E-mail correspondence has always been and remains the main way of communication in the business world. A correctly drafted email is half the battle. But not everyone knows how to write such letters. Sometimes, when reading an e-mail with a business proposal, it is not quite clear what exactly they want to offer you, what benefits you will get from it, and why you have spent your time reading and thinking about it at all.
The skill of writing correct and convincing letters comes with practice. And it’s good to share what you’ve learned, thereby allowing others to avoid making the same mistakes.
- Always have a clear idea of what you’re going to write about.
The main purpose of a letter is to make the recipient make a certain decision. So before you start composing a letter, ask yourself again what exactly you want from the recipient? What decision should he or she make after reading your letter?
In this case, uncertainty is your nemesis. The clearer your purpose, the more persuasive your letter will be.
- Begin your letter with your conclusion.
Your conclusion is a statement of the decision the recipient must make based on the content of your letter.
In school, we were taught to always start with an introduction. In the case of writing persuasive letters, this statement is wrong. In the business world, everyone is too busy to judge your literary abilities. Therefore, you must get right to the point.
For example, you want permission from your superiors to install a gym in one of your company premises.
Wrong:
“Jim,
As you know, employee absenteeism is a major problem right now that has a pretty strong financial impact on both our company and other companies in our industry… blah, blah, blah… Thus, we should consider allocating money to set up a gym in our company’s main office.”
Right:
“Jim,
I want you to approve the installation of a gym in our office.”
- Divide your arguments into several easily digestible paragraphs
To make your arguments in support of your idea easy to read and digest, divide them into several paragraphs.
Incorrect
“According to a recent government report, physical activity groups are extremely important even though few companies demonstrate their commitment to such employee incentives. Many firms identify such groups as an undervalued asset, yet they have no plan to introduce such groups into the industry, even though fitness is closely tied to corporate and personal success. I believe that if we don’t introduce such physical groups in our company, we will be left far behind our competitors.”
Right
“An office gym will:
- reduce absenteeism
- Increase overall productivity.”
- 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. For each argument you need evidence. Otherwise, how do you know that it really works?
Wrong
“A gym in the office would be the right thing to do because people would rather go to work than stay home. It will also help reduce the overall sickness rate in the office.”
Right
“Reduced absenteeism. According to a National Institutes of Health survey of 1,000 firms that have gyms in their offices, employee absenteeism in those companies is 20 percent lower than in those companies that don’t have such equipment.”
- Repeat your conclusion as a call to action
At the end of the letter, repeat again your conclusion stated at the beginning. Only now as a call to action. In this way, you are leading your recipient to a specific conclusion he or she should draw after reading your letter. This call should be simple and specific.
Incorrect
“We would really appreciate it if you would support this project.”
Correct
“If you answer this letter affirmatively, I will immediately initiate the process.”
- Indicate the benefit in the subject line of the letter
The subject line in the letter is almost the most important part. Because it should anticipate the main subject line of the email and set the recipient in the mood you want. 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 should do two important things: it should interest the recipient enough to open and read the letter, and it should encapsulate the conclusion you want the recipient to reach.
In most cases, the best way to accomplish both tasks at once is to write about the benefits to be gained from making the decision you want.