respond to adversity? How do you prove those doubters wrong and shut up the critics around you? I can't think of a better way than to prove the haters and critics wrong than to finally put it all together on the court. That starts Saturday.

I hope like heck that last night woke you guys up. If that didn't then what will? It's time to start playing together again. It's time to put all the pieces together. You have 7 regular season games left plus the SEC Tournament. Everything I mentioned at the beginning is still in front of you. Get into the tournament and anything can happen. This team is way too talented to be going through the ups and downs they are right now. But in order to make the tournament, you have to start playing Auburn Basketball again.

In conclusion, I still love you guys and I'll continue to show up several hours before tip to make sure I'm in the front row of the student section doing my best to cheer you guys on and get others fired up as well. I will continue to believe in you guys. The question is: do you believe in yourselves? Forget about Unfinished Business, it's time to Put Up or Shut Up!

See you Saturday in Nashville!

War Damn Eagle, Always!!!

Will McLaughlin - The Crazy Student Jumping Up and Down Across from your Bench

LONDON (Reuters) - Stone Milliner, one of Europe's best-performing hedge funds that bets on macroeconomic events, lost 2.1 percent in the first two months of 2017, its worst start to a year, an investor letter seen by Reuters showed.

That meant the $6.1 billion Stone Milliner Macro Fund underperformed industry rivals, which gained 0.4 percent on average in the first two months of the year, data from industry tracker Hedge Funds Research (HFR) showed.

The chief drag on performance was an unspecified short position in fixed income, the Stone Milliner letter to investors said, or a bet that interest rates would rise and prices would fall.

The Anglo-Swiss firm, launched in January 2012 by former Moore Capital traders Jens-Peter Stein and Kornelius Klobucar, has performed strongly previously, outperforming rivals over the last three years with gains of 4.9 percent in 2016, 5.7 percent in 2015 and 14.4 percent in 2014.

The average performance for macro funds, which mainly trade in currency and fixed income markets, was a gain of 1.1 percent in 2016, a loss of 1.3 percent in 2015 and a gain of 5.6 percent in 2014, HFR data showed.

Looking forward, the regular monthly letter to investors said the fund had shifted to a "modest" short position in the U.S. dollar and reduced its short position in the euro against other regional currencies.

"We think the shift in the tone at the ECB (European Central Bank) has caught the market by surprise, and should result in a higher exchange rate over time," the letter said.

Reuters polling data published on Monday showed the world's top 10 banks have backed off forecasts that the euro would fall below parity against the dollar.

Additional reporting by Jemima Kelly; editing by David Clarke

Businesses correspond using letters, email, reports and website pages.

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A business letter is an important form of communication for a small business. Whether you are sending out emails or letters, it is vital to make sure they are crafted properly to achieve the desired result. If you want a business letter to grab the attention of readers to convince them of something, you need to include a few key elements. Following some basic rules about the beginning of the letter can help your letters succeed from the outset.

1.

Put yourself in your reader's shoes. One of the keys to writing a great business letter is the ability to relate directly to the reader. By taking the time to think about who your reader is, what his interests are, and how he is likely to feel about the subject, you will gain insight into his psyche and how best to reach him at a level that will get his attention.

2.

The first part of the letter should contain a "hook" that will keep readers reading. A hook mentions something readers care about, need to know about, or will benefit from in some way. It works as a hint or a "tease" about the information to come later in the letter. Often it's in the form of a question or a startling fact.

3.

Start on a positive note. Never begin a letter with a negative premise. Even if you are imparting bad news, it is important to find the positive. The vast majority of people will not keep reading a letter if it starts with a negative premise. For example, if your letter is talking about a drop in sales, start with some good news about the company. "While sales this quarter were down, we did see strong growth in a key demographic that should impact sales positively in the next quarter."

4.

Acknowledge the reader's expertise, accomplishments, or position. Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and great business letters start by acknowledging the importance of the reader. This is true of sales letters as well as basic communication.

5.

End the first paragraph with the main point of your letter. You should be able to encapsulate the information you are imparting in the rest of your letter in one sentence, referencing how the reader will benefit from this information. Going back to the example of a letter reporting a downward trend in sales, the last sentence could read, "Let's take a look at the current sales figures and how we expect them to change over this next quarter to increase our profit margin."

