How to write an email that will be read. Cover letter to an employer about hiring How to write a letter about
We have all asked someone for something at one time or another. Do not be surprised. Even those who stubbornly now deny the very fact of any petition asked.
Remember how, as children, we asked our parents for money for ice cream, then begged for a good grade from teachers when we fell just a little short, and later begged for an extra day off from work...
However, everyday and everyday issues are not the only “companions” of requests.
The business life of a modern person is also closely connected with petitions. And the request letter has long been considered a powerful tool for the sender to achieve a given goal.
This is an integral and very important part of business correspondence. Accordingly, the final result depends on how the letter is written - whether the request will be granted or you will receive a polite refusal:
Dear Director of ____ Company!
We urgently need funds to achieve ____. Would you like to participate?
Sincerely, ____.
Do you think such a letter can have a positive response? It can be assumed that even a refusal here will not be entirely polite.
It is important to be able to correctly compose a letter of request in order to get as close as possible to the given goal. Otherwise, you will be ignored and you will only waste your time.
No. 1. Personal appeal
There is nothing extraordinary here. Everyone knows this technique well. But many people forget about it. It's a shame! Because a personal appeal “works” much better than a faceless one.
Who likes to be addressed “generally”?! It's like a street "hey...". Agree, you are more likely to respond to your name than to a call in the style of “hey, dear!”
So it is in the letter of request. You are making a request to a specific person, so try to find out the full name of the recipient of the letter.
Of course, there are situations in which this approach is not possible. In any case, try to personalize your message as much as possible.
Can:« Ladies and gentlemen!" But better: " Dear fellow educators and teachers!».
Can: « Dear children!" But better: " Our dear boys and girls!».
We think you get the main idea.
No. 2. Why EXACTLY him?
Explain to the recipient of the request letter why you sent your request to him. A person must understand that he is unique to you and the success of this or that event depends on him.
- You are an expert in the field of ____.
- Your company occupies a leading position in the ____ segment.
- Only your department works without ____.
Try to win over the recipient - carefully add compliments (within reason):
- You completed ____ brilliantly at one time.
- You are the unsurpassed master of ____ in our city.
- Your projects provided an invaluable service ____.
Remember! Compliments must be deserved (real qualities, actions, regalia), and not “far-fetched.”
No. 3. And again the benefits
Benefits. Yes, there's no escape. Everyone is looking for their own benefit, and not always in “monetary terms.”
Give the main reasons and arguments according to which it is beneficial for the recipient of the request letter to satisfy your request. “Play” on human weaknesses.
What will it be? It all depends on the specific situation.
Confession. You, as a well-deserved ____, will be pleased to observe the specially equipped and fenced playgrounds in your hometown...
Ambition. The specialists with whom you will have to work tomorrow need to be formed today. Therefore, you can invest ____ your knowledge, experience and...
Sympathy. Unfortunately, the problem of street children is especially pressing today. The number of children living on the streets of our city is already approaching ____. The children need participation, help, empathy. They can't cope without us...
No. 4. Your successes
The addressee must clearly understand that he is dealing with a serious person who is not the first day “in his work” (not many will agree to cooperate with “untested” newcomers).
Therefore, if there are any successes and achievements in your “track record,” it is better to indicate them in the request letter. This way you will safely overcome the barrier of mistrust and doubt.
Don’t forget about the “achievements” in the project about which you are contacting the addressee. Human nature is such that it is very difficult for us to start from scratch. But continuing (or finishing) what you started is another matter.
- Construction of ____ is already 87% complete. But without your help it will not be completed on time. We offer you…
- We already have ____ at our disposal. To achieve a given goal, we ONLY need ____.
No. 5. Specific request
Don't beat around the bush. Do not veil your request with a pile of unnecessary and vague words. State the issue clearly.
What should this be expressed in?
Firstly, the addressee, having opened the letter, must understand what they want from him, and not solve puzzles on the topic “they ask me or they give me.” Secondly, your request must be expressed in exact numbers and actions.
Do you want specific help? Then ask the recipient of the letter to take SPECIFIC actions.
- We need $3,250 for ____ before the completion of the ____ project.
- We are waiting for you at ____. The ____ collection event will take place on November 17 at 2:30 pm at ____.
