The term “white paper” was originally used to designate government reports, but the term and format are now commonly used in many industries. The term is an offshoot from “white book,” which is an official government publication. Since it has its base in government publications, white papers should reflect authority.

The term “white paper” is now used to represent a document that showcases a specific business product or service. Because it needs to have authority, the author should have credibility in the subject. A white paper should engage the audience by showing specific examples and using clear arguments.

A white paper is different than a simple brochure because it typically highlights a product or research, and the author’s credibility on this subject is highlighted.

They are very useful in professional services to demonstrate expertise and are often used to generate sales leads, establish thought leadership, make a business case, or to educate customers.

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Dear Mr Branson

REF: Mumbai to Heathrow 7th December 2008

I love the Virgin brand, I really do which is why I continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. This latest incident takes the biscuit.

Ironically, by the end of the flight I would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell I was subjected to at the hands of your corporation.

Look at this Richard. Just look at it:

I imagine the same questions are racing through your brilliant mind as were racing through mine on that fateful day. What is this? Why have I been given it? What have I done to deserve this? And, which one is the starter, which one is the desert?

You don’t get to a position like yours Richard with anything less than a generous sprinkling of observational power so I KNOW you will have spotted the tomato next to the two yellow shafts of sponge on the left. Yes,it’s next to the sponge shaft without the green paste. That’s got to be the clue hasn’t it. No sane person would serve a desert with a tomato would they. Well answer me this Richard, what sort of animal would serve a desert with peas in:

I know it looks like a baaji but it’s in custard Richard, custard. It must be the pudding. Well you’ll be fascinated to hear that it wasn’t custard. It was a sour gel with a clear oil on top. It’s only redeeming feature was that it managed to be so alien to my palette that it took away the taste of the curry emanating from our miscellaneous central cuboid of beige matter. Perhaps the meal on the left might be the desert after all.

Anyway, this is all irrelevant at the moment. I was raised strictly but neatly by my parents and if they knew I had started desert before the main course, a sponge shaft would be the least of my worries. So lets peel back the tin-foil on the main dish and see what’s on offer.

I’ll try and explain how this felt. Imagine being a twelve year old boy Richard. Now imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re sat their with your final present to open. It’s a big one, and you know what it is. It’s that Goodmans stereo you picked out the catalogue and wrote to Santa about.

Only you open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your hamster Richard. It’s your hamster in the box and it’s not breathing. That’s how I felt when I peeled back the foil and saw this:

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking it’s more of that Baaji custard. I admit I thought the same too, but no. It’s mustard Richard. MUSTARD. More mustard than any man could consume in a month. On the left we have a piece of broccoli and some peppers in a brown glue-like oil and on the right the chef had prepared some mashed potato. The potato masher had obviously broken and so it was decided the next best thing would be to pass the potatoes through the digestive tract of a bird.

Once it was regurgitated it was clearly then blended and mixed with a bit of mustard. Everybody likes a bit of mustard Richard.

By now I was actually starting to feel a little hypoglycaemic. I needed a sugar hit. Luckily there was a small cookie provided. It had caught my eye earlier due to it’s baffling presentation:

It appears to be in an evidence bag from the scene of a crime. A CRIME AGAINST BLOODY COOKING. Either that or some sort of back-street underground cookie, purchased off a gun-toting maniac high on his own supply of yeast. You certainly wouldn’t want to be caught carrying one of these through customs. Imagine biting into a piece of brass Richard. That would be softer on the teeth than the specimen above.

I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was relax but obviously I had to sit with that mess in front of me for half an hour. I swear the sponge shafts moved at one point.

Once cleared, I decided to relax with a bit of your world-famous onboard entertainment. I switched it on:

I apologise for the quality of the photo, it’s just it was incredibly hard to capture Boris Johnson’s face through the flickering white lines running up and down the screen. Perhaps it would be better on another channel:

Is that Ray Liotta? A question I found myself asking over and over again throughout the grueling half-hour I attempted to watch the film like this. After that I switched off. I’d had enough. I was the hungriest I’d been in my adult life and I had a splitting headache from squinting at a crackling screen.

My only option was to simply stare at the seat in front and wait for either food, or sleep. Neither came for an incredibly long time. But when it did it surpassed my wildest expectations:

Yes! It’s another crime-scene cookie. Only this time you dunk it in the white stuff.

Richard…. What is that white stuff? It looked like it was going to be yoghurt. It finally dawned on me what it was after staring at it. It was a mixture between the Baaji custard and the Mustard sauce. It reminded me of my first week at university. I had overheard that you could make a drink by mixing vodka and refreshers. I lied to my new friends and told them I’d done it loads of times. When I attempted to make the drink in a big bowl it formed a cheese Richard, a cheese. That cheese looked a lot like your baaji-mustard.

So that was that Richard. I didn’t eat a bloody thing. My only question is: How can you live like this? I can’t imagine what dinner round your house is like, it must be like something out of a nature documentary.

As I said at the start I love your brand, I really do. It’s just a shame such a simple thing could bring it crashing to its knees and begging for sustenance.

