How to write a letter of Introduction
A letter of introduction does just what its name implies. : introducing one person to another person, but for the specific purpose of convincing the reader that the person being introduced in the letter would make a good addition to an organization.
An introduction is similar to a business greeting or a post-meeting follow-up, in that you are making an effort to establish a business relationship. You may be introducing yourself or introducing a person to another person — for instance, letting your customers know about a new salesperson you have hired, or referring a vendor to a colleague.You may even be writing to someone whom you’ve never met. They may not know who you are, what your company is, what you represent or sell, or why they want to know you.
The goal of the introduction letter is to give the recipient a reason that he/she should want to know you. Your letter can be brief and to the point. Tell the recipient who you are and establish that you are a resource they should want to get to know better.Your second objective, which is optional, is suggesting a specific course of action, or making a specific offer. Sometimes this works in an introduction letter. In other situations, it may best be saved for a future contact.
However, a universal truth is that the reader is always asking, “What’s in it for me?” If there is no compelling reason to know you or get to know you — if he perceives that you cannot improve his life or business — he will have little interest in learning who you are or why you are writing.
Sample Letter of Introduction
Dear Mr. Greenstreet:
Ann Morgan, a young engineer who took my process design seminar given for AIChE last summer, has asked me whether I can put the two of you together, so that you might consider granting her an interview for a position in your process control department.
You know that I am a rather tough instructor, so it means something when I tell you that Ms. Morgan has an exceedingly strong grasp of process design and control — especially considering she is just two years out of college. By the way, she showed me her transcript, and was a solid B+ student at Brightwater Tech, which, as you know, has one of the best programs on the East Coast.
My department is overstaffed and, since the acquisition, half of our work is being moved to the California location. If this were not the case, and we were looking to add personnel, I would make Ms. Morgan an offer tomorrow.
Whether she would be an ideal fit with your group I cannot say, although I know that technically she can handle a Process Engineer position with extreme competence. As for whether she’d be a good addition to your team (which I suspect she would), why don’t you give her an interview and find out for yourself?
Sincerely,
Letter introducing a hair colorist
Dear Customers:
It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to our newest hair color specialist, Georgia Hall. We’re excited to have Georgia join us — we think you’ll enjoy reaping the benefits of her training and experiences in Paris salons.
Give us a call when you’re ready for your next hair color appointment and we’ll set up a time for you to meet with Georgia.
As always, thank you for your business and we look forward to seeing you soon. Warm regards,
Sales representative Introduction
Dear [Customer],
Our Industrial Products Department is pleased to announce that Alan Smith has joined us as a Sales Engineer working out of the Portland, Oregon, office. Alan brings over 20 years of experience in engineering and systems sales covering Oregon and other Western states, most recently as a factory representative for Northwest Electronics in Portland.
Alan will take over responsibility for the Northwestern territory, calling on the Office Automation, PC and Telecom markets.
Alan will be contacting you shortly to greet you.We’re sure you’ll enjoy working with Alan — he’s quite knowledgeable and he’s a pleasure to talk to. As always, we appreciate our relationship and we’re here if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
• Point out the candidate’s qualifications in a specific and enthusiastic manner.
• Explain how you know what you know about this person. Why are you so confident in your recommendation?
• Even if the letter is supposedly about you, keep in mind that it’s really about the reader — his needs, desires, interests, and goals.
• The reader only cares about you with respect to how you can help him.
• When telling about yourself, state the facts plainly and concisely. Write a letter, not your autobiography.
• Be humble and self-effacing. No one likes a braggart.
• If you intend to follow up, tell the reader when he may expect to hear from you and what the topic of discussion will be.
• If you want the reader to call or write you, give him a compelling reason to do so, a benefit he will get by contacting you.
Handy Phrases: Put the two of you in touch; Can heartily recommend; Have observed continued professionalism/performance/maturity; Have worked with/known for X years; I hope the two of you can benefit from the acquaintance;It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to; I know you’ll enjoy speaking to him; I saw your name in the latest journal and thought you might be interested in.