UNIT-3 [ Lesson-6: Promotional Letters ]

After reading this lesson you will be able to:

• what is meant by promotional letters, and
• how to write promotional letters.

Promotional Letters

What are promotional letters?

When a businessman wants to introduce a new commodity, or promote sale of a particular item, or inform customers about a special benefit, he can either put up advertisements in the newspapers, on radio and television, or write to prospective customers.

 

 

This sort of a letter is meant to promote business by promoting sales. Such letters are known as Sales Promotion Letters, or simply Sales Letters or Promotional Letters. The general tone of these letters is somewhat persuasive. Therefore, these letters follow the persuasive approach, trying to convince the reader to buy the commodity. They can be considered as Advertising Letters.

A sales promotional letter serves the following purposes:

– it attracts the attention of the reader
– arouses desire
– produces conviction, and
– stimulates action.

How to write effective promotional letters?

To write effective promotional letters you must try to attract the readers attention right at the outset. You must establish rapport and give the reader a purpose for reading.

Beginning of a Promotional Letter

You can begin your letter in one of the following ways:

(a) Begin with a surprising fact. An electric bulb company writes:

In six months’ time our production has been doubled. Won’t you like to find out why?

(b) Make an emotional appeal. A home builders company writes to prospective customers:

Home is where the heart is
Home is where people wait for you.

Would you like to have a home of your own at a bargain price?

(c) You can put your reader in a hypothetical situation and induce him/her to read the whole letter, e.g.,

Suppose you’re feeding your sick child at home and suddenly everything becomes dark. You can’t even find a candle at hand. What do you do? Have you ever thought of it? If you haven’t, don’t worry. We did, and aren’t you interested to find out what?

(d) A challenging statement can also be a good opener, e.g., We have made a million pairs of excellent shoes with not a single complaint.

(e) Begin your letter with a quotation

Do unto others as you would
Have them done to you.

We believe in this and so with all our sincerity we produce the best kind of shoes for you. Won’t you like to try?

(f) Show how to save money

Oh, the heat is too much to bear. Right? and your throat is parched. Care for a drink? Yes, you do. These little bottles of coke drain a lot of your money. Why not buy a giant size Coca-Cola and save the price of a little one.

 

 

Middle

In the body of the letter you must develop your central selling point and highlight other appeals. There is no set pattern of organisation. But generally speaking, you must first create in your reader a strong desire to buy your product or services by focusing on the benefits.

Then provide evidence and testimonials to support your claims. At this stage of the letter you will perhaps have to talk about price. Now, how do you do that? Remember, your reader must feel that the price is reasonable, one she/he can afford.

Here are some of the ways you can talk about price.

1. What benefits does the price buy?

For only twenty taka, let your child enjoy four MEENA comics, plus the free bonus.

2. Compared to similar items don’t you gain?

Soya bean oil sells at Tk. 50.00 per Kg. at the retail stores. Our price is just Tk. 45.75. Buy from us and save about 10%.

3. How does the price work out in monthly payments?

The annual fee is Tk. 2400.00. But with only Tk. 200.00 per month you can buy enough entertainment for you and all the members in your family.

4. If the product comes in quantity, what is the price per item?

For only Tk. 80.00 you buy a pack of twelve and save more than 58 paisa for each soap.

Ending your letter

As you develop your selling point you are in a way influencing your reader to buy your product, or to show interest in your product. When you come to the last part of your letter you must show your reader easy ways to take action. You can encourage your reader to act in one of the following ways:

1. Ask the reader to act within a limited time to earn a special discount or free offer:

If you submit four of those foils by Sept. 30, 1995 you will get one packet of milk free of charge

or

If you order before 30 March our quoted price will include free delivery.

2. Ask the reader to act now because of limited quantity:

We have only 200 sets to sell at this low clearance price. Don’t be left out. Order today.

3. Offer a free trial period:

You have a thirty-days right to examine your GEC air conditioner. If you are not completely satisfied with it, you can return it to us for cancellation and a complete refund of the amount you have paid.

4. Emphasize reader benefits:

You can close your letter by reminding the readers of the benefits they will enjoy. c.g.,

If you use our pen you will surely not like to use any other brands. The smoothness and the speed with which it runs will make you feel, you are the winner.

