Sample of writing a letter of request, contents of the document and rules for its execution

Document structure

A request letter is a common document in business environments. With its help, entrepreneurs turn to counterparties with requests or proposals.

For example, when you need to familiarize yourself with a catalog of manufactured products, meet an employee at the airport or train station, etc. The sample letter of appeal is not regulated by law, but you must adhere to certain recommendations when drafting it.

The methodology for writing an appeal was developed on the basis of the fundamental principles of business document flow. When writing a letter, you should adhere to the following tips:

1. The header of the document indicates the name of the legal entity, address and telephone number of the central office, position and full name of the sender (manager). Below is information about the recipient.
2. In the middle part of the sheet begins the main text of the letter, which sets out the essence of the request (proposal) and its rationale. There is no need to describe the situation in detail. It is not recommended to stretch the text more than 2 paragraphs. But at the same time, the addressee must understand the essence of the appeal. The letter sets out brief and understandable thoughts that reveal the purpose of the appeal and methods for achieving this goal.
3. At the final stage, the author puts a personal signature with a transcript and indicates the date of writing the written appeal.

The principle of writing letters of appeal is similar in structure to other documentation that fits into the norms of business communication.

Content of the letter

The document is drawn up according to the requirements of business document flow; only in this case can a positive response be expected from the addressee. The content of the letter should reveal to the addressee the essence of the appeal and the main thoughts of the author. When writing, you should follow certain tips:

1. The letter is sent to someone individually. You need to address the recipient by name and patronymic, which will indicate respect for the author. The designation in the text of the person to whom the appeal is sent will impose obligations on him to respond. It is necessary to individualize a written request even if the document is drawn up for a group of people.
2. The recipient of the correspondence needs to understand why the message was written to him. It is worth highlighting the partner’s business achievements, previous business successes and other advantages that relate to the main topic of the letter. But you need to distinguish the line between courtesy and ingratiation. If this condition is met, the likelihood of consideration of the letter and a positive response to it increases.
3. It is necessary to properly justify the appeal. The recipient of the letter should be interested in the sender's offer. It will be necessary to present the problem in such a way that the benefit of the addressee from cooperation with the sender is clear. It should be clear from the text that the solutions proposed by the author will bring profit to both parties.
4. The document provides accurate information. Specific dates, exact numbers, rates, percentages, and so on are indicated. The content of the letter should not allow for double interpretation. If the author’s idea is not fully disclosed, then only a formal answer should be expected. The ultimate goal of the written appeal will not be achieved.
5. Under the description of the request, it is recommended to transform it and duplicate it, focusing on the financial and other interests of the recipient of the letter.

Mistakes when writing a request letter

To finally understand the rules and features of writing request letters, you should consider a small example containing errors typical of inexperienced authors:

Dear A. D. Valensky!

We ask you to donate to our Fund for the Protection of Wild Urchins in the Moscow Region any amount, starting from 500 thousand rubles. We are waiting for your response no later than August 25 of this year. Our current account is 1234567890.

Petrov L.M., Deputy First Chairman of the Foundation.

List of mistakes made in the letter and examples of correct solutions:

1. “Dear Valensky A.D!” Correct option: “Dear Andrey Denisovich!” (mentioning the first and patronymic works better for the recipient than coldly formally addressing the last name).
2. The letter of request completely lacks friendly words and compliments. Correct option: “We know that you have been working for a long time and productively to restore rare populations of hedgehogs and have your own small zoo, and are also a laureate of the state award “Let’s Help Hedgehogs” for 2009, 2011 and 2015.”
3. There is no convincing argument in the example. Correct option: “You not only conduct independent research and communicate with leading experts in the field of hedgehog eugenics, but also actively help various environmental organizations, and have also repeatedly stated your desire to sponsor any actions related to the creation of a favorable emotional environment for these mammals.” .
4. “We ask you to donate...” When writing to one person, especially in a business letter, and especially if it contains a request, it is necessary to write the pronoun “You” with a capital letter. Using a different spelling is a clear sign of disrespect or at least inattention of the compiler, which is completely inappropriate in such a message. Correct example: “We ask you to donate.”
5. The main part of the request letter contains either too little or too much specificity. The essence of the Foundation’s work should be described in more detail, but at the same time provide the reader with the opportunity to independently choose the amount of the donation. There is no apparent need to indicate the specific date of receipt of the response: its mention must either be justified or excluded from the body of the letter. Correct example: “ Due to your interest in the problem, we sincerely ask you to make a donation to our Foundation, which since 2009 has been collecting information about the size of hedgehog populations in the Moscow region and the conditions of their existence, as well as developing projects for the relocation of disadvantaged animals to more comfortable places. You can make a transfer to our bank account 1234567890 or, by contacting our representative, choose any other convenient way to help hedgehogs. If it is not difficult for you, please respond to the letter no later than August 25 of this year: already at the beginning of September we are launching a large-scale and expensive project, in which you can also participate.”
6. The above letter of request and conclusion are also missing. Correct example: “ We hope for your understanding and sympathy. We are always ready to answer any questions you may have and take into account any comments you may have. Healthy and happy hedgehogs are the future of our ecology!”
7. There is no final formula of politeness in the message asking for a donation. This, like most other blunders, indicates either the sender’s inability to compose a business letter (how then can he be trusted with money?), or his clear disrespect for the addressee. Correct example:

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Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Deputy First Chairman of the Foundation

L. M. Petrov.

Instructions for registration

The business style of a request letter implies the presence of the basic details of the sending organization. This requirement applies to official requests of any type. The document must contain the following information:

• if the letter is drawn up by a state organization, budgetary institution, department or other legal entity of state subordination, then the State Emblem of the Russian Federation must be present in the document
• officially registered emblem of a business entity
• OKPO code
• name of legal entity
• address of the place of business, telephone number, fax number, email address
• date the letter was written
• serial number of the outgoing document
• if a written request is a response, then you will need to indicate the number of the incoming documentation
• recipient (name, address details, full name, position of the addressee)
• name of the document (if desired, to focus the recipient’s attention)
• position of the author of the appeal, his full name and signature
• Full name and telephone number of the person responsible for writing the letter

If the sender expects a response from the addressee, then this circumstance should be indicated in the document. For example: “We expect your response by _____” or “We hope for your positive decision by ____.” In the absence of a time frame, the addressee may delay the response, which will create unnecessary difficulties for the author of the letter.

Instructions for writing a letter of request

Both messages requesting assistance and letters of gratitude for cooperation, for obvious reasons, cannot be drawn up according to a single model: using a unified form, it is simply impossible to adapt to specific circumstances. Indeed, in order for a request to have the desired effect, it is extremely important to take into account the personality of the recipient, his social status, current financial condition and other factors. In addition, the letter should be of a clearly confidential nature: if it is a strictly official document, the addressee, who is in a default position, will most likely prefer to respond with an unsubscribe or simply refuse the dialogue, sending the message to the trash bin.

A letter asking for help should be written correctly and as briefly as possible.

Important : Throughout the letter, you must maintain a warm and respectful tone. We must not forget that a letter of request is not an official demand; it can easily be ignored or rejected by the recipient. Respect alone will not produce results without sufficient motivation, but at least it can hold the reader’s attention, forcing him to reach the end of the text.

Before you start composing a letter of request to solve a problem, defer payments or provide a discount, it makes sense to decide on the addressee. Depending on the circumstances, these could be:

• a private individual - for example, a wealthy investor or an influential scientist;
• individual entrepreneur or owner of a limited liability company;
• a legal entity as a whole, if the sender does not know the name of the director or it does not make sense to him who exactly will respond to the message;
• a public servant of any level - from the mayor of a small town to the governor or responsible head of any structure.

Naturally, a letter sent to a mediocre entrepreneur will be very different in spirit from an official message asking for assistance from the chairman of a state corporation. However, the structure of all request letters is approximately the same; It is enough for the compiler to understand which elements must be present in any letter, which can be varied and which are better to be completely abandoned. This is much more difficult to do than writing a memo, but it is still possible. The following instructions will help you understand the situation.

