11 Components Needed for a Powerful
Business Cover Letter to Get Noticed
1. Contact information area
2. Date
3. Inside address (mailing address, with verified title and spelling)
4. Reference line
5. Salutation
6. Intro paragraph
7. Product value-selling paragraph
8. Background summary of company within industry experience
9. Call to action statement/Closing paragraph
10. Appreciation statement/Complementary closing/Signature
11. Enclosures
You really have to “clinch the deal” within the first 15 seconds. Roughly speaking, that equates to the first paragraph. The trick is to try and differentiate yourself and your correspondence from all the other corporate competitors vying for the business.
Contact Information
1. Your contact information is where you supply the details about how a corporate business decision maker can contact you. In today’s high-tech world, you should include your physical address, phone number, cell phone number, and email address.
Date
2. Date
Inside Address
3. This is where you will put the prospective new business corporate business buyer’s company mailing address. It is important that you verify everything— title, company spelling, address, whether they are an INC, LLC, corporation, etc. I personally feel that it is important to include all this information even if you are emailing your cover letter. Doing so raises the bar for you and sets a standard of professionalism that most business executives are not taking the time out to do. It’s just another way to differentiate you as a stronger corporate executive that they should be doing business with.
Reference Line—RE: New Business Opportunity or Bid Submitting On
4. This section is optional. My personal preference is to include it because it makes things clear and easy for the reader. You can use the popularly accepted abbreviation RE: (regarding/reference to). There is also the distinct possibility that if your reference line is well worded, it will bias the reader to spend more time looking at your paperwork. That’s because you will have saved them some time by not forcing them to guess what your business solution is that you’re submitting for. In the process, you appear clear, direct, and efficient to the reader.
Salutation
5. Make sure you’re using the correct salutation (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) for you contact. Whenever possible, try to have an actual contact person’s name and title. Full names are preferred to avoid such impersonal salutations as “To Whom It May Concern.”
Intro Paragraph
6. Make sure your introduction paragraph:
a. Is “interest generating,” grasps the buyers (reader’s) attention, and compels them to continue reading
b. States or implies the reasons you’re the best vendor and product/service provider for their specific department or organization to which you’re contacting
If you are able to use a referral’s name in the first paragraph of your cover letter, know that it will substantially increase the corporate business reader’s motivation to focus on your paperwork and the solutions you have to offer!
How do you best use a referral’s name? The three easiest ways are to:
1) Use a personal contact’s name (call to confirm) that you have obtained via . . .
a) Industry association networking
b) Professional association networking
c) Literature research, PR articles, etc.
d) Social Networking, Social Media
If you know the name of a personal contact you can mention in your introduction paragraph, then the odds are the company’s decision maker will read your letter with greater care. That’s because they don’t know what type of relationship you have with the person you mentioned, so they will “play it safe” and assume it’s a close one.
2) Refer to some piece of knowledge you know about the organization that the average person would not know. (This information will come from your company research.)
Such a reference demonstrates a level of personal interest in the company that most corporate business buyers do not see. As a result, it will differentiate you from the “crowd,” and your letter will stand out.
3) Pay a genuine compliment.
Being complimentary will appeal to the corporate business buyer’s sense of pride and will create interest in your cover letter. Try something like: “You strike me as someone who would be aware of the importance and value of a top a National Rated Product/service for your problem” You are basically trying to “hook” the prospective employer’s ego so that they read the rest of your letter. Compliments get your cover letter noticed.
Value-Selling Paragraph
7. The value-selling paragraph:
a. Demonstrates your corporate business product/service to add value to the organization to which you are contacting, relative to the corporate business company’s needs as uncovered during your research
b. Highlights your corporate business company’s product/service key strengths and abilities
This is where you must motivate the corporate business decision maker to invite you in for an interview. List specific achievements and contributions that can transfer with the new use of your product/service and that can be applied to the prospective corporate business employer’s organizational challenges.
In particular, share results you achieved in areas with other corporate business clients that are critical to good performance in the corporate business organization you are contacting. In essence, you are providing proof that your business products/services have succeeded in these areas in the past and that your solutions will bring value that will translate to another corporate business environment.
For your value-selling paragraph to be most effective, you must understand the specific needs of the corporate business organization you’re targeting. Use your business and personal networking contacts to help you uncover those needs.
Don’t forget to research the answer to their business needs for your top 12 target new business companies (and their customer base and competitors). Some of the needs may be similar within the same industries, saving you time in having to reword this paragraph.
The value-selling paragraph is where you can briefly use your product’s/service’s most relevant accomplishments to show a prospective corporate business customer how you can 1) Save them money, 2) Make them money, and/or 3) Solve a problem for them that is not currently being resolved.
The value-selling paragraph is the key area in which you will market yourself, your business company’s products or services, and demonstrate how you will bring value to the equation.
Background Summary
8. The background summary is where you explain your company’s business relevant expertise and professional experience. You want the corporate business decision maker reading it to understand that you, your company, and product/service possess the appropriate training, education, and experience to perform the tasks required to assist with the problem they are currently looking for a solution on. Keep this section short, as your product and company material will cover all the same information in more detail.
Call-to-Action Statement/Closing Paragraph
9. Here, toward the end of your cover letter, you must incorporate a statement that is a “call to action.” In other words, you want to entice the corporate buyer to take favorable action in seriously considering you. You also want to indicate to them that you will be taking action and following up with them.
Once you are sure enough time has passed, call the prospective corporate buyer to determine if they are interested. If appropriate, arrange an interview. People always respect good follow-up, provided that you don’t make yourself a nuisance.
My suggestion is to take the initiative in following-up. As I have mentioned before, your sense of urgency is usually different from the corporate decision maker. This way, you are in the driver’s seat, leaving nothing to chance. Being proactive also creates a great opportunity for you to gain a contact and start building a professional relationship with someone with whom you can network.
Appreciation/Thank-You Statement
10. Before closing your cover letter, thank the corporate business reader for their time. Everyone is busy today and heartfelt appreciation is another way to set yourself apart. It shows that you are a courteous person who respects someone else’s time.
After reading your cover letter, the corporate business buyer should have a very clear idea of why purchasing your product or services is a good decision!
Enclosures
11. Mark the bottom of your cover letter, on the left, with the notation “Enclosures” if you are including your resume, a specific article of interest, or other documents that have been previously discussed and promised.
If you would need professional help in the area of determining whether or not you have optimistic support members on your team, please call us at 847-577-2000, or 1-800-227-5802 to discuss your options on understanding your team more fully in terms of their ability to support and achieve the corporate success you are looking for this year.
Have a great week and productive week, managing the changes and challenges that are currently going on in your company.
I wish you a wonderfully successful and productive week ahead.
Eleanor Anne Sweet
Corporate Success Expert
Corporate Success Expert
Eleanor Anne Sweet
Corporate Success Expert
Eleanor Anne Sweet
Corporate Success Expert
Eleanor Anne Sweet
President/CEO
Your Corporate Success Consultant, Trainer, Speaker and Author
Corporate Success Partners.com
www.CorporateSuccessPartners.com
sweet@CorporateSuccessPartners.com
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