Another way of motivating your reader to take action is to send them prepaid self-addressed envelopes, or business reply cards. In the last part of your sales letter you can ask your reader/your prospective customer to sign a form or a card which may be enclosed with the letter.

You can also ask him/her to put a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ stamp and post it. This makes it easy for the reader to take action, and once she/he signs it, your letter has won half the game. Therefore, take care about your last paragraph, how you write it.

ACTIVITY

Remembering the special importance of the right approach in promotional letters draft on opening paragraph for each of the following situations:

• Take any advertisement from a newspaper or magazine and use it as a basis for the opening paragraph of a sales letter.
• Imagine you are the manufacturer of a washing powder for cleaning utensils. Draft the opening paragraph of a letter to be circulated to housewives.

ACTIVITY

Now draft the closing paragraph for each of the following situations:

Imagine you are the manager of a publishing house. You have just published a book on business English. Highlight in your closing reader’s benefits.

Imagine you are the manufacturer of a cough syrup. You are writing a sales promotional letter to housewives advising them to keep a bottle of your syrup for every one at home. High light in your closing your offer of a special discount if your prospective customer acts within a limited time.

Sample of promotional letters

Read the following letters carefully and then practise writing such letters.
Show your work to your tutor.

 

 

REFERENCES

1. Forman, J. with K. A. Kelly (1990)
The Randon House Guide to
Business Writing. Singapore. McGraw-Hill Publishing
Company.
2. Gartside, L. (1963) Modern Business
Correspondence. HongKong. Pitman.
3. Kapoor, A. N. (1994) A Guide To Business
Correspondence. new Delhi. S. Chand & Company Ltd.
4. James, D. (1979) Teach Yourself Letter
Writing. Kent, U. K. Hodder and Stoughton.
5. Sagar, A. (undated) Improve Your
Business Letters. New Delhi.
New Light Publishers.

 

UNIT-3 [ Lesson-5: Replies to inquiries ]

After reading this lesson you will be able to:

• write replies to different types of inquiry letters.

Replies to inquiries

Introduction

As you may write inquiry letters to different business firms and companies, others may also write to you similar letters which you will have to reply. If your reply is positive then it is a goodwill letter, and you will have to follow the direct approach.

But if on the other hand, you have to say not to a request, or you cannot answer all the inquiries made, then it is a bad news letter. Use the indirect letter pattern or the indirect approach in that case. If you do not care to reply inquiries, you are in a way staying away from your customers/clients, and that means losing business.

 

 

How do you reply an inquiry?

When you get a letter of inquiry you should read it carefully and find out exactly what the customer wants. When you write your reply, write down your points first on a separate sheet of paper to make sure you don’t miss any of the inquiries made. Then try to reply to each of the inquiries in a tone that suggests you are welcoming your client.

Replying inquiry letters means using a good opportunity for establishing friendly relations with your client and creating or promoting goodwill. Therefore don’t delay. Be prompt in your reply.

Read the letter below and think how it can promote goodwill. It is an answer to a request by a dealer for a catalogue and price-list of sewing machines.

 

 

Note

The letter above sounds original and friendly. The writer aims to interest his reader and create in him a feeling of confidence and win his consideration and friendship. If for any reason you cannot answer all the queries or keep a request fully, don’t just sound negative and disheartening.

 

 

Use the indirect approach and begin your letter with what sounds to he positive. Here is another example of an indirect approach in replying an inquiry/or a request with a negative message. Remember it is appropriate language, courtesy and the right tone that is important in replying to letters of inquiry.

Example

 

 

ACTIVITY

Write a negative reply to a letter of inquiry ordering for twenty ceiling fans for immediate delivery. Use the indirect approach and consider the following cues:

• the demand for ceiling fans has been exceptional due to the prolonged summer
• further supplies of fans are expected in about a fortnight
• if the order is allowed to stand prompt delivery will then be made
• regret that delivery cannot be made at once.

ACTIVITY

A customer has written to you, ordering for ten sets of colour TV for his institution. Write a positive reply acknowledging that the order can be met.

