Business Correspondence
By Steven Kozack.

To some extent, your ability to generate effective correspondence reflects well on you as a credit professional. Conversely, having poor writing skills reflects negatively on a credit manager. Your business writing goals should include:

• Making certain letters and memos are clear and concise

• Eliminating repetitive phrases in your correspondence

• To include powerful opening and closing remarks

• To make certain the reader understands the action you want him or her to take and the deadline for completing this work

• Eliminating the use of jargon in order to make your correspondence more user friendly

• Avoid the use of clichés and trite phrases

• Avoiding correspondence that is overly formal, even pompous and/or offensive to the reader

• Creating documents that appeal to the reader's needs and wants

• For internal documents, creating memos and emails that provide only the specific information that the recipient needs

• Making sure all correspondence includes a subject line

Following these guidelines will help every person in the credit department to generate better and more compelling letters, memos and email messages