The second issue that needs to be clarified before writing a request letter is the structure of the document. As already mentioned, there is no unified form of message, but the general plan of any business letters is almost the same and should be followed. An official or semi-formal request for assistance, assistance or services is constructed from the following blocks:

1. "A cap". Consists of the organization’s logo, additional patterns (it is recommended to use your own design rather than stock ones; it doesn’t hurt to hire a professional designer for this) and the name of the sending organization, if the latter is not part of the logo. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to include the state symbols of the Russian Federation, including the flag and coat of arms, in the header, especially if the sender is a private individual, individual entrepreneur or small company that has no connection with government agencies. The presence of a flag and coat of arms is unlikely to influence the recipient’s decision, but (if used ineptly) these attributes will arouse suspicion in the reader about the trustworthiness of the applicant.
2. Introductory part. It includes:
   official names of the sending company (full and abbreviated) or last name, first name and patronymic of the originator of the request letter;
3. addressee's details, including TIN, OGRN, statistical codes, registration numbers and current account;
4. contact information: full address with zip code, phone numbers, email address, accounts in instant messengers and social networks, etc.;
5. optionally - name or surname, first name and patronymic of the recipient, depending on whether it is a legal entity or an individual;
6. a greeting separated from the main text by a blank line and highlighted by using a larger font;
7. indications of the basis for the appeal (the occurrence of a delay, analysis of the results, the presence of a verbal agreement, telephone conversations, and so on);
8. purpose of a letter of request (elimination of misunderstandings, prompt resolution of an issue or immediate assistance to a person).
9. Main text. The body of the letter should state (as briefly as possible, intelligibly and in literary Russian) the essence of the request: to pay a debt, carry out repair work, provide financial assistance to the shelter or provide a discount. At the very beginning of the text, it is necessary to emphasize that the letter is precisely a request; The easiest way to do this is to use the appropriate derivatives: “I sincerely ask”, “We ask you”, “Our organization asks”, “I make a request to you” - and others. As already mentioned, a letter of request is not a requirement, much less an order, therefore, from the beginning to the end of the message, it is necessary to strictly adhere to a respectful tone, remembering that the interested person in this case is the sender, not the reader. The only exceptions are messages asking to repay the debt; but even in this case one should not forget about respect for the addressee. It also doesn’t hurt to add a few warm words at the beginning of the letter (if the sender and recipient know each other well) or formal compliments if the originator and recipient have not previously communicated or the interaction took place within a strictly business framework. If one letter contains several requests that are different in essence or related to each other, each of them needs to be given its own paragraph, or even better, create a bulleted list that has a significant visual advantage over continuous text.
10. Conclusion. If the letter has special meaning for the sender, here it is worth once again (briefly and convincingly) to call the reader to action. This can be done either in two or three sentences, which are the quintessence of the main text, or with the help of an attention-grabbing slogan. However, you shouldn’t get too carried away; the request letter must be confidential and not commercial or advertising in nature. It is better that his style be uncomplicated than deliberately verified, instilling in the reader doubts about the sincerity of the sender. This is especially important if the letter contains a request for help or assistance.
11. Farewell and signature. “With respect” is not always placed at the end of a letter. If the purpose of drawing up a document is to achieve assistance or support, it makes sense to use another formula instead of this one, for example, “Thank you in advance,” “Thank you in advance,” “Thank you for your attention,” “Thank you very much for your help,” and so on. Whatever phrase is used, it is certainly and unconditionally separated from the signature itself by a comma, and also, if space permits, by a new line. The punctuation mark in this case has not a functional, but a graphic meaning, making it easier for the reader to perceive the text; the same applies to moving the signature to the next line.
12. Date and stamp. Immediately after the signature at the bottom of the letter, you need to put the date of its composition or, if it was written in advance, the date of sending. Putting a stamp and personal signature is not necessary, but highly recommended: this is another sign of respect for the addressee. Even if the message is sent electronically (although it is recommended to use paper documents), at the end of the page it is worth placing electronic copies of the seal impression (stamp) and the personal signature of the sender or certifying the document with an enhanced electronic digital signature.

Advice: if it is important for the addressee to receive a response to a letter of request within a certain period of time, it is necessary to mention this in the main text: for example, “We are waiting for your response no later than...” or “We hope to receive clarifications by...”. Otherwise, the recipient, who is not bound by any obligations in relation to the document, may delay the response, which will create additional difficulties for the sender.