UNIT-3 [ Lesson-4: Inquiry Letters ]

After reading this lesson you will be able to:

• identify letters of inquiry from other types of business letters
• categorise letters of inquiry
• write different types of inquiry letters

Inquiry Letters

Introduction

In business INQUIRY LETTERS occupy a large volume of the daily correspondence. These letters are very important because they ask for information that is needed to carry on business or they request for some favours: if the letter is not properly written, i.e., if the inquiry is not clear and complete, the answer will not serve it’s purpose.

An inquiry when properly written may bring valuable business information and the opportunity to save money or to make a profit. If a reply is effectively composed, it may build goodwill and increase profit.But business people are very busy and are not always willing to answer all letters of inquiry. Now, you want you reader to respond. How do you do that? You have to bring reader benefits to the forefront.

 

 

That means, after a reading the letter, the reader must feel there is some benefit for him or her if she/he sends an early reply. In the other hand, it is not always possible to give the reader any direct and tangible benefits. It is important to write inquiry letters in simple, clear English using the direct approach.

How do you write your letters of inquiry?

Begin your letter by simply stating your request. Be direct, polite and to the point. Examples:

– Could you please tell us ….
– Will you kindly inform me ……….
– We should be glad to receive details of your prices…..
– We would be glad if you inform us of the terms and conditions ………
– We will be glad if you send us………….
– May I ask for the following details …

If you are requesting for more than one item information them state your items in simple, clear English and number each of your items.

Example

– …. whether your business dealings with the firm have been entirely satisfactory
– whether in your opinion, we may safely give them credit upto Tk. 5000.00, and
– whether they are prompt in their payment.

 

 

Now how do you close your letter of inquiry

You can close your letter of inquiry in one of the following ways (notice the reader benefits in such of the following endings):

• If your prices and terms prove satisfactory, we will cover all our requirements and start real business with you
• We look forward to placing further orders with you and hope you will be able to facilitate business by quoting very low prices
• By completing the enclosed resale certificate before July 30, you can satisfy our auditors that you qualify for exempt status
• As we are in a position to handle large quantities, we trust you will make an effort to submit a really competitive quotation
• I shall greatly appreciate your co-operation.

From these various endings you can understand that your letters of inquiry must end in a positive way leaving you reader to think and to act upon immediately.

ACTIVITY

Find out the basics of writing letters of inquiry

Types of Letters of Inquiry

Letters of inquiry fall into three broad categories depending on the nature
of inquiry made:

(1) General Inquiries,

(2) Sales related Inquiries, and

(3) Status Inquiries.

General Inquiries

These letters seek information that is required for private or business research purposes. In such letters the writer must state the following:

– why she/he needs the information
– why she/he has selected the reader as her/his source of information
– how reciprocal s/he expects the reader to be.

SAMPLE

Letter of inquiry from a research student

Sales related Inquiries

This type of letter is written in regard to a product or service which the writer has already purchased or is considering to purchase. In order to get a satisfactory reply you must be courteous and specific in stating your
inquiry

Status related Inquiries

This type of letter asks for information regarding the financial position, credit reputation and business methods of traders and different firms. Granting credit to customers/clients is now an accepted phenomenon in the business world.

But before you grant credit you have to make sure about the social and financial position of your client. You have to write inquiry letters to reliable sources for information about your client -asking for a credit. For authentic information you can write to

• banks or Chamber of Commerce
• friends or relatives
• public Information or Commercial Inquiry Agencies

Generally you have to ask for two references and it is always better to go for bank reference because the information given by the bank is more authentic.

Remember, status related inquiry letters are treated as strictly confidential. Therefore, you must mark such letters, “confidential” or “private and confidential.”

SAMPLE

Inquiry regarding status and credit references.

 

ACTIVITY

1. How many types of letters of inquiry are there? Give a brief description of each type.
2. Write a complete letter of inquiry for each type.

