Archive for the ‘Writing Styles’ Category

Selling online is a great way to grow business. But it differs from selling face to face. Therefore, your words are very important; they make or break your business. Your words can relieve tour prospects doubts, convey that you are a real person and explain to your targeted market what you are selling and why.

Unless you have a great deal of experience in writing sales letter, you will need to learn how to write killer ad sales copy and headlines for your business. If you are in business for a while I’m sure you have realized the benefits of writing your own ad copy and sales letters.

There’s so many ways on how you can improve your copywriting direct marketing skills. But, the best and easiest way is using example of business letter to learn from. All successful marketers have used this method. They own dozens or even hundreds of ready to use business format for writing a letter. Their libraries are full of example of business letter about every kind. When they want to write an ad copy or a sales letter they select an example of business letter pick the better business letter writing – useful phrases make some changes, stick their names and the letter is ready for instant use!

Sales letters and ads don’t work by accident there is a very precise business format for writing a letter.

Here are tips on how to write an ad copy that pulls!

- Get into the mind of your readers – To write a compelling sales letter, you need to get into the minds of your readers. You should know who your customer base is, what age group, gender, income level, professional group, etc. What is their problem? What they want? What newsletter they reading? Etc.

- Use psychology – You need to use psychology and tactics to develop a better and more successful sales letter that will draw your readers to buy immediately. Your sales copy should be attractive so that your customer keep reading from the start to the end, however long it is. Some sales letters are 15 pages long, but still hold the readers attention.

- Use stories to sell – Successful direct sales letters often include a good story. The story in a direct sales letter usually show how the product or service is making life better for someone using it such as: How your product has helped someone making more money, being healthier, saving more time, getting better looking, etc.

- Use all means to make your readers feel comfortable when reading your sales letter – Trust is key when selling online. So, make sure your readers trust you and your product is absolutely the best.

- Describe your product in detail – Provide information about your product. Try to answer all anticipated questions on your sales letter. Include special features and benefits. Clarify the focus or the purpose of the product so that the reader understands completely what is being sold.

- Creating a sense of urgency so prospects can deal with their fears and make decisions – The sales letter should make the reader feel that s/he may lose a good deal, a quality product, etc… if s/he don’t act right away. You can limit the number of the ecourse, ebooks, memberships or any other product you are selling. Limit the time; there may be a certain time where the product will not be for sale anymore.

- Use Testimonials to Overcome Buyers’ Fears – No matter how you’re marketing your business, if your claims don’t have credibility, your prospects won’t be influenced. Testimonials from excited customers whose lives have been changed will only guarantee sales.

- Make your order page visible and easy to use – place an order button on every page. You want your order form to be visible and the price should have a strike mark through it indicating that there was a price reduction.

- Use Bonuses and gifts to sell – If done correctly, bonuses and gifts raises perceived value and expectations; increase your prospects’ desire to buy. You want to position diverse bonuses in order to hit different buyer resistance points.

All these techniques make better business letter writing and the example of business letter will guide you through the process of creating an excellent sales copy that sells your product like crazy.

Author: Gley Yahya
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Bumper guardian

If you plan on submitting an article for publication, the query letter is your new best friend. Written more frequently than any paying piece, this short letter is your chance to shine to the editor. In this newsletter, we are going to discuss the various parts of the query letter and ways to make them most effective. While I’ll caution that, thus far, none of my queries have gotten me published, I can also promise that in my obsessive-compulsive mood, I have put a great deal of research into the subject.

Header

Most articles I have read recommend a simple header. I recommend your name, address, phone number, and email address. Mine is centered at the top of the page in 10 point, Times New Roman font, bold. Other options, if you are actually making money, is to invest in letterhead. Most articles I have read caution against a logo or images of any sort. While it might look good for a Writing.com sig, it seems to scream “amateur.” Keep it simple. Also, I recommend you take a moment to visit the Post Office (www.usps.gov) and look up the four-digit extension to your zip code, which you should use on all SASEs. This seems to speed up the mailing process, and could shave time off the long, drawn-out wait for a response.

Quick note: For email queries, I do not use a header, simply because it doesn’t look right at the top left, and I’ve yet to find a standard way to center or right align it for email. Rather than look foolish, I include it at the bottom, under my “signature”. Thus, my ending reads (with / equaling a line break): Scottiegazelle/ scottiegaz@writing.com/1234 Peachtree St/Atlanta GA 12345-6789/770-123-4567

Scottiegazelle Lastname

scottiegaz@writing.com

1234 Peachtree St

Atlanta, GA 12345-6789

770-123-4567

Date

I also recommend including the date at the top left, one line above the address of your editor. This will help the reader know when the letter was sent, and keep them in a rough time frame for responding.

30 June 2005

Address

This is where you put the editor’s mailing address. How, you ask, do I find this information? The easiest (but not always most correct) method in the United States is to look in your most recent Writer’s Market (also available at http://www.writersmarket.com). Here you will find names, addresses, phone numbers, and often web sites for a large number of fiction and nonfiction magazines.

What if you don’t have access to Writer’s Market? Check the magazine! Frequently, addresses and phone numbers will be listed in teeny tiny print near the front, with all the editors names. Use a magnifying glass and search it out. Another option is to check the website. Frequently, you kind find important information in the “About Us” or “Contact Us” section (sometimes you can find Writer’s Guidelines here, as well).