Yours Sincerely

XXXX

PS After this letter was widely circulated on the Internet, the author was identified by the Telegraph as Oliver Beale, an advertising executive. Reportedly, Virgin has offered Mr. Beale a job choosing the food and wine options for the in-flight meals. As reported in the Telegraph, “ ‘While we investigated his complaint seriously, and following Richard Branson’s phone call we’ve invited him to our catering house to select the next range of meals and wines we serve on board,” said a spokesman for Virgin Atlantic. “Then we can ensure his personal taste is well and truly catered for.’”

Mr. Beale declined the offer. Meanwhile, his complaint letter has achieved the heights of what a complaint letter can do: focus attention on a problem and obtain correction. And, thanks to Mr. Beale, all of us who have endured awful flights are laughing after reading this.

Bravo and thank you to Mr. Beale.

What would be the proper salutation for someone with a II, Jr., Sr., etc. following their last name? (i.e. John Adams, II or John Adams, Jr.)

Answer:

A salutation does not include a suffix, even if you are using a last name and title. So, suffix considerations only apply to the address, not the salutation in a business letter. Correct salutations in this case are simply:

- Dear Mr. Adams:
- Dear John:

Also, it’s traditional to use the suffix “Jr.” for a second generation name, rather than “II”:

- John Adams, Jr.

- Not, John Adams, II

Subsequent generations use Roman Numerals to designate position:

- John Adams, III

- John Adams, IV

- Etc.

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If you are writing a business letter going to Jane Doe in care of John Doe, would you use Dear John or Dear Jane for your salutation?

Answer:

“In care of” indicates the person to whom you are sending the letter (in this case, Jane Doe) does not live at this address, but is receiving mail there. Jane has designated someone at that address to receive and care for her mail (in this case, John Doe.)

“In care of” helps the post office deliver mail correctly, with no confusion about addressee or address, and enables someone traveling or moving or residing temporarily to receive mail at a designated permanent address.

Since John Doe is simply holding the mail for Jane, the recipient of the letter is Jane. Therefore, the correct salutation is Dear Jane:

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Could you please let me know if there is a salutation to use such as “Dear Valued Clients” to notify our clients about the new tax code?  We would like it to sound a little personal, but also businesslike.

Answer:

You don’t mention if you plan to send a letter or an email, but in either case Dear starts the salutation correctly, and you should close it with a colon.

Ideally, you would personalize the salutation with an actual name. If you are sending letters, this is easy to do with a mail merge program. Email marketing software also easily inserts a customer’s name into the salutation. If customizing the salutation name is not possible:

1. Make sure the generic salutation is singular, not plural, so the reader feels a more direct salutation.

Dear Valued Client:

not

Dear Valued Clients:

2. “Valued Client” has become so over-used it’s now somewhat meaningless. Instead, omit “valued”:

Dear Client:

In your very first sentence, explain the valuable information you want to convey, as it benefits your client. Strong content, presented immediately, will convey your value of your client more than an over-used, stale salutation.

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Are you confused about shaping salutations in business letters and business email?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions in business writing courses. To begin, let’s clarify which documents use a salutation:

* A business letter communicates information outside the organization and requires a salutation.
* A business memo communicates information inside an organization, and does not include a salutation.
* A business email communicates information both inside and outside an organization, and in most cases should include a salutation on the first message at least.

You should base your choice of salutation directly on your recipient, particularly your relationship with that recipient.

The standard salutation for a business letter is the salutation Dear, followed by the person’s name and sometimes a title, closing with a colon.

Dear Ms. Reader:
Dear Janet:
Dear Attorney Adams:

The standard salutation for a more social business letter, or personal letter is the salutation Dear, followed by the person’s name and sometimes a title, closing with a comma.

Dear Ms. Writer,
Dear Andrew,
Dear Pastor Amanci,
(Social business letters address congratulations, thanks, condolences or other non-business related issues.)

OTHER TIPS:

If you do not know a person well, or are making first contact, it is always best to lean towards formality, if in doubt. Use a title and a last name.

Dear Mr. Sancheza:
Dear Dr. Amanci:

If you know the recipient well, use a first name only.

Dear Karen:

If you do not know the person’s name, try to find it. If it’s impossible to locate, then use a person’s position as salutation.

Dear Principal:
Dear Tax Adjuster:
Dear Parent:

To two or more women:

Dear Mrs. Adams, Ms. Kott and Miss Connor (using the title you know each prefers. If you do not know a recipient’s preferred title, use the neutral title Ms.)

To a woman and a man:

Dear Ms. Fong and Mr. Mendle (List the recipient who is highest in corporate rank first, and alphabetize the order if they are equal in corporate rank.)

To several persons:

Dear Mr. MacDonald, Mrs. Brady and Dr. Mellon:

Hold these same letter standards for a formal email (i.e. one that is functioning like a business letter, such as a first response to a client inquiry, or a sales letter, or a proposal.)