Question for Review

1. Define letters of Inquiry
2. How many types of Inquiry Letters are there. Explain each type
3. What guidelines should you follow to write Letters of Inquiry?
4. Write a letter of
(a) general inquiry
(b) sales related inquiry
(c) status related inquiry

UNIT-3 [ Lesson-3: Letters of Good Relations ]

Letters of Good Relations

After reading this lesson you will be able to:

• distinguish letters of good relations from other types of letters
• write letters of
• – congratulation
  – appreciation/thank you letters
  – sympathy
  – welcome
  -farewell, and
• write greetings/best wishes cards

Introduction

Goodwill letters (LGR) can be of several types depending on the occasion for which it is written. In this lesson you will find

• Letter of Congratulation
• Letter of Appreciation/Thank you letters
• Letters of Sympathy
• Letters of Welcome
• Letters of Farewell
• Greetings/Wishes Cards

TASK 1 QUESTION 1

A Letters of Congratulation

Everyone wants to be recognised for outstanding achievement. You can write letters of congratulation to your business friends, associates and customer for an achievement in their business as well as personal life.
Business occasions may be

• promotions
• honours
• getting remarkable contracts
• company anniversaries
• elections to office
• new partnership
• opening new office/plants

Personal occasions for writing LGR are

• marriages
• births
• graduations
• winning awards and prizes

ACTIVITY

• How many types of LGR are there? Include cards in your list.

ACTIVITY

• On what occasions do you write letters of congratulation?
• What guidelines would you follow to write letters of congratulation?

Read the following samples of letters of congratulation.

SAMPLE OF LETTERS OF CONGRATULATION

Situation 1

ELECTIONS TO OFFICE

Mr. Abu Taleb has been elected Mayor of Dhaka city Corporation, President, New Market Shopkeepers’ Association writes to him a letter of congratulation.

Situation 2

COMPANY ANNIVERSARY

Purba Bangla Brokers Ltd. (PBBL) a bakery firm for the sale of tea is going to celebrate 25 years in business. Durcan Brothers Ltd. is sending a card congratulating PBBL on this occasion.

Note

Full name and address of the primary reader is not generally put in the card, but on the envelope. The sender’s name and address is also put on the envelope, particularly if it is an overseas mail.

Example

Baby girl Born – Greetings Card

Note

Sometimes companies have their own greetings cards with the company name printed on the cover and a short message inside. For example:

Season’s greetings
or
Happy New Year

In such cases you have to simply write the name of the person you are sending the card to and sign at the bottom.

ACTIVITY

Write a suitable letter/card of congratulations for each of the situations.

Situations

1. Mr. Afazuddowla has been elected president, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce for two years. Mr. Razaul Karim Director, Mukti Soap Factory writes to him a letter of congratulation.

2. Mr. Asheq Hussain, Manager shipping, Karnaphuli Shipping Ltd. Chittagong has won the national championship trophy in lawn tennis. Mr. Raihan Masud, Director, Cosmical Offshore Ltd. congratulates him for his feat.

3. The City Bank Ltd. is going to open a branch in Meera Bazar, Sylhet. MD, Uttara Motors Ltd. sends a congratulations card to Mr. Sharif Ahmed, MD. The City Bank Ltd.

4. Miss Shamim Jahan, Manager Public Relations Dept., Hotel Sonartari is getting married next month, i.e., on 14 April 1995. Mr. Joha White head General Manager, Hotel Sheraton Writes to Miss Jahan, congratulating her on her wedding and regrets his inability to attend it.

Letters of Appreciation/Thank you Letters

When a business client/associate performs an official assignment successfully, or does some other work which show thoughtfulness and care, he/she deserves praise and thanks. Write to him a letter of appreciation or a thank you letter. You can send him a Thank You card too.

Some occasions on which you can send a Thank You card or write a letter of appreciation are:

– placing large orders
– prompt settlement of accounts
– opening a bank account
– efficient management of seminars and workshops
– treating an official guest with care and thoughtfulness, etc.

For writing letters of appreciation/thank you letters consider the following points:

good managers show their appreciation through both ceremonial
occasions and written messages.

• thank you letters are a way of giving your customers a VIP treatment
• in thank you letters you don’t expect a reply
• in your letter be specific about what the reader has done for you
• show your appreciation by demonstrating what the contribution will help to accomplish

 

Letters of Appreciation

THANKS FOR A DINNER

Letters of Appreciation

THANKS FOR PLACING A LARGE ORDER

Letter of Sympathy

WHY and HOW?