Once you have the editor and the address, should you slap it on an envelope? Not necessarily. The next best step is to take the phone number listed (or look on the website to obtain it) and call the office. Then, take a deep breath, and tell the operator, “Hi, my name is ScottieGazelle, and I’m a freelance writer. I would like to submit a query letter to your _____ department (or for the _____ section, or as a feature/short story), and I wanted to confirm which editor I need to send it to. Here, you may be told that the editor listed has moved away, been fired, or is really not the query letter type. I also like to take advantage of the moment to ask, “Does (s)he prefer to be queried by regular mail, or is email better?”. Sometimes, a heretofore-unknown email address will surface. This is also a good time to ask, “And of course, I assume Jennifer is a woman.” With some of those names, you never know (so says a woman ‘named’ Scottie).

Story Master, Features Editor

Writing.com Magazine

1234 Story Lane, Suite 567

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 12345-6789

Greeting

Never, never, never take liberties with an editor, with the possible exception being if they were already your best friend. Never greet them with “Wassup?”, never call them by first name, never give them random nicknames (“Jen” for “Jennifer”, “SM” for “Storymaster”, etc). Remember that your query letter is a business letter, and treat it accordingly.

Never assume “Ashley” is a woman, or “George” is a man. If you have confirmed on the phone (see previous section), then “Mr. Storymaster” is okay. However, don’t assume marital status. Apparently, some female editors get upset with “Ms.”, which boggles me since I was always told it could represent either. In some places, however, it is short for “Miss”, which could offend a married editor; similarly, “Mrs.” could upset that young, swinging single. Frankly, I prefer to go with a first-and-last-name greeting. After the editor has published you a few times and perhaps calls you to chat, you may be able to go down to a first name basis, but not before then.

Dear Story Master,

First Paragraph

No matter what you are writing, your first paragraph must grab the editor’s attention quickly. After all, most editors go through a large stack of query letters each month. Make yours stand out. I like to start with the first paragraph of my proposed story (or a similar one), since in both fiction and nonfiction both, you must be interesting enough to prompt someone to keep reading.

Never never never start with any of these lines:

I have written an article/story…

I am a professional writer…

My friends told me I should send this to your magazine…

If you do not want to start with the entire paragraph, or if you feel it will not give the flavor of your story, you may want to summarize. I recently did a query for a math puzzle, which completely lacked a paragraph! Instead, I tried to slant the first paragraph to describe the puzzle enough to catch the editor’s attention.

Finding adequate writing resources on the web can be difficult at best. Receiving honest feedback for your writing can also be a challenge. However, if you land at Writing.com, you can count on resources, feedback, and a whole lot more!

Second Paragraph

The job of the second paragraph is to let the editor know what they are in for. This is where you describe your story or article. You don’t have to give all of the details, but you want to give enough that the editor has a firm grip on what will happen, where the story/article is heading, and what makes it unique. For nonfiction articles especially, I like to reference what column or section I feel the article would best fit under, letting the editor know that yes, I read the magazine. I try to reference why this piece will be interesting to the readers. Obviously, a magazine on writing won’t be interested in an article on scrapbooking – or will it? What if I am submitting an article on scrapbooking your rejection letters? It depends on the magazine, of course, but make sure you help the editor catch your vision. I also suggest giving them an estimated word count (final if it is already written), so they can determine how to fit it into the magazine. However, make sure your proposed count is similar to the articles already contained within the section you are querying. That is, don’t submit a query for a 1000 word piece in a spot usually occupied filled with 500 words or less.

Finally, if you can let the editor see you have already done some research, they will see you as responsible. If you have already spoken with someone about an interview – or have already done one – they will recognize your enthusiasm. Also, if you have any photos or illustrations, this is the time to let them know that they are available.

Readers of Writing.com magazine will enjoy learning about a fantastic and helpful website that will provide them with the input they need on their journey to becoming a published author. I propose an 800-1,000 word article for your “Online” section detailing how to make the most of your Writing.com experience. Readers will be intrigued to learn about methods for obtaining honest, from-the-heart feedback, participating in various forums and real-time chats around the site, and, for fun, playing around with word searches and mad libs. I would like to interview various members of the site to get their feedback, and I have already spoken with the site owner and his wife, both of whom are open to an interview. I have several pictures of owners, members, and moderators available.

Third Paragraph

The third paragraph is the “why me” paragraph. This is where you get to strut your stuff, to show off your credentials. If you’ve been published in fifty magazines, why are you reading this? I mean, list only a few; perhaps those that are closely related. If you only have a single claim to fame, list that bad boy! If you’ve never been published, do not I repeat do not say this. Instead, list your credentials. If you are doing an article on kayaking, let them know that you’ve been an instructor for ten years, or that you’ve been kayaking for ten years. Tell them you’ve led groups or organized something. Your article is for a teen publication? Mention that you’ve organized the local Boy Scout kayaking trip for the last five years, or taken your church’s youth group. You haven’t done any kayaking with teens but you’re a high school teacher? Let them know you have influence in the teen world. Obviously, the closer you can slant towards your magazine’s market, the more professional you can come.

Another thing to never say: my mom/my friends/my neighbors/everyone I know or even everyone on writing.com says I am a good writer and should be published. Very much the amateur. Remember, you are professional, whether you have been published or not.

