Wait a minute, Mr. Postman The subject of a business letter can be pretty much anything: an invitation to a business-related function, the enclosure of a draft version of a contract, or a general complaint involving a defective video game. But your elegant prose and convincing arguments will lose their effect if they don't conform to a standard format. To help you create a professional impression, we'll provide an outline you can follow.Know your audience. You likely know the name of the company you want to contact, but you'll also need to know its address and the name and title of the person who should receive your correspondence. If you don't know them, call and ask. To find the number, look up the company in

the phone book. If it isn't a local enterprise, call information in the proper area code, or use an Internet search engine. It's also important to assemble any necessary documents you'll need to make your case--a sales receipt, a completed complaint or order form, or a copy of your lease or other contract. A well-written business letter is specific, and will refer to these documents as much as possible.

Write and revise
The easiest way to write a business letter is to concentrate on what you want to say first, and worry about the proper format later. Start by organizing your ideas, whether in an actual outline or just as a rough picture in your mind of the major points you want to address. The opening paragraph should explain why you're writing and establish the proper tone. A sentence or two is all you need, because you'll clarify your concerns in the following paragraphs. As you continue into the body of the letter, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Develop your letter in a concise manner and make each point a separate paragraph. Arrange them in a logical order.
• Make it easy for the recipient to respond to or act on your letter without having to contact you for more information. This means being specific and providing any necessary documents. If you're placing an order, for example, include product names and serial numbers, price per unit and total amount, and how you will pay. If it's with a credit card, remember to include your card number and its expiration date.

Complaints about a product or service should include the model and serial number of the product (if applicable) and a description of what happened. Requests for information should explain exactly what you'd like to know. Refer to any previous correspondence. Has the recipient written to you before? If so, having a copy of that letter close by as you respond will help you address his or her points directly. It can also serve as a guide for the proper tone. If you'll be including enclosures or attachments, mention this in the body of the letter, where appropriate. Summarize and conclude the body, explaining how you'll follow up the letter, if necessary. If applicable, specify where you'd like a reply sent, especially if it's different from the address included in the letter's heading or on the envelope. Consider how your letter will be received. Choose words that the person on the other end will understand--don't use technical terms just because you think they make you sound more intelligent. Likewise, avoid outdated expressions. "Permit me to remain," or "I remain" should not be used as closings to your letter. Old-fashioned words and phrases such as "herewith," or "pursuant to" are better stated in simpler language. Maintain a professional tone. If you're writing a complaint or a rejection notice, be careful not to use offensive language.

Choose a format
Once the body of your letter is complete, choose one of three standard formats for presenting your words on the page--block, modified block, and indented. Which one you use is a matter of personal taste. Block. All text is printed flush against the left margin. Nothing is indented. Modified block. All text is printed flush against the left margin except for the lines containing the heading, complimentary close, your typed name, and your signature, which are centered on the page (these elements are explained in Step 3). Indented. This follows the modified block format, but with the first line of each paragraph indented five letter spaces. Note: Some letters may also require a reference line, which is placed on its own line below the date.

Implement the format
The following instructions for the elements of a business letter apply to all three formats: At the top of the page, type the heading. This includes your name and business name (if any) on separate lines, and your address (number and street on one line, then city, state and zip on the line below).

Skip two lines and type the date.
Two or three lines below the date, type the inside address. This element includes the name of the person who will receive the letter, his or her title, the name of the company, and the business's address--each on a separate line. There is no end punctuation, such as a comma or period, for either the heading or inside address. After the inside address, double-space and write the salutation, a formal greeting beginning with "Dear" and followed by the person's courtesy title and surname. Unless the addressee has a formal title such as Doctor or Reverend (abbreviated Dr. and Rev.), use Mr. for men and Ms. for women. With no space after the name, type a colon. Using a comma or addressing the person by first name gives your letter a personal tone, which may be considered unprofessional. Skip two line spaces and begin the body of your letter. Single-space all paragraphs, but skip a line between each one. If it's appropriate, conclude by saying you'd appreciate any help the recipient can provide. Two line spaces below the body of the letter, write a complimentary close, which is a brief-yet-proper salutation. "Sincerely," "Yours sincerely," or "Yours truly," are most common. Capitalize only the first word. Then skip about four line spaces and type your name exactly as you plan to sign it. Add your title on the line below, if appropriate. If you're including something in the envelope with the letter or have any other special notations to record, type them a few lines below your name, against the left margin. There are four typical special notations: encl. means there is an enclosure in the envelope. att. signifies that a document has been attached to the letter. cc: alerts the recipient that copies--usually photocopies--of the letter have been sent to other people (these people are identified following the colon by their first initial and surname). Two sets of initials divided by a slash indicates that the writer, whose initials are capitalized, employed a typist, whose initials appear lowercase following the slash. Once you print the letter, sign in the space provided using blue or black ink.

Frame the letter on the page
How your letter appears on the page is also important. It should be centered, with roughly equal margins on all sides. Figuring this out in the days before computers was a complicated task that involved complex formulas and the occasional dose of correction fluid. Now, word processing programs do the hard work for you. Generally, treat a letter of roughly 100 to 300 words with 1.5-inch (4-centimeter) margins. If the letter is very short (less than 100 words), increase the margins to 2 inches (5 centimeters) and add a few lines between the closing and your signature. If a piece of correspondence is only a few sentences long, double-space the text to spread it more evenly over the page. Try to keep your letter to a single page. If you have to use a second page, type the name of the addressee at the top left-hand margin of the second page. Don't worry about adjusting the number of spaces between the heading and inside address, or between the complimentary close and your name.

Edit and mail
Before you stick your finished letter in the mail, it should pass a few final checks. Just as you would with any piece of writing, proofread the letter for spelling and punctuation mistakes. Check to make sure you've followed one of the three formats of a business letter, and ask yourself: Is the content of the letter concise? Are the ideas presented clearly and logically? Finally, just because the letter's complete doesn't mean the job's done. The first thing your recipient sees won't be the paper you've signed, but the envelope it arrives in. Make sure the envelope matches the quality paper you used for your letter. Standard size for most letters is 8 1/2 by 11 inches, although shorter correspondence can use 4 by 6 inch paper. In some countries, A4 (210 by 297 millimeters) is the standard paper, and A5 (148 by 210 millimeters) is used for shorter correspondence. Stick your letter in the mail with confidence--and sufficient postage. Now that you understand the proper format for business correspondence, there's nothing to stop your voice from being heard.