Considering the humane qualities of business relations, we must deal with sorrow the same way we deal with congratulations on moments of joy as success. A helping hand or a message of sympathy extended to a person suffering misfortune can be very meaningful.

As a businessman you are to convey sympathies to your employees, customers and business associates in situations involving

• death
• sickness
• accident
• serious loss
• or other misfortune

On such occasions you can hand write your message or if the relationship is purely business, type it on company letter head.

How can you write a letter of sympathy?

You have to be very careful about the message of sympathy including the language because your reader is in difficult circumstances.

Therefore, when you write your message of sympathy

– begin directly
– identify the event and
– express sympathy
– concentrate on the positive details appropriate to the situation

 

 

It is not always easy to write something positive when a patient is in death-bed or dead. In such cases it will be inappropriate to send a “Get Well Soon” card. What you can do is concentrate on the positive aspects of the patient’s care and situation, or write about the good qualities of the deceased. End your letter with appositive note, saying that the good qualities of the deceased will be remembered. You can even offer help.

Letters of sympathy

On the sudden death of an employee

 

Note

In case of writing to a very close colleague/business associate use a personal and friendly tone. Notice the use of contractions (it’s for it is, you’ll for you will etc.) in Fig. C1.2. The letter is hand-written on a plain sheet of paper.

ACTIVITY

Write a letter of sympathy to a business associate who has suffered a serious loss in business.

ACTIVITY

Write a letter of sympathy to an employee who has recently lost his mother in a road accident.

Letter of Welcome

Welcome messages make people feel their presence is very much wanted/appreciated. In business you can welcome new comers to town who can be prospective clients, new accounts, new membership, and new
employees or colleagues in office.

Welcoming a new comer is simple courtesy, but for a businessman it means more than that. It is an incentive to a prospective customer for it is public relations that play an important part in business.A welcome letter is simple and direct, and usually emphasises the assests the new comer brings to the organisation.

ACTIVITY

Faisal Khan has just moved to a new neighbourhood. Limbo Dry cleaners writes a letter of welcome to Mr. Khan.
– Write the letter on behalf of Limbo Dry Cleaners.

ACTIVITY

Mushtaque Rabbi, a young architect has joined Najma and Co. Ltd., a construction firm in Dhaka. Farook Khan, Asst. Manager welcomes him on behalf of the company.
– Write a letter/card for Mr. Khan.

Letters of Farewell

In business, farewell messages are written to people who are leaving the present posting for some other place of work.

It is simple courtesy to write a letter of farewell to an outgoing client/associate/colleague. This makes him/her feel good and important. He knows how much he was cared for, how much he meant to his/her colleagues.

Writing farewell messages helps one’s business grow in the same way as writing welcome messages does. If your company has branches or local offices, your client would surely like to continue business through those. After all it is personal relations that matter in business.

A farewell letter is simple and direct in which you recall the assets the outgoing client had brought with him/her. Assure him/her nourishing fond memories and wish him success in the new assignment.

ACTIVITY

Write a letter of farewell to a valued customer who used to be a resident of your five star hotel whenever he was in the capital. New he is going to London to assume new responsibilities as manager of an international
bank.

UNIT-3 [ Lesson-2: Good Relations or Goodwill Letters ]

After reading this lesson you will be able to:

• explain letters of Good Relations (LGR)
• say why it is important for a businessman to write LGR
• identify the three main parts of LGR

Good Relations or Goodwill Letters

Letter of Good Relations, What are they?

Nearly everyone has the opportunity to write special goodwill messages that cement good human relations. Business people who take advantage of this opportunity give an “added touch” to their personal and professional relationships.

The personal attention that goodwill messages give to customers or business associates is always appreciated. Such letters express appreciation, offer congratulation, and sympathy, extend and reply to invitations and make announcements.

 

 

ACTIVITY

Read the following situations carefully. Imagine you are to write suitable letters for each of the situations. Now put a tic mark against those situations where the letter would be one of LGR.

SITUATIONS

1. Mr. Tarafdar, Manager, Hena Radio Houses, 25 stadium Market Dhaka writes a letter to Messrs Zeenat Industries Ltd. for an agency and to be a single distributor of their products.

2. Mr. and Mrs. M. Rashid are blessed with a baby boy. Their manager, Mr. Sharif sends them a card and a note congratulating them on their parenthood.