This is also the place to mention “clips”, those pesky little things mentioned in my previous paragraph. Having chosen the clips I plan to submit, I usually reference them parenthetically. If you have no clips, then I suggest making one up. No, don’t lie; instead, let them know you are submitting a “clip on xyz” subject (preferably related) to give them an idea of your writing style. If you are submitting your query to a teen magazine, write the clip skewed toward teens; if to a children’s magazine, skew towards kids; if to an executive, skew it towards…an executive! You get the idea. This is where Writing.com can be especially helpful. I like to submit my unpublished clips online and get feedback, enabling me to polish them up before sending them out. I put a note at the top to that effect and ask point-blank if the piece works for addressing my audience.

I also recommend letting the editor know how quickly you can get an article to them. For magazines, I honestly believe that, if I can get ahold of anyone I need to interview, I can have an article completed in a week, probably less. However, I try to allow for real life, and tend to pitch for three weeks. My goal is to finish in two weeks and submit early in all cases, thus causing the editor to view me as an early finisher. If I wind up sick, or one of my interviewees is harder to get ahold of, I should still be able to meet the deadline.

I have been published in various magazines, including Let’s Write and Online Journaling, and am enclosing clips from both. I have been a member of writing.com for the past two years, and a moderator for one month of that time. I have a great deal of interaction with site members, and believe I could return a finished article to you within three weeks of assignment.

Final Paragraph

I like to leave the editor with an upbeat, positive conclusion. If I am sending the query by snailmail, I will also note the enclosure of an SASE (a must-have if you want a response; otherwise, you may as well save yourself the trouble of crafting a query letter).

Enclosed is a SASE for your response. I look forward to working with you.

Signature

Again, be professional. No “cya later” or “take care”. I would try to stick with the plain old boring

Sincerely,

For a letter, go down four lines and then type your first and last name. For an email, I just put one line break, and then the info taken from the header (remember, I don’t send a header in an email).

Scottiegazelle

Enclosures

Finally, I list my clips. For a snail-mail query, I list the enclosures at the ending. One thing I’ve noticed about clips. If you have been published, make several copies. If you have a scanner, a nice (inexpensive) solution I found to the copy machine is to scan your article(s) and save them as a tif file. This is huge, but the best resolution. Then you can print the clip at your leisure. However, despite it’s location on the computer, do not email it. Most editors will not open an attachment.

(3) Enclosures: 1 pg Let’s Write

1 pg Online Journaling

SASE

For email, instead of enclosing the clips as a separate file, list them within the body of the email. I like to make a note where they were published at the conclusion. This gives them the opportunity to check it themselves if they feel the urge to verify.

Published with Write & Telescope, August 2004, pg 7

This article is obviously slanted towards nonfiction. Another type of writing that requires a query letter is the novel. Here, I would follow a similar approach, with a few changes.

Don’t start with the first paragraph. Instead, raise the issue of conflict very simplified. You still want to grab the editor’s attention, but don’t launch into a synopsis; that’s a different letter. And make sure you address what makes your novel different from the regular love story/sci fi story/your type of story. Editors want to know what will make your novel stand out.

I’m pretty sure most novels don’t require clips, so you can avoid mention of those. However, be sure to check your market or publisher to be certain – don’t take my word for it!
Here is a sample query letter for more instruction, from someone who has researched the field a bit more. http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/sherrashttp://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/sherras

Another good link is here:
[http://www.geocities.com/charlottedillon2000/query.html]

Short stories usually do not need a query letter; instead, they need a cover letter. A cover letter is similar to the query letter, but much simpler. The biggest difference comes from the body, which can be highly modified.

For a short story cover letter, start with the simple introduction paragraph.

Enclosed please find my short story, “Scottiegazelle Writes Again.” I hope you will consider it for a future issue.

Then lapse into the section detailing your previous experience. Publications take first priority. Follow-up with any relative experience you have. Are you writing a horse story and you are a horse trainer? A murder mystery after twenty years as a police detective? A children’s story about life under the sea and you are a marine biologist? Pull no punches!

Finally, you need a conclusive paragraph similar to the previous ones. Basically a “love to work with you, SASE enclosed” line or two, such as that detailed under the “Final Paragraph” section.

I couldn’t find any on-site resources just for cover letters, but here is a good site off-line.
http://www.writing-world.com/basics/floyd.shtml

Whatever you write, in order to get published, a query or cover letter is a must have. Make sure you keep your letter professional and to the point, and you will improve your odds on getting published.

Author: Nola Redd
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times

Complaint letters aren’t always fun, but sometimes they need
to be written. In many cases, if people don’t complain, the
problem agency at fault (i.e. company or government) won’t
even know that the problem that you and others may have
experienced even exists.

Ultimately, legitimate complaints, by even a few people,
can (and often do) result in better service for everybody.
Not only that, writing complaint letters can be personally
beneficial too!

That’s right. Writing complaint letters can be an empowering
and therapeutic experience! It allows one to take action
instead of playing the role of a victim and “nursing” an
ongoing resentment towards a company about poor service or
treatment received. Once the complaint letter is written and
in the mail one can “let it go” knowing that one has done
something tangible and constructive about the situation.

Not only that, but properly written and handled complaint
letters get action!