- We ask you to reduce your car rental fee to $10 per day.
No. 6. Big names
Another interesting technique that increases the effectiveness of a request letter. It consists of covering individuals (companies) who have already given their consent to participate in the project.
By doing this you encourage the recipient to accept a positive result (“ Yeah, if ____ agreed, then why am I worse?!»).
- ____ are ALREADY actively participating in our ____.
- People have already registered for the professional “marathon” we announced on the topic ____ ____.
No. 7. Important results
Everything is simple here. Be sure to summarize the results (significant points and main accents) at the end of the letter.
- The successful completion and further well-being of ____ now depends on your decision.
- ____ young professionals are pinning their hopes on you.
- Young mothers and their babies are looking forward to appearing in our city ____.
No. 8. Contacts
« And it’s so clear!", you say. Understandable, but not for everyone. Contact information must be provided in full.
However, there is no need to “exaggerate” and indicate all possible forms of feedback, or vice versa - when sending an email, it is naive to believe that the return address is quite enough.
Offer the recipient of the request letter 2-3 options for contact information. This is quite enough.
Remarque
That's why…
Be as open and sincere as possible when writing your request letter.
This is the first result rule.
Have a nice day and always be in a good mood!
What to do if you have not received a response to your letter. How to write so that they always answer you.
In eastern countries, writing a letter is an art. It uses words that are never used in oral speech, always discusses the weather, asks the addressee for his opinion about the beauty of natural phenomena, and only then gets down to business. Everything is simpler for us. If you don't state what you want in the subject line or the first paragraph, your letter will be considered boring and drawn-out, and they will stop reading. How to write letters so that they are always answered?
Why are they not answering your letter? Errors in writing
The recipient may have many reasons for leaving your letter unanswered. There is no need to immediately suspect him of hostility or unwillingness to communicate.
It may be more convenient for him to contact you by phone or talk in person. Or he took note of your letter, considering that a response was not needed. Sometimes people do not respond to a letter immediately, but wait until the correspondence accumulates. After all, it is easier to respond to several messages than to send one at a time.
But if your letters remain unanswered more and more often, there is reason to think. What mistakes do people make when writing messages?
- Mistakes in the literal sense. Grammatical. You may be missing a lot of punctuation, making your sentences unreadable. Remember the famous phrase “execution cannot be pardoned.” It is completely unclear what the author wanted to say. At the same time, spelling errors can change words beyond recognition. Reading a letter with errors takes much more effort and time. In our dynamic world, it is easier to discard a “defective” letter than to correct it
- Your email looks like spam. This happens when you forget about the addressee and write to some “average” interlocutor. Such a letter does not contain any address by name or individual questions. And it’s not customary to respond to a faceless mailing list.
- You cannot isolate the main thing. The topic may get lost among the details and small details. Perhaps the person read your letter, but still did not understand what you want from him
Which emails are answered immediately? What needs to be added to the letter in order for it to be noticed and answered?
The famous publicist Gleb Arkhangelsky shares his experience: which letters do you want to answer right away?
- A good message should clearly formulate the idea and state it in the subject line. Try to “compress” your text to two or three paragraphs. If details are required, please explain in further correspondence.
- Don’t forget to put a period and a capital letter in the sentence, and use paragraphs. If you haven’t decided how to address your interlocutor – “you” or “you”, it is better to choose the latter option. And the most unexpected thing: never forget to leave return contacts in the body of the letter. Your return address may have simply been lost.
- If you need to attach something to the letter, mark it in the text and briefly describe what kind of information is there. After all, downloading, finding, opening and viewing a separate file is also work for the recipient. The same goes for links.
If you are using email or mail as a means of communicating with this person for the first time, do not be lazy to call back and clarify: did the letter arrive? Sometimes anti-spam settings can “swallow” your email. Not to mention our famous (not on the best side) Russian post office.
The striking first line: “Very urgent!”
Letters often begin with the phrases “Very urgent!”, “Important information!”, “Attention here.” Catchy offers always attract attention. That's why they've been used a million times already. This is a hackneyed trick. It is more effective to briefly and catchily formulate what will be discussed in the letter itself.