]]> About the Author

Kate McFarlin is a licensed insurance agent with extensive experience in covering topics related to marketing, small business, personal finance and home improvement. She began her career as a Web designer and also specializes in audio/video mixing and design.

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McFarlin, Kate. "How to Start a Business Letter to Grab Attention." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-business-letter-grab-attention-10934.html. Accessed 06 February 2019.

McFarlin, Kate. (n.d.). How to Start a Business Letter to Grab Attention. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-business-letter-grab-attention-10934.html

McFarlin, Kate. "How to Start a Business Letter to Grab Attention" accessed February 06, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/start-business-letter-grab-attention-10934.html

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BOULDER - Some among you have called this Colorado Buffaloes Basketball season a dumpster fire.

The young Buffs have struggled in nearly every aspect of the game at one point or another. Tad Boyle has been driven crazy trying to figure out which direction he should point his firehose.

So after a "gut-wrenching" Thursday night loss to Oregon State, Boyle got help... fittingly, from a professional firefighter.

"There is a guy named Dan Cashmore who is a firefighter," Boyle started his story. "He graduated here in 2007. He dropped a letter off while we were practicing and talked about the resurgence of Colorado basketball since he was a student here. It gave a great perspective of where this program is today relative to where it has been. After losses like Thursday night that are gut-wrenching for coaches, players, and fans, he brought perspective to where this program is. Our expectation levels have risen externally, internally, with our players, with our coaches, and with our fans. Let's not forget about where it's been. When he was a student here in his first couple of years, you could throw a rock in this place and not hit anybody. It has changed. The expectation level has changed. When you have a loss like that (Thursday night) people are upset and they should be. That is a testament to the players who have come before and how we have turned this place into a place where we can have games like we did tonight after a tough loss on Thursday."

"I want to thank Dan for the letter. I read it to the team before our pregame meal. It was touching and emotional for me. I could tell our players were really affected by it. Perspective is something that is difficult for a coach to keep during tough times."

The Buffaloes response was led by sophomore Tyler Bey, who may have had his most disappointing game just 48 hours ago. The forward scored a career-high 27 points on 9-of-9 shooting, leading Colorado ( 12-9, 3-6 Pac-12) to a 73-51 #BEATEMDOWN over Oregon.

Bey chipped in 10 rebounds as well for his sixth double-double of the season and scored 13 points in the game's first nine minutes. He was the star of a Buffaloes slick start that never really ended. Before one could blink CU was on a 24-5 run and they took a 40-17 lead into the break. It was the most points allowed, and the second-fewest points scored, by the Ducks in a first half this season.

Colorado's offense was decent but their defense was sound for 40 minutes. Arguably the first time they've received such an effort this season. Oregon ended shooting just 31 percent for the game, a low for the Ducks in Dana Altman's nine years in Eugene... in which he's never won in Boulder.

"Our challenge for our players is to be consistent," Boyle said. "Nobody plays great for thirty games. The challenge for us is to put a consistent effort and product on the floor. The challenge for our fans is to show up whether it's Oregon State or Oregon or whoever. It doesn't matter if it's November, December, January or February. We only have 15 or 16 home games depending on the year. Nobody can come every night. But, I always say to season ticket holders that if they can't come, give those tickets to some friends. Make sure we have people in the seats. Because this is a fun team to watch. Our crowd is really important to our young men. That's why I shared that letter with them (the team). I want them to understand that there a lot of buff fans out there. Not just here, but people tune in on the radio and watch on TV. We represent a lot of people. I have a responsibility as a coach and the players have responsibilities. I want them to be inspired by our fans. Tonig ht the crowd inspired our players and our players helped inspire the crowd. Hopefully, the crowd had fun and they'll be back for the next game against Arizona State."

All of this came on a night where Colorado—a good shooting team—struggled tremendously from deep, held to just 15 percent.

"It was a great win for our team. When we start shooting the ball from three like we are capable of, this can be a scary team when we put it all together," Boyle said."

Did a dude name Dan change the Buffaloes fortunes in a season where nothing has been strung together? Only time will tell. But a dude named Dan helped the Buffs win tonight. And reminded not just Boyle and the Buffaloes where they've come from but everyone. Maybe this is the reset button everybody in Boulder has been looking for.