3. Ms. Ayesha Amin receives a appointment letter from the Manager Administration of Rupsha Fan Company Ltd. for the post of receptionist.

4. Ms. Selina Zaman, a quality control officer of Bunty Paints Ltd. has been offered a scholarship for higher studies in the UK. She receives a letter from her senior colleague congratulating her on her success.

5. Mr. S Rahman, a regular customer of Hotel Comfort International has lost one of his legs in a road accident. Manager Public Relations writes to his in all possible ways to console him.

Letters containing messages of praise, good wishes, thank, or sympathy for happening in the readers personal life is called letters of good relations (LGR) or letters of goodwill (LGW).

Why write Letters of Good Relations?

Letters of Good Relations signify the basic truth that you as a businessman and your clients/associates are all human beings. And all human beings have some common personal experiences of life for which they need support from compatriots. For example, for success in your exam you expect praise and congratulations from people around you, people you care for.

Again for any mishap in life like death/an accident in the family you expect sympathy or consolation from your near and clear ones.

As a businessman when you share your client’s joy and sorrow in his/her personal life you are in a way promoting good, friendly relations with him/her. This will create a positive impact on your business. Therefore, you should practice writing LGR. Remember it is human relations that makes the difference in a tough, competitive business world.

 

 

ACTIVITY

Write in brief why you as a businessman should write letters of good relations.

How do you write Letters of Good Relations?

When it comes to writing LGR you often wonder – How do I start? What do I write after ‘Congratulations? How do I conclude? These and many other questions bother you a lot when it comes to writing LGR. Then what must you do? Here are some of the steps you must follow in writing LGR.

Set the Goal

When you think of writing LGR, set the goal first. Ask yourself the questions – why am I writing, and what am I going to say? Congratulate, appreciate, thank or console? The answer to the first part of the question, why am I writing is simple. You want your primary reader to know that you care for his/her personal occasions in life. Your goal is to show genuine interest in your reader and in his/her personal occasions.

You might be tempted to include in your letter a piece of business talk which means tainting your goodwill messages with advertisements. In that case it losses the purity of being a letter of good relations.

Don’t taint your goodwill messages with advertisements

New let us look at the second part of the question – What am I going to say after ‘Congratulate’ or ‘Thank you”?

You have to say why you are congratulating or thanking him/her. Imagine you are talking to your reader face to face, and you should be careful not to drag any business matters here.
How do I begin my letter of good relations?

Begin your letter by going straight to the message. Give the goodwill message immediately and that is how you draw your reader’s attention and establish rapport.

Example

Dear Mr. Brown:
Congratulations on your appointment as the new Marketing Director of Bangladesh Tobacco Company (BTC). We read the news in the Daily Star of 21 June 1995.

What do I write in the body of the letter?

After you have introduced the topic, i.e., congratulation, thank you or sympathy demonstrate your care for your reader by giving details of his/her performance. Explain why you are praising, congratulating or thanking him/her.

Example

We heard about your performance as Marketing Manager of BTC. The way you managed distribution of cigarettes during the last monsoon when it was floods everywhere is really praise worthy. We heard about the extra care you have taken to keep your goods free from damp and damage.

You are a dynamic person, innovative and sincere. All your personal qualities have helped the company expand its marketing network. Your leadership quality has helped the marketing system grow. There is so much to learn from you in the field of marketing.

How do I conclude my letter?

You can conclude your letter by reinforcing a positive attitude towards your reader. In the last paragraph you are to sum up your message by restating your point in brief.

Example

Congratulations once again on your promotion to the post of Marketing Director. We hope to gain from your experience.

Yours sincerely,

Adeeb Hussain
Marketing Manager

LGR must carry messages which are

# direct

 # sincere

 # brief

Remember, you must sound genuinely interested in your reader

ACTIVITY

Write in brief about the techniques of writing LGR, the key points.

ACTIVITY

Read the examples of parts of a letter of good relations in above.
– Write those parts of the letter together.
– Choose a suitable name for the company at the letter head and write it.

You will find different types/categories of LGR in the next lesson.