After I started writing complaint letters, I began receiving
gracious letters of apology and contrition from senior
executives including bank vice-presidents and VPs of
marketing for giant corporations.

Getting those in the mail, felt one heck of a lot better
than “polishing” an ongoing resentment and getting even
angrier the next time something bad happened. Sometimes I
even get discount coupons and free merchandise!

THE 10 SECRETS

Here are some strategies I have learned for writing
complaint letters guaranteed to get attention and action.

1. Write To The Senior Person Responsible

It is important that you get the name and detailed mailing
address of a very senior person responsible for the product
or service that you are complaining about. I generally try
to write to the V.-P. level. Never go below Director level
if you want a serious response. Name and address information
can be obtained from the organization’s Web site or by
calling the company and asking for the name and title of
the senior person who you should write to.

2. Don’t Send An E-Mail

When it comes to sending a serious complaint letter to a
company or the government, don’t send an e-mail, regardless
of what it may say on their Web site. E-mails are usually
handled dismissively by low level “customer service” people.
If you want serious attention and action, the formal written
complaint letter is the only way to go. When it arrives in
the VP’s office (yes, by snail mail!), it triggers a
bureaucratic process that ensures that the right people
will see your letter, and will act on it.

3. Keep It As Short As Possible

Preferably no longer than one page, two at the most. When
drafting a complaint letter there can be a tendency to go
on and on just to make sure the recipient gets the point.
Keep it as short as possible, but without diluting the facts
of your message too much.

4. Give It A Heading For Identification

Place a heading at the top of the letter with information
that the company or agency will relate to, such as your
account number or customer number. Make it easy for them
to find you on their computer filing system.

5. Clearly Explain The Situation

Make sure that you give all of the specific details needed
so that the company or agency can verify your claim without
you having to get into an endless game of telephone tag with
them. Include specific dates, times and places, as well as
the names of people you dealt with. If you’re not sure of
these details when composing the letter, call them back and
ask for the specifics. (You don’t have to say it’s for a
complaint letter).

6. Use A Positive And Respectful Tone

I have found that the best approach is to use a positive
upbeat tone. Remember, you are writing to a senior person
who probably sympathizes with what happened to you. Your
tone should convey the message that you are the innocent
victim and you understand that the company wouldn’t have
done such a thing deliberately.

7. Send Copies If Appropriate

There can be cases where it is wise to send a copy of the
letter to other parties just to make sure that you will get
some serious action. For example, in a case where you have
been told to write to the Regional Manager of a program, it
is often a good idea to make sure that someone in head
office also gets a copy. I sometimes send a copy to customer
service or customer relations offices at the national level.

8. “Shame” Them As Much As Possible

Companies that claim and advertise high levels of customer
focus and service do not like to be criticized in those
areas. If you have a strong case that makes them vulnerable
in one of these areas, use as much ammunition as you can to
embarrass them in these sensitive areas. Modern marketing
terms such as: customer relationship management (CRM),
one-to-one marketing, most valuable customer (MVC), and
customer-centric focus, all tend to get their attention.
Also, using such terms makes you sound like an authority.

9. Imply You Might Take Your Business Elsewhere

I always do this near the closing. Companies don’t like to
lose customers, especially long-time customers. Senior
marketing people are well aware that study after study has
shown that it costs five to seven times as much to recruit
a new customer as it does to hold on to an existing one.

10. Ask For An Early Reply

In the closing paragraph of your complaint letter, state
specifically that you are expecting an early reply. Make
sure that you follow-up by phone or e-mail if you have
heard nothing in three weeks. Some companies will send you
an acknowledgement letter stating that they are working on
your case and will get back to you within a week or two.

Use the above strategies and you are sure to get action
from your complaint letters. And, don’t forget the old
truism “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”!

To see a fully-formatted “real-life template” of a letter
of complaint, go to the following link:

http://writinghelp-central.com/complaint-letter.html

© 2005 by Shaun Fawcett

Author: Shaun Fawcett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Benefits of electric pressure cooker

Many individuals that are writing letters really don’t give much thought as to the layout of the page. Naturally, the attention goes to the content. It’s important though if you are in need of producing a formal letter that it is done properly and the best way to do this is by using a template.

One of the important things to remember about any type of letter writing is that it represents you to the recipient. This is particularly important if you have never met the receiver of the letter. If this is a formal letter you are sending then it is obvious that you want to present yourself as a responsible person. By being sure your presentation is the best it can, be utilizing a formal letter template will afford you that protection.

Another thing to consider is what is really classed as a formal letter? Most often anytime, you are sending a letter to an individual that you don’t know you could class it as formal. It’s just like a formal meeting of a person. This is usually the first time you meet someone.

You may believe that you have never written this type of letter in the past and probably will not need to do so in the future. In any event, if you have written a letter explaining something or requesting information then you can be assured this was a formal letter. Don’t confuse this type of letter with a legal letter.

A formal letter template helps to walk you through the layout of your letter without having to put much thought into it. It is somewhat like filling in the blanks of a form. Often when you are writing this type of letter your concern is about the contents. You can have the best contents in the world, but if they are not presented properly, they are not likely to have the impact that you are hoping to make.

