ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2

To Document to Colleagues and Superiors 2

ADJUSTMENTS 4

Positive Response 4

Negative Response 6

ANNIVERSARY DATES 10

Of Your Own Firm 10

Of Individual's Service to Your Firm 12

Of Client's or Customer's Business 14

ANNOUNCEMENTS 16

Of Mergers, Acquisitions, Restructuring 16

ANNUAL MEETINGS 20

4) Notice of Meeting Time and Place 20

Shareholder's Proxy 23

ANNUAL REPORTS 24

Letter from the CEO 24

Congratulatory Responses 30

APOLOGIES 36

Admitting Error 36

Avoiding Responsibility for Error 40

APPOINTMENTS 44

Requesting 44

Declining 48

Postponing or Cancelling 52

APPRECIATION 56

Absence from Office Because of Illness or Travel 56

On Presentation of Awards, Bonuses 60

BIDS 62

Soliciting 62

Accepting 66

Rejecting 68

BILLING ERRORS 72

Pointing Out 72

Correcting: 76

Buyer's Error 76

Seller's Error 80

COMMENDATIONS 86

To Program Chairperson or Meeting Planner 86

To a Speaker 88

For Excellent Service from Outside Staff 90

For Excellent Service, Work, Results from Your Own Staff 94

COMPLAINTS 98

1 To Subordinates 98

To Peers 102

To Superiors 106

About Poor Service, Defective or Inferior Product 110

CONDOLENCES 116

Death 116

Response to Condolences 122

CONFIRMATIONS 124

Of Phone Conversations or Meetings 124

To Speakers 128

Of Attendance at Event 130

CONGRATULATIONS 132

Expression on: 133

Receipt of an Award 133

Birth of Baby 136

Birthday 138

Civic Achievement 140

New Job 143

Promotion 146

Publication 149

Retirement 156

Wedding 158

Response to Congratulations 160

CREDIT AND COLLECTION 164

To Creditors Promising Payment 164

Investigations 168

Offering Credit 172

Refusing Credit 174

Cancelling Credit 178

Collection Letters 182

Casual Reminder 183

Stronger Reminder 185

Appeal for Discussion 190

Urgent Demand 193

DISMISSALS 196

Layoffs 196

Unsuitable Employee 200

EMPLOYMENT OFFERS 202

Accepting Job 202

Declining Job 204

EXPENSES 206

To Encourage Employees to Watch or Eliminate 206

FAREWELLS 208

To the Person Leaving 208

From the Person Leaving 212

HIRING 216

Acknowledging Receipt of Resume 216

Offering a Job 220

Refusing an Applicant 224

HOLIDAY GREETINGS 228

HONORARY USE OF NAME, TESTIMONIAL, OR CHAIR POSITION 236

Requesting 236

Accepting 240

Declining 242

INFORMATION 244

Requesting: 244

From Client, Customer 245

From Vendor 249

From Others 251

Providing: 254

To Client, Customer 255

To Vendor 256

To Others 257

Refusing 258

INTRODUCTION 262

Of a New Employee 262

Of an Outside Person 264

Of an Outside Service or Company 268

INVITATIONS 270

To Speak: 270

Extending 270

Accepting 274

Declining 276

To Event: 278

Extending 278

Accepting 282

Declining 286

ISSUES 292

1 To Manage Crisis 292

To Express an Opinion to a Public Official 294

To Urge Employee, Colleague Participation 298

MEDIA NOTICES 302

Press Releases 302

Support for a Position 306

Demand for a Retraction, Clarification to Editor 308

MEETINGS 312

Announcing 312

Confirming Attendance 316

Declining Attendance 318

ORDERS 320

Placing and Filling 320

Delaying Because of Misfortune 324

Delaying Because of Missing Information, Errors 326

PERMISSIONS 330

Requesting: 330

To Use an Oral Comment, Story, Anecdote 331

To Use Copyrighted Materials 332

Granting 334

Refusing 336

POLICY STATEMENTS 340

Company Standard 341

New Policy 342

Changes 343

Employee Benefit Programs 346

PROMOTIONS/TRANSFERS 348

Your Own: 348

Requesting 348

Accepting 350

Your Staff: 352

Announcing 352

Approving 354

Disapproving 356

PUBLISHING 360

Query for Professional Journal Article 360

REFERENCES 362

Requesting 362

Supplying a Favorable Recommendation 366

Supplying a Neutral Recommendation 372

Declining to Give 374

Thank You for Reference 378

REFERRALS 382

Requesting 382

Offering 384

REMINDERS AND FOLLOW-UPS 386

REPRIMANDS 390

RESIGNATIONS 394

On a Positive Departure 394

On a Negative Departure 398

Acceptance of 402

RESUME TRANSMITTALS 406

Introducing Yourself 406

Introducing Another Person 412

SALES AND MARKETING 416

Lead-in to a Phone Call, Appointment 416

Follow-up to a Phone Call, Appointment 422

Introduction of New Sales Representative 426

Introduction of a Product or Service 428

Submission of Bid or Proposal 432

Goodwill Building 434

Inactive Accounts 440

Rate Increase or Policy Change 442

Thank You for Buying 446

Declining to Do Business 450

Encouragement to Sales Staff 452

SOLICITATIONS 456

Requesting 456

Responding Positively 460

Responding Negatively 462

SUGGESTIONS 464

Inviting Them from Your Employees and Customers 464

Offering Them to Your Superiors 466

Replying Positively 468

Replying Negatively 472

THANK YOU 476

For Award, Bonus, or Benefit 476

For Gift or Donation 480

For Service to Community 484

For Hospitality 486

For Referral or Reference 490

Response to a Thank You 494

TRANSMITTALS 496

WELCOME 500

To Potential Customer, Client New to the Area 502

To New Shareholder 506

APPENDIX A: TO THE LETTER CHECKLIST FOR FORM 509

Attention Lines 511

Addresses-Inside and Outside 511

"Boilerplate" Paragraphs 512

Complimentary Closings 512

Copy Notations 513

Date Lines 513

Enclosure Notations 513

Envelopes 513

Formats for Typing 513

Block Style 514

Indented Style 515

Identification Initials 516

Mailing Methods 516

Personal Pronouns 516

Postscripts 516

Reference Lines 516

Salutations 517

Second-Page Headings 517

Signatures 517

Stationery 518

Subject Lines 518

Visual Placement and Design 519

APPENDIX B: FORM FOR CUSTOMIZING AND DICTATING LETTERS 521

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 524