 

 

SUMMARY

The format for writing goodwill letters may vary from person to person. But in writing such letters two principle should always be followed-be yourself and be sincere. You wont these messages to reflect your personality, so write it yourself. Remember, if you want them to sound sincere, choose words that give just the right meaning (avoid flowery words and flattery).

The organisation that send such letters recognises the importance of building goodwill, to expand their business and to become successful.

UNIT-3 [ Lesson-1: Good News Letters ]

After reading this lesson you will be able to:

• distinguish good news letters from other types of letters
• understand the essential features of a good news letter
• write good news letters.

Good News Letters

What are good news letters?

1. Read the letter below and say how Tania would feel about the message – good or bad?

2. If you had contested for a tender and you receive a letter from the company saying your bid is the lowest and you will get the work order – how would you feel:

Good, bad, or neutral?

The answer in both the cases is good.

Read this section carefully and attempt the task that follows.

In business you may need to write to people outside your organisation requesting for information or action. For example, you may need to order supplies or ask customers for opinion, or inform about the shipment of goods. Your clients may write similar letters and you may also need to respond to those.

The messages in your letters may be good or neutral or bad for the reader. Therefore, letters with good or neutral messages are Good News Letters and those with bad messages are Bad News Letters.

Good news letters carry messages that are either good or neutral for the reader.

ACTIVITY

Explain first orally and then in writing what you mean by good news letters.

ACTIVITY
As per the example given below make a list of letters with good messages on different occasions in the business world.

– earning a profit
– receiving remittance
– getting free service, etc..

How do you write good news letter?

Introduction

Good news letters carry messages the reader is pleased to learn for that is what he/she is waiting for. Therefore, use the direct approach in giving the good news. In other words, give the good news immediately in the first paragraph of the letter. By doing so you can establish rapport with the reader.

Example

• Here is the information you requested.
• Your consignment is ready for shipment.
• Your cheque of Tk. 5,000.00 is ready for collection.
• We welcome you as a depositor.

This sort of a beginning shows you have the reader’s interest in mind and you are giving him special attention. As a result, your reader would be interested to start a new business with you or carry on with the same old business with more interest.

How do you establish rapport?

You can establish rapport with the reader by focusing on his or her interests and concerns. As a writer you have a purpose for writing. Similarly your reader also has a purpose for reading. The purpose is the main issue of the letter. Therefore, one should start writing the letter by specifying the purpose.

Give the good news immediately in the first paragraph and establish rapport.

Examples
– Pleased to offer you a position

• In the next section you will find different ways of establishing rapport.

or
– Yes, we have very good summer collections for children.
or
– As per your request our sales representative will visit your centre with some sample materials.

• Raise an issue of mutual concern.

Another way of establishing rapport is by raising an issue of mutual concern. The letter must demonstrate that both the reader and the writer have common interest in the issue.\

Examples

– With due respect, I would like to state that you and I both knew that last year’s drought and the scarcity of fertiliser affected crops and the farmers very much. As a result, the price of …

or

– As we all realise the foolishness of the decision to withdraw English from our graduation courses, it is time we should do something to retrieve it. Our English Language Institute …

• Appreciate your reader.

Thank your reader for taking time to write to you, or for showing interest in your goods and services.

Examples

We highly appreciate your concern for our customer services.

• Use the name of a mutual friend/acquaintance.

Examples

– You must ask Mr. Mawla, your colleague for comments about our goods and services. Last year he bought a 24″ colour TV from us.

or

– I talked to your partner, Mrs. Mohsin, about the sort of books you need for your language centre.

 Ask a Question.

In order to set your reader thinking, and to encourage her in responding to your letter, ask her a question.

Examples

– How long will it take my parcel to reach from Plymouth (UK) to Chittagong Port in Bangladesh?

or

– Can you send us your invoice number so that we can check into the matter?

• Suggest how your reader will benefit.

If your opening sentence tells your readers about a benefit they will get, then they would be interested to read through the letter.

Examples

– Buy one and get one free.

or

– You can save a lot of money from your electric bill by using a metre that gives you correct reading.

or

– We highly appreciate your concern for our customer services.

ACTIVITY

Read the following situations. Then write the introductory sentence(s) giving the good news immediately for each of the situations. Try to establish rapport here.

