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.