If you can equate a formal letter to an important meeting, it will give you a clearer idea as to how important the presentation of your letter is. Let’s say you were going to a meeting to obtain financing for an important investment. It would be very important that you presented yourself properly. Most likely, you are going to wear the appropriate attire. This is your presentation. You want the lenders to see you as someone they should listen to. The same thing applies with your formal letter. You want the letter presented in such a way that the reader feels you are someone who should be listened to. With the use of the form letter template that is going to ensure that, your presentation is professional according to the need of the letter.

The final thing you must remember is that if the letter is important enough to send then the results are probably important. To help you get those results, whatever they may be, a form letter template is going to give you the advantage.

Author: Rebecca Kruger
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Latest trends in mobile phone

A letter is a message written by a person to convey a message to another. Letters represent mutual friendship and a type of humanly communication, especially on a regular letter exchange between two people.

Letters had been existent through humanity since ancient history. Letters existed during the time of ancient Egypt, Sumer, and ancient India, through Greece, Rome, and China up to now. Furthermore, letters make up some of the books found on the bible. Archives of letters whether for diplomatic, business reasons or for personal purposes are apparent, making all servings as the primary source for historians.

The 19th century is the height of writing letters in paper because of increased businesses and social interaction among people.

Due to the advent of technology however, wherein telephones, mobile phones and computers were produced, letters have become a less important routine for communication. The development of fax, telegraph, Internet, telephones, and other high tech communication gadgets posed a huge impact on the sending and writing of letters.

The art of exchanging letters became less common in modern industrialized countries and were replaced by e-mail. In addition, the invention of the cassette tape had encouraged people to send tape letters during the time when CDs were not yet available.

The term letter is often used in e-mail messages that follow the basic format of a rudimentary letter. Instead of papers, these messages are read on the monitor or screen of the computer.

Types of Letters

One type is the Letter of Inquiry. It is a general term used for different kinds of business letters. For instance, applicants send this kind of letter along with their curriculum vitae to employers of the companies where they would like to work. On the other hand, companies send this type of letter in their business partners whenever they need the necessary information about the products or raw materials that they have to order. This letter is usually written short and direct to the point. It only contains a short introduction with a phone number, address, and e-mail address of the sender. It also contains a simple and short introduction.

A Poison Pen Letter is a note that generally contains anything unpleasant, malicious, abusive accusations or statements about a third party or the recipient. This is typically sent anonymously. These are written with the intention to offend the recipient. It can be traced back to the days of Beethoven. He would constantly write poison pen letters to express is anger and as a release of his temper.

During the advent and popularity of e-mails, poison pen letters have now been considered as rare and probably an obsolete form of writing. This is also synonymous with hate mails or hate letters.

A Business Letter is formally written and used among two parties having business relations. This can also be writing as a form of correspondence between organizations and their clients, customers as well as external parties. The style of a business letter depends on the relationship of the concerned parties. It enforces a stricter and respectful tone and language.

A Personal Letter is the most common type, and also the most prevalent. These are written communication exchanges between friends, family members or any two people with close ties. It uses a more informal tone. It can be written just to say hello, to woo an important person, or express other personal matters.

Author: David Urmann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable Multi-cooker

Letters of recommendation are routinely sought for employment and education situations. You may also find yourself asked to write a reference letter for someone seeking to adopt a child, get into college or be released on parole. Honestly, a person’s first internal response, no matter how highly they think of the person and want to help him or her out, is often, “What a hassle.”

But if you know a few of the “rules” of recommendation and reference letter writing, and have access to free recommendation letter templates, your task should go smoothly.

Whether you’re writing a job-related recommendation letter or acting as a character reference, the approach is pretty much the same. These letters actually follow a fairly predictable format, which means that if you start with a basic template, you can be sure to hit all the key points, resulting in a well-crafted letter that’s certain to be of use to the recipient as well as the person being vouched for.

Just because you’re starting with a template doesn’t mean your letter will be insincere or look like every other letter out there. You still have some work to do!

To write an effective, meaningful recommendation letter, first be sure you are the right person for the job. If you haven’t directly interacted with the person in a meaningful way, you’re really in no position to refer him or her. Managers and other supervisors carry more weight than a coworker, and professors and counselors are usually the best choices for academic reference letters. Similarly, don’t agree to act as a character reference for someone you don’t feel you know well. It will likely show in your letter and defeat the purpose altogether. If you don’t feel you can write an honest, helpful letter, it’s probably better to politely decline the request. (Although not all recommendation letters have to be full of glowing praise.) Also, if the time frame is too tight, be up front about that as well.

Start off by formatting the letter on a computer as a classic business letter, with the paragraphs in blocks and the full return address and recipient information included. The exception might be a more conversational personal reference letter such as a character reference for prospective adoptive parents.

Open the letter by making it clear why you’re writing the letter and why you’re in a good position to do so. (Establish your relationship with the person you’re recommending.) The body of the letter should be at least a couple of paragraphs, but probably no more than five. Describe the person and his or her traits and skills, using descriptive adjectives and concrete examples or anecdotes illustrating character and/or performance. Close by restating your opinion of the person and offering to provide further information if needed. Include a phone number and/or email and sign the letter.

A more recent request from job-seekers is for references on Linked In and social networking sites. These recommendations are much shorter than a formal letter (usually just one paragraph), but they should still have a professional tone and address specific traits and skills of the person.

