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Letter-Perfect Letters
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Letter-Perfect Letters OKLTTRMW.doc |
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Important Note:
Please be sure to save the template to your hard drive; then open the file from within Word before making your own changes.
With the growing prevalence of electronic mail, you'd think the days of formal correspondence might be drawing to a close. Or that a conventional business letter in an envelope, was yesterday's news. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is, the popularity of electronic correspondence makes conventional mail that much more distinctive. E-mail is a powerful, useful tool, but it cannot replace a carefully composed letter printed on high-quality paper and delivered in a crisp envelope.
Your letterhead is your personal messenger. It represents your demeanor and style. It shows the reader how you view yourself and demonstrates how important they are to you. When you're not meeting face-to-face, it is your one chance to make a first impression - a chance a savvy business person does not underestimate.
This letterhead format can be used one of two ways. You can print your letter complete with your company name and address directly from your printer or you can eliminate the name and address information and use the format to output the letter on preprinted stationery.
Does it look like a typical letter format? Look closer. The design organizes and presents information missing from most letters. The example shows how Sampler Landscaping might present their services to a prospect - Example Systems.
The company name (1) is bold but small, acknowledging that your focus is the message, not your name. The image of the thistle (2) establishes the subject and sets the mood. The first unique feature of the design is the subject headline (3). Use it to grab the reader's attention with a customer-centered benefit, in this case: "Beautiful, low-maintenance landscapes begin with a vision and a plan." Add a date to make it current news, you might even date it for the day you expect it to arrive instead of the day it is sent. The inside address block and the salutation (4) are the same as a conventional letter, but the body of the should be a little bit "out-of-the-ordinary" (see the "sidebar" Create an unusual letter.)
As you add pages, insert a page number, repeat the reader's name and the date (5) at the top of each page. For a letter longer than a page or two, consider dividing the information using subheads (6). Indented, numbered listings also help to visually organize the information (7).
Beyond the complimentary close and any other closing notations you wish to make, consider adding a file name (8). A year from now, when you come across the printed letter, the name of the file, as it is saved to your disk, will make the original far easier to find. The unobtrusive footer (9) repeated at the bottom of each page is filled with important information too. The name of the company is tagged with a line that explains what you do or your organization's mission, in this case - "Sampler Landscaping - Hire a full-time landscape company at part-time prices." Below the tagline is space for you organization's web site URL, the phone, fax, and e-mail address of the sender, and your street address.
The format also includes another unique feat - a background page (10). This page is designed to follow the letter and to relay details about your organization that you think your prospect might need. It might include an overview of your products and services, a list of clients, and the names of people they can call for more information. The example list includes Sampler Landscaping's president, landscaping architect and account executive. If you're a one-person shop, the backgrounder could serve as a resume.
If you want to add a distinctive flair to your letter, consider printing it on a colored paper stock and delivering it in an envelope that is a slightly darker shade of the same color.
All templates are compatible with the C5000 Series, C7000 Series and C9000 Series digital color printers from OKI® Printing Solutions.
Template design by: Chuck Green, Logic Arts (804-266-7996,
www.ideabook.com);
Headline font:
Arial Black, Monotype Corporation (800-666-6897,
www.monotype.com);
Thistle symbol:
from Caslon Ornaments, Adobe Systems (800-68-ADOBE,
www.adobe.com).
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