When sending a letter of request for help or repayment of a debt, it should be noted that in organizations, the processing of incoming correspondence is handled by a secretary or an authorized person. Therefore, an applicant who wants his message to be read directly by the head or director must make a note on the envelope “Personally in hand,” “Confidential” or “For consideration ... (last name and initials of the addressee).” However, if the document contains a request that does not affect personal, commercial or industrial secrets, there will be nothing disastrous if the message is first read and registered by the secretary, and only then it is transferred to the director or manager.

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Some tips for writing a message asking for help:

1. The letter must be written in good Russian, without errors or typos. This is not only a sign of the sender’s literacy, but also evidence of his respect for the recipient. If the author of the document did not bother to re-read the text, it is at least unreasonable to talk about the sincerity of the warm words he used towards the recipient.
2. If it is not possible to use letterhead (for example, it simply does not exist), you should at least try to choose an attractive font, using different sizes and styles. A letter of request should not only be convincing, but also pleasing to the eye - otherwise the addressee may not be patient and stop reading in the middle, without getting to the point.
3. Remembering that a message asking for help or assistance is not a strictly official document, when writing it you should try to avoid bureaucratic language and overly long sentences. The easier it is for the recipient to read the document and understand the essence of the request, the more likely he is to respond and take the necessary measures.

Recommendations from experts

When writing appeals, you must adhere to the following tips (Table 1).

The style of the letter should be businesslike without unnecessary formality and bureaucracy.

Video lesson on writing a business letter:

Types of request letters

There are many types of these documents. Their type will depend on the situation that prompted the author to write the appeal:

1. About providing a loan. The text must clearly indicate the circumstances and purposes for which funds are needed. You also need to indicate the reason why they cannot be obtained from another source.
2. On the provision of services and goods. This appeal should show the author’s interest and his desire to cooperate with the addressee, which should encourage the latter to respond positively.
3. About receiving a discount. This written appeal is especially relevant at the present time. The chances of satisfying a request increase if counterparties cooperate for a long time or when purchasing a large quantity of goods.
4. About postponing the payment date. It will be necessary to acknowledge the fact of delay in transferring money, indicate the reasons for the delay and indicate the exact timing of repayment of the debt.

Therefore, when writing a letter, it is necessary to start from the issues that are displayed in its text. There are no universal templates for this type of document.

Samples of request letters

Although request letters are written in free form, it will be useful for the writer, especially one who has not previously had such experience, to become familiar with samples of the most common messages.

About the allocation of money

If you need to seek help or benefits from an investor, sponsor or lender, you should issue a letter requesting funds.

About delivery of goods

Sometimes it is necessary to ask the supplier to shift the delivery time of goods in one direction or another or to place an order for a new batch as soon as possible.

About deferred payment

It is not always possible to pay the lender on time. In order not to aggravate the relationship, the borrower is recommended to send a letter to the lender requesting a deferred payment.

About rent reduction

If the landlord decides to raise the rent, or some time after the contract was signed, the tenant realizes that he could spend less, you can try to rectify the situation by sending a letter to the other party asking for a reduction in the rent.

About providing discounts

It is not always the seller of a product or service who offers regular or especially profitable customers participation in a discount program. Sending a letter asking for a discount will help achieve fairness while maintaining excellent relationships between the parties.

About debt payment

From time to time, even the most respectable borrower or client forgets about the next installment or the obligation to pay for a purchase. A letter asking for payment of the debt will help to gently point out his inappropriate behavior.

See also: How to write “Thank you in advance” in a business letter?

About assistance in resolving the issue

If the issue is not purely financial and a citizen or organization needs comprehensive assistance, they can get out of the situation by writing and sending letters to several influential recipients asking for assistance in resolving the issue.

How to send a request letter

Today there are several ways to send business correspondence:

• by email
• by fax
• by post

The first 2 methods are the fastest and most convenient. The latter will take some time, especially if the recipient is in another city or town. But by sending a letter via Russian Post, you can emphasize the importance of the addressee and respect for him. It is enough to write the text of the appeal in beautiful handwriting; you can also draw up the document on expensive paper.

If the document is sent via mail, then it is necessary to take into account the time costs and send it in advance. You also need to be patient while waiting for a response.

Thus, the letter of appeal should display all the necessary information about the author, the main essence of the proposal and the benefit that the addressee will receive from its acceptance. The text must be written in a respectful manner, without errors or corrections. The final part of the written request should reflect the author’s hope for cooperation with the addressee.

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