Capacious letter text: when people don’t want to read your letter for a long time
Previously, entire novels were made from letters. They amazed the interlocutor with the depth of thought, the elegance of his style, wit and erudition. Now that the pace of life has accelerated incredibly, the recipient will appreciate brevity more.
Think about your letters. Then briefly formulate each point of this plan. These will be the paragraphs. If, in addition to basic information, you also want to talk about life, then leave all the “lyrics” for last.
How to write a letter correctly to always receive an answer: tips and reviews
Most letters have the same structure. If you master the technique of composing messages in accordance with it, the letters will be easy to read. This means that the answer will not take long to arrive. This is the structure.
- Greetings. The phrase “Good day!” is a very common phrase on the Internet. It is acceptable in both personal and business correspondence. Mention the name of the person you are talking to. This way he will know that he is not part of a large mailing list, and the letter is intended for him personally
- Performance. Don't forget to write not only your name, but also something that will help your interlocutor identify you. “This is Mary” - such a phrase will not tell a person anything. “This is Maria Ivanova from the next office. We took a taxi together last Friday” - and your recipient already definitely remembered you
- Main part. Try to be brief. If it's a personal letter, you can add a couple of jokes or references that are relevant. Don't use long sentences. You will easily get confused with punctuation, and your interlocutor will get tired of reading. Use questions more often
- Instead of writing: “Send me photos from the corporate event,” use the phrase: “When can you send me the photos?” Now your interlocutor has an incentive to write to you too, because leaving a question unanswered is indecent. Don't overuse introductory words
- "Lyrics". Now you can discuss issues indirectly related to the topic. These could be routine questions: how is your mother doing? How do you like this weather for the beginning of spring? Or general memories and experiences: have you already seen the boss’s new tie? you don’t know when they will replace our broken cooler
- Parting. Before you put an end to it, don’t forget to add a phrase like “thanks in advance for your answer”
- End the letter with your contact information. Don't limit yourself to email and address. Perhaps the person will want to call you back or write an SMS
Respect is the key to a trusting relationship
Sometimes people don't respond to a letter because they feel like you didn't show enough respect. Everyone has their own criterion in this regard.
- errors. Illiteracy or sloppiness in the text can be considered disrespectful. There are people who, on principle, will not read a letter where there is no space after the comma or the dash is replaced with a hyphen
- lack of greeting or farewell
- other forms of politeness. If you have a request, follow it with the word “please”
To avoid becoming a victim of an embarrassing situation, be sure to re-read the letter after writing. At the same time, try to see it through the eyes of the addressee. Check not only errors, but also the address, subject, and the correctness of links and attachments. Make sure that the letter about the “boss’s new tie” doesn’t go to the boss himself.
Motivation for answer: ask something that the answerer is knowledgeable about
To establish communication, you can first force your interlocutor to “saddle your favorite horse.” A rough example: if you want to borrow money from your mother, first ask her for the recipe for branded borscht, and only in the next letter hint that you don’t have enough for good beef.
The hardest thing is to motivate a person to answer you for the first time. Then, when communication is already established, the interlocutor will answer you “on autopilot.”
If still there is no response
- Make sure your letter reaches its recipient. To do this, use other means of communication. If you received it, please clarify; maybe next time it would be better to contact you not by email, but through social networks or Skype
- When composing your next message, try to give the respondent some kind of deadline, that is, a specific date by which he must respond.
- Example: “Please send me the lecture schedule. Holidays end on Monday. I don't know what time I should go to university. You can do this until Friday
- And most importantly: make it a rule to answer letters addressed to you. This is taught by both etiquette and business rules. 10 minutes a day - and your correspondence will not accumulate
Competent examples of writing texts “with answers”
Personal letter
Hello, dear Misha! This is Oleg. We were together at a summer camp on Salt Lake.
Do you remember we had a conversation about the Kino group? You said that you could send me a link to a site where you can download their songs in karaoke format. Next week we will have a war song evening. I want our class to sing "Blood Type." But we need a soundtrack. Can you give me the link this week?
By the way, how is the red-haired Katya with whom you danced at the disco? Didn't they move her to the same desk as you? How did you celebrate last New Year? I traveled from Moscow and was at the Kremlin Christmas tree. If you're interested, I'll tell you about it in my next letter.