For less formal email, match your salutation and tone to your relationship with the recipient and end the salutation with a comma rather than a colon:

David,
Dear David,
Hi David,
Hello David,
Good morning, David, (If you know for sure David will read this in the morning. See post, Using Time Salutations Carefully for more info.)
Hey David, (Only use the slang term hey for your most informal email with your best pals. It will feel out of place in wider business use.)

You can also incorporate the person’s name in the opening of the message:

You’re right, David. I forgot.

I used The Gregg Reference Manual for verification of these salutation formats, and highly recommend this as a definitive style guide.

Dear Reader:

I hope this helps clarify your salutations!

Best regards,

Mary

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Two readers questioned why using “Good Evening” was not best practice for an email salutation, as I illustrated in my last post “The Art of the Apology.”

We always want to engage our reader, and shape any document, including email, from our reader’s perspective, not our perspective. With email, when the recipient is likely to read the email is more relevant than when we send it.

For example, if you work in London and send an email off at 9pm to a colleague or customer in Los Angeles, the recipient would receive it 1pm Los Angeles time. If the first words your recipient reads are “Good Evening” while he or she sees the sun shining and is midway through the work day, it fosters reader disconnect. If you do not know when your reader is going to read your email message, choose a time-neutral salutation: Hello, Hi, Dear – choosing whichever best matches the relationship and purpose of your email.

Using the salutation “Good Morning” can be particularly warm and engaging, if you are certain your reader will receive your message in the morning. For example, you have a phone conversation with your reader in the morning (reader time zone), and promise to email a document right after you conclude the call. In this case, “Good Morning” is a great salutation because it enhances the connection because it is immediate and warm and reader-focused.

This same thought process should apply to description of your activities. My friend, based in Seattle, recently shared that she was momentarily concerned when her colleague, based in Glasgow, sent a message to her that began “I’m savoring a single malt and reading your proposal…” It was 6pm in Glasgow, so a single malt was well deserved and in order, but it was a little jarring at first read for my friend in Seattle, who was sipping morning coffee at 10am. Of course, any reader will understand with brief reflection, but we don’t want to require reflection or questioning; we want to engage our readers right away. Reader-focused writing requires that we keep content, organization and tone on our reader, not on our own thoughts.

Use “Good Morning” and “Good Evening” with care – they are engaging when you know your reader will read them at the right time, but wedge an intimation of lack of awareness for your reader if you miss the time mark.

Learn More in This Course: Email Essentials: Productivity and Impact

Dear readers: be absolutely certain never to fail to stop at a railroad track in this town! The apology she received – a small correction buried in a later edition – was woefully inadequate.

Recently, my husband, son and I stayed at a hotel (and I will restrain myself from naming this hotel) where we had a confirmed reservation for a full-sized bed for me and my husband, and a pullout couch for our son. When getting ready for bed, we took the cushions off the couch and discovered it was not a pullout. The hotel’s remedy was to send in sheets for the very short couch. Since my husband and son are both well over 6 feet tall, and I’m short, guess who slept on the tiny couch?

When I wrote to the hotel’s general manager, and complained our reservation wasn’t honored, I received this response:

Good Evening Ms Cullen (No punctuation, and I received his message in the morning, not when he wrote it in the evening, creating disjoint.)

We were very booked that night and didn’t have any rooms with a pullout couch. I know you had a reservation but we didn’t have any. (So, you were busy and couldn’t do what you committed to do. This does not make me feel better.)

I really appreciate your taking the time to share your feedback with your recent stay.   We value you as a guest, and I do want you to know that your concerns are our concerns!  Please stay with us again soon so that we can demonstrate our commitment to your comfort. (Obvious copy/pasted boilerplate)

How to Apologize When You Have Erred.
Every business and business person falls short on occasion, and the best course of action is always to name the error, accept responsibility, apologize, and ideally, offer remuneration if it is warranted.

Looking at the “apology” letter I received, the writer clearly wrote the first paragraph and used a template for the remainder. This template didn’t reflect the situation, so it added further insult.

To write a customer letter of apology, the tone must be authentic, and you must be honest and own up to the error:

1. Lead with an apology. It puts the reader at ease, letting him or her know up front that the letter is not going to be a stonewalling exercise.

2. Keep it simple and brief. Apologize for exactly what happened to your client. The tone and fervor of your apology should match the offense and empathize with your reader. In the case of the hotel, a single sentence, “Certainly, you must have been uncomfortable that night, and I am sorry for your experience,” would disarm even the most irate customer.

3. Explain corrective actions that will prevent repetition of the problem, offer compensation (when applicable), and apologize again. Briefly.

Do not be defensive or argumentative or dismissive when composing a letter of apology. If that tone seeps into your letter, you will succeed only in further inflaming your customer. Far better to write your apology in this frame of mind: An error occurred which we acknowledge, we are very sorry it happened to you, we value you and your business, and we want to correct the problem as best we can.

After the interview, the vice-presidents were equally impressed with both candidates and unsure who to hire. Then, they received the candidate’s thank you email messages, and one was immediately hired and the other immediately excluded.

Our August newsletter looked at these messages and examined what worked and what did not…