The success or failure of a business depends on how strong and full proof the core business plan is. Such plans form the foundation to any start up. It is by and large created before the launch of the new business venture. Such plans are then sent to banks or other financial institutions to seek for loans to implement the plan. Market experts urge the inclusion of a professional cover letter along with the business plan for better positive response.
Hence we have come up with a list of the right etiquettes to help you come up with the most effective business plan cover letter.
Basic Business Plan Cover Letter Writing Etiquette
Here is the basic writing etiquette to keep in mind while proceeding with plan cover letters:
Take special care of the recipient’s needs, questions or interests. Get your background research right. If you feel that the targeted investor has concerns about your marketing plan, do include information like how you plan to market the offering to your target market in your cover letter.
If you are not quite familiar with the person you intend to send out your business plan, do write a follow-up cover letter mentioning that it is a continuation to your previous conversation on the matter mentioned in the letter. Give a short description about what was discussed in the meeting and then lay out your proposal.
Also many entrepreneurs include a rough idea about the features and benefits of the product or service will entertain in their cover letter. This marketing strategy comes handy as the preview may grab attention of the recipient and persuade the investor to take interest in your plan.
Cover letters are normally written in a personal tone. Use a few lines from the past correspondence for that matter. Thank your recipient for the time and attention in the beginning of the letter and carry on with the same tone of conduct.
Here are the 8 major steps to help you with Business Plan Cover Letter writing:
Your name, the name of your business and your contact information should go on the top of the cover letter. You may include your business address, contact number and email address as well.
Mention recipient’s name, title, bank name, location and address thereafter. Be specific about whom to send the cover letter and business plan. Least it will end up in garbage.
Mention the date under the recipient’s information.
Use introductory professional greeting salutations like “Dear Mr. Bell”.
In the first paragraph, mention that you are sending the banker your business plan and wish for a positive response.
In a paragraph or two mention your objective behind your planned business setup. Include details about your financial planning and how will it prove to be a worthwhile investment.
In the last paragraph, thank the recipient for the time and consideration and show your appreciation for the same. Ask for a face-to-face interview to discuss about your business plan in detail.
Use professional closings like ‘Sincerely’ followed by your name. Sign your name in the space between the closing and your typed name after you print out the cover letter.
To sum up, the right etiquette is to keep the letter professional with a slight hint of personal appeal. Make it persuasive and let the letter compliment your business plan.
Cover letter is complimentary to your CV. Job seekers normally attached their resume to their cover letter and send them out to potential recruiters. Such are letters introducing yourself to the potential employee by giving them a rough idea about your skills, qualifications and work experiences. Different organizations have different requirements. You need to write separate cover letters for each. Never resort to the ‘carbon copy’ cover letter as it lacks authenticity.
Today we have come up with the 7 good Cover Letter tips and letter etiquette that will help you come up with the best cover letter and help you stand out of the crowd.
Advice & Guidelines for Writing a Top Cover Letter for a Job
1. Let your cover letter convey a personal tone. Common methods of addressing include ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or ‘To Whom It May Concern’. However, you may always break the obvious and get a bit personal by adding salutations such as ‘Dear (last name of the recruiter)’.
2. No one has the time to read pages after pages about your skills and accomplishments. Hence get to the point and try to wrap up everything in the most precise manner as possible. Any paragraph should not be more than seven lines long and must be able to have that convincing grip to hold the recruiter.
3. Understand the demands of the employer and the organization. Different companies have different objectives. Hence, copy-pasting your cover letter will never help. Focus on the specific needs and address your strengths about how your inclusion to the company will prove fruitful. Align the company’s goals with your qualifications and see how it works miracle.
4. Be genuine and authentic. Come up with your creativity. For example, you may include excerpts of your performance reviews to talk about your success record and show a way how it would complement the company’s criteria.
5. Keep the tone balanced i.e. in between professional and personal. Do not overdo any of the two. Your letter should sound friendly, creative and approachable. It should at no cost sound robotic.
6. The layout should look professional. Use font size of 12 to 14. They are considered as the standard size. However, people over 40 appreciate larger font. Use left alignment and single or double space depending on the length of the letter.
7. Proof reading is very important. Watch out for grammar or spelling mistakes as they kill the essence of the letter. Keep the spelling and grammar check on in your system and go through it a couple of times before sending it out.
Follow these rules and see interview calls pouring on your lap in no time. All the best in job hunting!
Your cover letter serves as a formally written introduction about yourself. It works as an elevating plane for your CV during job hunting. And if you are able to play this card right, you might easily land up on your dream job. But the same cover letter might break your career is not mended properly. The internet is full of free Disadvantages cover letters today and applicants are seen using these for their benefits. Unfortunately, in a few cases cover letters can actually harm your chances of being picked up for a job. If you are wondering how, well here is exactly how.
We have come up with the five dreaded disadvantages of using cover letters. Read on!
The Disadvantages Of Cover Letter
1. Free cover letters are generic
The generic format of your cover letter can be a huge turn down for your recruiter. The rule is every cover letter should be customized according to the job application applied for. It should highlight all your qualifications relating to the skills and experience needed for the job and exclude the unnecessary ones.
2. Addressing in free cover letters are vague
Addresses used in free cover letters normally include salutations like, ‘to whom it may concern’ or ‘sir/madam’. Not any of these are favorites to recruiters. What is expected in the salutation section is the name of the actual person who happens to be the contact person listed in the job advertisement; else your letter might end up in the trash.
3. Free cover letters promotes a wrong impression
Never over flaunt about your skills in your cover letter. Write only about those skills that are required of for the job position you applied for. Adding irrelevant skills might make you seem overqualified, create a bad impression or make your hiring managers overlook your resume on the whole. And you might end up getting disqualified for the job.
4. Wrong notion of saving time
Cover letters are only effective if they are personalized. Do not act smart by sending out the same cover letter every time in the fear of missing opportunities. Such letters might turn against you and you might just miss out on a very important job profile.
5. Focusing on the wrong issue
Before sitting down to write your cover letter you must also go for a backdrop research for the company and position you are applying for. You must have the right idea of what is expected of the employee and how well do you fit in the criteria. Then, draft your cover letter accordingly by mentioning your matching skills for the position.
No one likes to go through dull and lifeless letters. Free covers letters are generic and take away the essence of personalized letters.