After you complete the letter, be sure to proofread it for typographical and other errors. Get the letter back to the person by the agreed-upon time, or, if you’re submitting it directly to a college, court or potential employer, be sure to send it off promptly.

If you download a recommendation letter template and alter it to your specific needs, save it on your computer so you can access it again and again. Some people, such as supervisors or educators, write many letters of recommendation and simply “tweak” their own boilerplate form to reflect the candidate at hand.

Copyright 2009 by Kevin Savetz

Author: Kevin Savetz
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

Trying to write that one sales letter that will pull in the millions and guarantee your retirement to a island in the Caribbean? Maybe you’ve just sent out 5000 letters and haven’t had one response. Crafting an effective (and profitable) sales letter is an art, but one that can be learned.

Headlines – grab ‘em early. It all starts here. Grab attention, make it interesting. Don’t bore the audience to death and don’t talk about your company. As the world becomes more cynical and consumers more advertising savvy, you need to be clued up about how to switch a reader on. There are numerous types of headline from the question format to the shocking fact. Just make sure they are highly relevant to your audience.

Know your customers. What is the point of mailing people if they already own an identical product? Do your homework, find the right customers in your database, check that their details are up to date and when you do the letters make sure they are addressed to a person rather than Dear X. I don’t know about you but I’m more likely to read something that has my name at the top (even better if they manage to spell it correctly). Sales letters don’t always have to be mass mailings – if you haven’t heard from a customer in a while why not drop them a personal letter to develop your relationship.

Stop talking about yourself. We’ve all read them, ‘Dear Mrs X, My name is Dave and I’m writing to tell you how wonderful our company, Y Ltd is. We’ve got loads of great gadgets and blah’. I’ll say this just once, so listen carefully, your potential customers have one question when they read a letter ‘what’s in it for me?’ If you don’t answer that immediately you’ve lost them and your letter will be winging its way to the bin. Speak to your customer, put their needs first. Avoid using the word ‘we’ and try using ‘you’.

The truth, the whole truth. Building credibility is key in a sales letter. If you have testimonials then use them, don’t make over exaggerated claims about your product or service and don’t use millions of exclamation marks!!!! Use success stories or short case studies to illustrate how you have helped customers but keep the focus on what you can do for the customer. Do have some brief information about your company, but put it further down the letter. Keep it to the point and unique to your business. No standard corporate speak thank you!

Blow your trumpet about benefits. The biggest trap most people fall into is talking about the features instead of benefits. You need to think about all the reasons people would choose to use your product/service and why they should choose you over your competitors – can you save them money, get rid of hassle, increase their profits, change their life? Think about what causes your potential customers problems and how your product or service solves them. Don’t talk about the colour or size of your new super widget, instead explain how the widget saves 10 hours and is half the cost of the product they are currently using.

The long and short of it. Sitting there wondering whether your letter should be one or six pages long? This argument has been debated since the Greeks were writing their sales letters on parchment (although I’m guessing they stuck to short copy). There are no hard and fast rules for which one will work. Long copy works for some markets and for some products. Just be aware it isn’t a one fit solution (and nor is short copy). Long copy is generally better suited for selling (if someone already has an established interest in your product it may work) but it is not great for generating leads or giving information. The other issue in the UK is that long copy has become synonymous with fraudsters and scams. It does have its place but needs to be a carefully crafted story that leads the customer to a purchase. The only way to know what works for you is to test.

Test the waters. If you are planning to mail thousands of people then select a couple of hundred and send out different versions of your letter. Try long copy versus short copy, different headlines, and different offers and see what gets the best response. THEN, mail the other few thousand. Once you know what works you should get a better response rate.

Looks are everything. Don’t spend days constructing the perfect letter and then print it on cheap paper with no company details. Use design and colour (in moderation), think about its visual impact. A good trick is to use a paper which has a coloured back so when you do your follow up calls you can say, ‘I sent you a letter last week, the one with the neon green back’. Layout your letter with clear, reasonably sized text and make it easy for the reader to find their way around. Before you do a final print make sure you and somebody else proofreads the letter, checking for spelling and grammar errors.

Try to avoid standard letter mail merge. If you have the time, inclination and handwriting ability, think about handwriting your letters or the envelopes. Always send the letters first class, don’t want your customers feeling like second class citizens, do you?

It’s blue sky thinking. Stop it. Stop it now! Jargon is unfriendly and makes letters incomprehensible. No one will admit that they don’t understand something, they’ll just ignore it. You are a person, writing to a person, so write like a human not a robot. If you operate a business which is fun and friendly, then write your letter in the same tone.

Oh, I can’t resist. 10% off? Is that an interesting offer? Does it make me want to pick up the phone and order whatever you are selling? The key words here are compelling offer. Instead of 10% off, how about 50 cash back, free entry into a prize draw to win a case of wine, free holiday vouchers and an in office consultation on your services? Be inventive; think what you can add that will entice the customer.

Crunch those figures. Sales letters should be part of a marketing mix, and it should be cost effective. Doing sales letters is a cheap(ish) way of marketing but once you tot up all that paper, envelopes and free offers it can add up. Make sure the numbers are working for you – how many customers do you need to get to make the exercise worth doing? On the flip side, if you are worried about the cost, check the figures, it may be that you only need one customer to pay for the mailing and then it is worth every penny.

