Model Business Letters, E-Mails,

Model Business Letters, E-Mails,
& Other Business Documents,
6th Edition

By Shirley Taylor
Pearson Education / Financial Times
January 2004
ISBN: 0-273-67524-9
519 Pages, Illustrated, 6 ľ" x 9 ˝"
$62.50 paper original

The global best-selling companion to the fundamentals of business correspondence. Over 350,000 copies sold! In business, communication counts. Clear and well-structured letters, documents and e-mails can deliver better results, with speed and accuracy. The words that you use, and the way that you present them, also send important signals about you and your business to your customers, colleagues and business partners. So make sure you’re sending the right ones.
Model Business Letters is a practical and comprehensive guide to help you get more value from your business communication. In this book you will find over 500 sample documents for a wide range of business situations, easy to use examples and practical advice on content, language and style. Model Business letters will help you to put the key rules of good business writing into action, and a framework for creating clear and effective business communication, including:
How to present business documents correctly and clearly how to structure your communication for maximum results how to make your email work for you model examples for a range of business communication needs 100 top-tips for better business writing If you want your business to be a model of successful communication, Model Business Letters will be a valuable companion.

Features
Exceptional writing skills are vital in today's business environment – speed is often the key to successful business negotiations and this means that managers often have to construct their own business documents on their desktop or laptop. This book speaks for itself as a bestselling title with all time sales of the 5th edition currently totalling over 77,000. Shirley Taylor is author of several popular, best-selling books; Communication for Business, Essential Communication Skills and Pocket Business Communicator.

Contents
Preface to the first edition (Leonard Gartside)
Preface to the sixth edition (Shirley Taylor)
Introduction

Unit 1 Written communication - an overview 1. Presentation of business documents Printed stationery Fully-blocked style with open punctuation Continuation pages Parts of a business letter Open punctuation Memos Fax messages Checklist
2. Structuring your communications 4-point plan Checklist
3. Language and tone The weakest link in your business writing Ten steps to good business writing Checklist
4. E-mail The explosive growth of e-mail Seven deadly sins of working with e-mail The good, the bad and the ugly of e-mail The weakest link in your e-mails How can you make e-mail work for you? Customer care and e-mail Creating electronic rapport E-mail @ work Netiquette Checklist
5. Enquiries and replies Requests for catalogues and price lists General enquiries and replies Requests for goods on approva Visits by travellers Requests for concessions Useful expressions
6. Quotations, estimates and tenders Terminology Routine quotations Quotations subject to conditions of acceptance Tabulated quotations Estimates and specifications Tenders Quotations not accepted or amended Follow-up letters Useful expressions
7. Orders and their fulfilment Placing orders Routine orders Acknowledging orders Declining orders Counter-offers from suppliers Packing and despatch Useful expressions
8. Invoicing and settlement of accounts Invoices and adjustments Pro forma invoices Debit and credit notes Statements of account Varying the terms of payment Methods of payment Useful expressions
9. Letters requesting payment Tone Late payments Collection letters: - First applications for payment - Second application letters - Third application letters - Final collection letters Checklist Useful expressions
10. Credit and status enquiries Reasons for credit Disadvantages of credit Requests for credit Business references Status enquiries Replies to status enquiries Useful expressions
11. A typical business transaction Request for quotation Supplier's quotation Request for permission to quote company as a reference Permission granted Order Supplier's acknowledgement Advice note Consignment note Delivery note Invoice Debit and credit notes Statement of account Payment Receipt Unit 3 Creative and persuasive documents
12. Complaints and adjustments Handling complaints Complaints concerning goods Complaints concerning delivery Cancelling orders Personal complaints Checklist Useful expressions
13. Goodwill messages General goodwill letters Letters of apology Letters in which tone is particularly important Letters of thanks Letters of congratulation Letters of condolence and sympathy Checklist
14. Reports and proposals Introduction to reports and proposals The Plain English Guide to Writing Reports - Defining the purpose - Investigating the topic - Organising the report into sections - Order of presentation - Order of writing - Numbering sections and paragraphs - Planning the writing - Revision Checklist
15. Notices, advertisements and information sheets Notices Advertisements Leaflets and information sheets Design skills Checklist
16. Circulars Circulars announcing changes in business organisation Circulars announcing changes in business partnerships Letters announcing change of representatives Internal circulars to staff Circulars with reply forms Checklists
17. Sales letters and voluntary offers The weakest link in your sales letters Successful sales letters Specimen sales letters Voluntary offers Checklist Useful expressions
18. Publicity material Press releases Newsletters Writing Skills Checklist
19. Marketing matters Identifying your audiences Why is customer care so important? Customer care through Internet and e-mail Marketing through the Web
20. Business Plans Components of a business plan Checklist
21. Meetings documentation Notice and agenda Minutes of meetings Types of minutes Checklist
22. Personnel Letters of application Testimonials Favourable references Unfavourable references Interview Letters Offers of appointment Termination of employment Sundry personnel matters Useful expressions
23. Travel and hotels Passports Visas Travel by sea/air Hotel accommodation and itineraries Useful expressions
24. Secretarial and administrative correspondence Requesting appointments Inviting speakers to conference Conference accommodation Programme Board meeting Diary dates Invitations and replies Unit 4 Classified business letters
25. Agencies Finding an agent Applications for agencies Offers of agencies Formal agency agreements Appointment an agent - typical procedure Correspondence with agents Useful expressions
26. International trade Import/export flow chart Commission agents Goods of consignment Indents Bills of lading Important documentation and procedure Bonded warehouses Useful expressions
27. Banking (home business) Kinds of bank account Correspondence with banks Current accounts Bank loans and overdrafts Useful expressions
28. Banking (international business) Bankers' drafts Bankers' transfers Bills of exchange Documentary bills Bankers' commercial credits Useful expressions
29. Transport Carriage by sea Carriage by air Carriage by road Carriage by rail Useful expressions
30. Insurance The insurance contract Insurance brokers Insurance premiums Householders' policies Holiday insurance Fidelity insurance Temporary cover Claims Marine insurance Floating and open-cover policies Average Motor insurance Useful expressions Appendix Useful Web sites Spoken and written forms of address Index

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