Semi-official correspondence
Good day, Irina! This is Alexey. We got stuck in the elevator with you last week, remember?
I still want to get the website address from you. Remember when you said you booked a bowling session there at a big discount? I have a free day off this Saturday. I'm going to remember what kind of sport this is. By the way, how is the situation there? Are there enough balls? Are replacement shoes provided?
And further. I have a proprietary technique that allows me to knock out, if not a strike, then a spare, the first time. I can tell you more. Or I’ll show you with an example. I'd love for you to join me this Saturday.
See you.
Video: Email Etiquette Rules
Dear friends, today I decided to write about a painful issue - how to write letters 😉. I think many experts in various fields receive many letters every day with questions and requests for help.
Your humble servant is no exception :) The number of letters with questions and requests for help averages 40-50 per day and sometimes exceeds my physical ability to answer them.
A significant part of the correspondence consists of letters in which questions and descriptions of problems are not entirely correctly formulated, which is why they require additional clarifying letters, which takes up unnecessary time for both the sender and the recipient.
In this post, I want to talk about how to correctly write letters with questions to specialists, so that getting the information you need takes a minimum of time and does not require unnecessary correspondence.
The main rule, in my opinion, is that in a letter it is very important to make it clear that you value the recipient’s time. Everything should be concise and clearly formulated.
1. Greeting
I believe that any letter must begin with a greeting. “Hello”, “Hello”, “Good afternoon” - writing these words is not difficult and takes seconds. I personally don't like emails that don't include a greeting. Nothing is valued so dearly or given so cheaply as politeness.
2. Calling by name
On all pages of the blog site where there is a feedback form (for example, the “ ”) page, I always write “My name is Mikhail,” so I don’t see a problem with not addressing people by name in letters. Subconsciously, any person loves to be called by name.
And although I like “Mike” more than “Mikhail” 😉, any call by name will do 🙂.
3. Google your question first.
How many times in correspondence have I had to provide links to materials that I found by simply typing the question asked of me in a search engine! I don’t even have enough fingers and toes 😉!
Seriously, I sincerely advise you to first google the question you are interested in in various versions (including in English, you can translate it through Google Translator) and spend time studying the materials found.
In most cases, you can easily find answers to your questions in search engines or on forums (many people come there to communicate, discuss specific problems on various topics and answer questions). Why waste another person's time when in many cases you can easily find everything you need yourself?
🔥 By the way! I have released a paid course on promoting English-language websites. If you are interested, you can apply for the early list through this form to be the first to know about the release of the course and receive a special discount.I wish you success in increasing traffic to your sites!
Dessert for today is a video of a guy doing pull-ups on a horizontal bar with one finger. I want that too :)
Letters have been written since time immemorial and continue to be written to this day. They serve as a tool for communication between people, helping to clearly convey the essence to the interlocutor, which was the reason for writing it. In this article we will look at several types of business correspondence and learn how to correctly compose business letters.
To correctly compose any business letter, you need to be able to clearly state its essence and correctly structure it. Business correspondence is conducted on company-approved letterhead with your own logo and address. In the upper right corner, fill out a header consisting of the position and name of the head of the recipient company. At the end of the header is written brief information about the sender. The next stage of writing a letter is writing an appeal. It may sound different depending on the degree of familiarity with the addressee. If you know him personally, then you can address him like this: “Dear Sergey Yuryevich!” If the addressee is a stranger, the address may look like this: “Dear Mr. Ivanov!” It must be borne in mind that in these cases it is unacceptable to abbreviate the word Mr. or put initials instead of last name and first name. To convey the essence of the letter in a concise form is the task of the preamble. Most often it consists of one paragraph. After reading the preamble, the recipient should already have a brief understanding of the content of the letter. After it, the main text begins, containing several paragraphs. The text should succinctly express your thoughts about the situation. It is advisable that the main text does not exceed four paragraphs. The letter should end with a conclusion, which briefly summarizes the results of the letter, puts a date and a signature indicating the name and position of the sender. Depending on the reason for writing the appeal, sometimes it is appropriate to end it with the words: “Sincerely yours!”, “With hope for further cooperation,” etc. One of the common types of business letters is a letter of guarantee. In its main text, the author guarantees the fulfillment of one or another promise, announces the end date for the fulfillment of guarantees and establishes the amount of the penalty that he will have to pay in case of violation of warranty obligations.Can be downloaded here.