Cracking under the strain. What happens if you get the letter absolutely right? If you mail 5000 people and they all respond? Can you cope with the demand? Think about this before you do the mailing and at least have a plan in place for the possibility of massive success (apart from finding that Caribbean island).

Erm, what do I do now? You’ve managed to keep the reader captivated until the end of the letter. They know how wonderful your business and product is and then you just sign off. You haven’t told them what they need to do next. This is called a call to action. Tell the reader exactly what you want them to do next, ‘Call me now on 0800 X before Monday 7th’. If you are going to do follow up calls then say when and make sure you do them. At this point you should give you readers an incentive to act now, such as giving them something for free, if they call by the end of the week. You can also reinforce this message in your PS.

PS. I love you. Using a PS at the end of a sales letter is a clever little trick used by many copywriters. We know most people pick up a letter, read the headline and scan down. If they spot a PS at the end, which communicates a clear benefit or special offer, they are likely to go back and read the rest of the letter. Result!

Follow up calls. If you say in a letter you are going to do them, then do them. You need to do them in the few days after you send the letter, preferably the day after the letter is going to land on their desk. If you are selling a service, it’s vital you do follow up calls as people need to know more about you and your business before they purchase. Make sure you know what you are going to say, don’t go into hard sales mode and be prepared to listen to what the customer is saying to you.

Author: Nicola Cooper Abbs
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff

It’s quite amazing how often business people fail to follow basic guidelines when it comes to writing their business correspondence. That might explain why so many people come to my writing help websites looking for help with their business letter writing. Just as businesses need to be focused and efficient to thrive and succeed, so too does the primary communications tool of most businesses – the business letter.

Following are a number of tips and guidelines that I have compiled while reading and writing many hundreds of business letters over the past 25+ years.

1.Limit Them To One Page

By definition, business letters should be short and to the point, preferably one page in length. Studies have found that busy business people do not like to read beyond the first page, and will actually delay reading longer letters. So, if you don’t want your letter to gather dust in an in-basket, keep it as short as possible.

2.Be Reader-Friendly

Always try to focus on the needs of the reader and make an effort to see things from their perspective. Put yourself in their position and imagine what it would be like for you to be receiving your letter. Anyone can do this, since we are all “customers” of some other business in some part of our lives.

3.Keep The Tone Formal And Factual

Generally speaking, the tone and content of business letters should be formal and factual. Feelings and emotions do not have a place in business letters. So, avoid phrases like “we feel” and use “we believe” or “we think” instead. A cordial, friendly approach is fine. Just keep it businesslike, but avoid overly formal terms like “heretofor”, “as per”, “herewith”, etc.

4.Carefully Plan Your Letter

Before writing the letter, take a few minutes to list all of the specific points you need to cover. Sometimes it may even mean a phone call to the recipient or his/her company to confirm a specific point. Remember, the purpose of the letter is to tie up all of the details on the subject at hand, so that more letters won’t have to be written back and forth.

5.Make It Clear, Concise And Logical

Use a clear and direct writing style that uses simple words and straightforward phrases. Make sure that your flow follows a logical progression, first identifying the main subject, elaborating on it, and then drawing the logical conclusion.

6.Accuracy And Timeliness Are Key

By their very nature, business letters need to be accurate and timely. They almost always have financial implications and related impacts on other businesses and/or people. Double-check all of the facts stated in the letter, and make sure that any future dates specified give others enough time to realistically complete what is expected of them.

7.Relegate Technical Details To Attachments

Often it is necessary to include detailed technical information as part of a business letter package. In such cases, use the main letter as a cover letter that lists and briefly explains and references the attached (or enclosed) documents.

8.Use Non-Discriminatory Language

Make sure that you avoid language that is specific to gender, race, or religion in all business letters, either to other businesses, or to customers. For example, use “workforce” instead of “manpower”, or “chairperson” rather than “chairman”. Most style guides contain detailed lists of the offensive terms and some suggested substitutes.

9.Eliminate Redundant Words And Phrases

There are certain words and phrases that one often sees in business correspondence that tend to make the language more complicated and cumbersome than necessary. For example, instead of the phrase “in spite of the fact that” use “although”; or instead of “in the normal course of events” use “normally”. There are many such redundant phrases, so review your letter and eliminate them.

If you are running any type of business in which business letters are important communication tools, you would do well to take careful heed of the above tips and advice. Remember, the business correspondence that you issue is a direct reflection of the overall products and/or services offered by your business. Poorly-written, amateurish, and/or shoddy business letters will surely result in lost sales.

To see some fully-formatted real-life business letter templates, check out the following link:

http://writinghelp-central.com/sample-letters-business.html

Copyright Shaun R. Fawcett. All rights reserved.

Author: Shaun Fawcett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Gadget reviews

In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don’ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply specifically to most situations related to the writing of letters of recommendation. These are usually more “situational” than “how-to” in nature.

These recommendation letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of recommendation is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That’s because they almost always affect the reputation and future of the writer or that of another person.

The following tips and strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters of recommendation in their various forms (i.e. recommendation letters, commendation letters, recognition letters, performance evaluation letters).

Write It Only If You Want To

If you are asked by someone to write a recommendation letter about them, you don’t have to say “yes” automatically. If it’s someone you respect for their work, and you have mostly positive things to say, by all means write the letter.