 

Example

Situation 1

BOOK WORM, a book shop in Banani, Dhaka writes to University Press Ltd. (UPL), a publishing house of Dhaka requesting for the latest catalogue of their publications. UPL sends a reply along with a copy of the latest catalogue.

Reply

Here is our latest catalogue – Catalogue no. 125 you have asked for. Hope you find it useful.

Situation 2

Ms. Ayesha Amin left her hand bag in the bus she took on a journey from Dhaka to Chittagong. She wrote to Parag Paribahan inquiring about her bag. They replied that it is safe with them and she can collect it any time she wants.

– Write the reply for Parag Paribahan.

Situation 3

Shaheen Ahmed receives a letter from Firoze International 25 Mirpur Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205 saying the Book of Knowledge she has been looking for has just arrived. It will be reserved for her for a week only.

– Write the introductory part of the letter.

Situation 4

Imran Khan, a job seeker wrote to Mr. Fazle Rabbi, M.D, Pubali Bank asking for permission to use his name as reference. Mr. Rabbi in his reply gives him the permission.

-Write the introduction to Mr. Rabbi’s reply

Influence Thinking In The Body of The Letter

In good news letters the first paragraph establishes rapport by introducing the main idea of the letter. That means, give the good news directly in the first paragraph of the letter. But following paragraph (s) explain in detail the good news, though good news messages are usually short and require very little explanation.

But this explanation leaves an impact on or influences the reader’s thinking in taking decision. For example in Fig. 3.1, first paragraph gives the good news but following paragraphs states terms and conditions, which will
influence Ms. Rahman decision about taking the job.

The body of the good news letter gives information for the reader to act and to have a positive attitude towards the company and the issue.

ACTIVITY

Read the letter in Fig. 3.1 carefully Find out the bits of information given in the body of the letter list them down.

Good news letter with a mixed message

Sometimes one needs to write a letter with a mixed message – primarily good news, but not entirely. In such cases, de-emphasise or reduce the importance of the bad news. Try to give that news in a more positive way. Instead of saying what you cannot do, say what you can do. For example, if your reader wants to get a particular information and you cannot give him/her that, then instead of writing.

“I am sorry I cannot provide you …”
you can write
“Information about … is available by writing to …”
Here is an example of a letter with mixed messages. Notice the
bad news put in a more positive way.

 

In Fig. 3.3 the second paragraph, “Our usual trade … Tk. 10,000.” leaves some room for thinking. So does the later part of the paragraph.

Instead of saying, “We cannot send documents by post or courier service, ” which sounds harsh, a more positive approach has been taken; “The documents are sent through the bank only.”

Some of the examples of positive and negative tone is given below:

 

ACTIVITY

Write the beginning and the body of a good news letter using the
following cues:

Situation

A client wrote to a bank manager asking for information regarding hours of business, branches, commission rates, etc. Now write the manager’s reply.

Banking hours

Saturday – Wednesday – From 9:00 am to 3:00 p.m.
Thursdays – From 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

List of branches

Collection charges for cheques 1/20% with a minimum of Tk. 1:00

– Documentary bills – 1/25% with a minimum of Tk. 100.00.

A copy of the schedule of terms and conditions is enclosed. These are the prices of information the reader wanted to know.

The Last Paragraph – Motivate Action and Attitude.

After you have explained the good news in sufficient detail in the body of the letter, end it on a positive note. You can recall the benefits of the good news, express appreciation, motivate action, or express willingness
to help further (See Fig. 3.1). A good news letter psychologically prepares the reader to receive some amount of propaganda for the company.

Thus the last paragraph of the letter helps the reader take action and toform a positive attitude towards the company.

End your good news letter with a positive note to reinforce company goodwill.

ACTIVITY

Write three different endings of a good news letter on three different occasions.

ACTIVITY

Write a good news letter on any business topic you are interested in, high lighting all the essential features.

SUMMARY

Business letters that carry messages that are good or neutral for the reader are called good news letters.
To write a good news letter you must do the following:

• Give the good news first. Avoid slow openers like, “Referring to your regrets …”
• Explain the good news in detail in the body of the letter.
• End the letter with a positive note so that the reader is motivated to take action and to form a positive attitude towards the company and the issue.