Letters of gratitude are also a type of business, but already from the category of personal. They can be issued on company letterhead or a greeting card. The main text should include congratulations to the addressee, indicating the event that gave rise to the letter and listing the recipient's outstanding achievements.On our website.
Download here.
Electronic correspondence has always been and remains the main method of communication in the business world. A correctly composed letter is already half the success. But not everyone can write such letters. Sometimes, when reading a letter with a business proposal, it becomes not entirely clear what exactly they want to offer you, what benefits you will get from it, and why you even spent your time reading and understanding this letter.
The ability to write correct, persuasive letters comes with practice. And it’s good when the accumulated experience is shared, thereby allowing other people not to step on the same rake. Jeffrey James, author of Business to Business Selling: Power Words and Strategies From the World's Top Sales Experts, offers his simple 6-step system for writing persuasive letters.
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1. Always have a clear idea of what you are going to write about.
The main purpose of the letter is to make the recipient make a certain decision. Therefore, before you start composing a letter, ask yourself again what exactly do you want from the recipient? What decision should he make after reading your letter?
In this case, uncertainty is your archenemy. The clearer your purpose, the more persuasive your letter will be.
2. Start your letter with your conclusion.
Your conclusion is a statement of the decision the recipient should make based on the content of your letter.
At school we were taught to always start with an introduction. In the case of writing persuasive letters, this statement is incorrect. In the business world, everyone is too busy to appreciate your literary abilities. Therefore, you must get straight to the point.
For example, you want to get permission from your boss to install a gym in one of your company's premises.
Wrong:
"Jim,
As you know, employee absenteeism is a major issue at the moment that is having quite a significant financial impact on both our company and other companies in our industry... blah blah blah... So we should consider allocating money to arrangement of a gym at the main office of our company.”
Right:
"Jim,
I want you to approve the installation of a gym in our office."
3. Divide your arguments into several easily digestible paragraphs.
To make the arguments supporting your idea easy to read and understand, divide them into several paragraphs.
Wrong
“According to a recent government report, physical activity groups are extremely important even though few companies demonstrate a commitment to rewarding employees in this way. Many firms identify such groups as undervalued assets, but they do not have a plan to introduce such groups in this industry, even though fitness is closely linked to corporate and personal success. I believe that if we do not introduce such physical groups in our company, we will remain far behind our competitors."
Right
“The gym in the office will allow you to:
- reduce absenteeism
- increase overall productivity"
4. Support each argument with evidence.
If you write a letter consisting of solid arguments, it may be perceived as a solid personal opinion and nothing more. Every argument needs proof. Otherwise, how can you understand that it really works?
Wrong
“Having a gym in the office will be the right solution because people will prefer to go to work rather than stay at home. It will also help reduce overall illness in the office.”
Right
“Reduced absenteeism. According to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health of 1,000 companies that have on-site gyms, employee absenteeism in these companies is 20% lower than in those companies that do not have such equipment.
5. Repeat your conclusion as a call to action.
At the end of the letter, repeat again your conclusion stated at the very beginning. Only now as a call to specific action. In this way, you lead the recipient to a specific conclusion that he should draw after reading your letter. This call should be simple and specific.
Wrong
“We will be very grateful if you support this project.”
Right
“If you reply yes to this letter, I will initiate the process immediately.”
6. Indicate the benefit in the subject line of the email
The subject line in an email is almost the most important part. Since it should anticipate the main subject of the letter and set the recipient in the mood you need. And that is why you should fill it out last, after you have written all the arguments and evidence that support your main conclusion.
Ideally, the subject line of the letter should accomplish two important tasks: it should interest the recipient so much that he opens and reads the letter; and it should convey the message you want to convey to the recipient.
In most cases, the best way to accomplish both tasks at once is to write about the benefits that will come from making the decision you want.
Wrong
“The impact on the health of employees of the program for equipping gyms in offices”
Right
“How can we reduce employee absenteeism?”
I'm interested in your opinion. How would you react to both options and what rules do you follow when composing such letters?