There is no point saying “yes” and then writing a letter that says nothing good about the person, or worse still, concocting a misleading positive assessment of someone.

So, whatever you do, don’t get sucked into writing a recommendation inappropriately out of feelings of guilt or obligation.

If You Must Refuse, Do It Right Up Front

On the other hand, if someone asks you to write a recommendation letter for them, and you know you’ll be hard-pressed to keep it positive, say “no” right away.

There is no point in hesitating and leading the person on to believe that the answer might eventually be “yes”.

A gentle but firm “no” will usually get the message across to the person. Explain that you don’t think that you are the best (or most qualified) person to do it.

Suggest Someone Else

If you feel you should refuse, for whatever reason, it may be helpful for you to suggest someone else who you think might have a more positive and/or accurate assessment of the person.

That other person may be in a better position to do the assessment. Usually there are a number of possible candidates, and you may not actually be the best one.

In fact, I have seen a number of cases over the years in which people requesting recommendation letters have not requested the letter from the obvious or logical choice. This usually happens when the requestor doesn’t like the person who is the obvious choice, and/or they are worried about what that person will say about them.

Write It As You See It

Writing a less than honest letter of recommendation does no one a favor in the end. It is likely to backfire on you, the person being recommended, and the new employer.

Also, many employers and head-hunting agencies check references these days.

How would you like to be called up and have to mislead people due to questionable things you may have written in a reference letter?

Be Honest, Fair, and Balanced

Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing recommendation letters. At the same time, try to be fair and balanced in your approach.

If in your estimation, a person has five strengths and one glaring weakness, but that weakness really bothers you, make sure you don’t over-emphasize the weak point in the letter based on your personal bias. Just mention it in passing as a weakness and then move on.

Balanced Is Best

An overall balanced approach is the best one for a letter of recommendation. Even if your letter generally raves about how excellent the person is, some balance on the other side of the ledger will make it more credible. After all, nobody’s perfect.

There must be some area where the person being recommended needs to improve. A bit of constructive criticism never hurts and it will make your letter more objective in nature.

Bottom Line:

The most important point to take away from the above tips and strategies is that it is your choice as to whether, and how, you will write a letter of recommendation.

It’s an important type of letter that will have a definite impact on the future of the person about whom it is being written, so don’t agree to write one unless you are willing to give it your utmost attention and effort.

Copyright Shaun R. Fawcett. All rights reserved.

Author: Shaun Fawcett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace

At some point in our lives, every one of us has written a letter. Whether it was to catch-up with a distant friend, thank a family member for a gift, or present Santa with a long list of Christmas wishes, we had no problem writing our letter and sending it in the mail. Yet, for some reason, when it comes to the business world, many of us are hesitant to write a letter. We may doubt its importance or feel intimidated by its formality. Most of the time, we’re just unsure of how to put our thoughts into organized words.

Writing a letter is a great method for contacting someone and presenting your ideas without being intrusive. Although it is just as important and effective as speaking with others face-to-face, it is one of the most underdeveloped and unused tools in the business world. When you know how to write a well-developed letter, you open up opportunities and possibilities for effective communication.

No matter the purpose of your letter, chances are you can find a template online or in a book that will help you structure its components. However, there is more to a letter than knowing where to put the date and salutation. An effective letter is an invitation. It is an introduction that encourages and elicits a response from the recipient. Therefore, every word you use is influential in determining how you and your message will be received and if it is strong enough to generate the desired response.

There are three keys to remember when writing an effective letter: 1. Be relevant, 2. Be concise 3. Elicit action. Understanding these concepts will help you create a letter that is well-written and purposeful.

1. Be Relevant

Unlike an unexpected phone call or visit, letters are wonderful because the recipient can read them at their convenience. However, it’s important to remember that you are still interrupting what could be a very busy day for them. Make sure that your letter captures and keeps their attention by making every word relevant.

Being relevant means that your letter focuses on what is important and interesting to the recipient, not to you. If you are trying to persuade them to consider a product or idea, explain to them how that product or idea would help them. If you are writing a cover letter for a job interview, describe how having you on their team would benefit their company. It’s okay to talk about yourself, but do so in a way that puts the focus on them instead of you.

2. Be concise

Remember, a letter is an invitation, and invitations are never long. No matter how relevant the material may be, too many words will dilute your message. Writing too much is as bad as learning everything there is to know about a person the very moment they ask you out on a date. Being too wordy or lengthy will only confuse the reader and distract them from the letter’s purpose. Make your letter a simple but powerful introduction that arouses curiosity and interest. Trust in your message and let it speak for itself.

3. Elicit Action

Without purpose, your letter is meaningless; it produces nothing and is easily forgotten. The strength of your letter is in your ability to encourage action. Whether you are trying to get someone to buy a product or you are trying to get an interviewer to give you a call, recognize the purpose of your letter and shape your message around it. You must take their hand at the salutation and direct them through your message, leaving them at the end of the letter only after you have shown them the next place to go. If you make the journey easy on the reader, they will be more likely to do what it is you are asking of them.

The impression you make in a letter is just as important as the impressions you make in person. It can affect a person’s decision to call you, interview you, or do business with you. Use the brief time you have to make a real impression on the reader; one that promote communication and encourage them to accept the invitation you have offered.

Author: Gina Sares
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker