If you learn nothing else from reading this next article, you should at least take away that there is no reason a cover letter should not be submitted with any business plan.
When creating a cover letter for a business plan, many people attempt to summarize the entire plan in the cover letter. If you do that, what’s the point of the Executive Summary of the plan?
The true purpose of a cover letter is simply to introduce your business plan. Though it is not a component of the actual plan, it should be delivered along with it. If you think about it, you are actually addressing two separate audiences. The cover letter should address the one person you have been in contact with and the actual business plan should address a larger audience, meaning all of the others who are going to have any involvement.
With this being said, by forming your cover letter with similar characteristics of that of a personal letter, you will do more to assist your efforts and leave the nuts and bolts of the operation in the actual business plan. In other cases, it will be more appropriate to create a more formal cover letter, but in both cases, they should have a personal touch.
A Personal Touch
When it’s appropriate, your cover letters should be as personal as possible; mirroring the type of dialogue you have been using in your previous correspondence. A good opening would be to thank your contact for their time and attention, making a special effort to point out specific areas in which they have been of assistance.
Cover Letter Example:
Dear Chris,
Enclosed you will find the business plan that I promised.
I also want to take this time to thank you for all of your assistance. Designing a suitable business plan for your company required me to become familiar with your products and industry. As a result, your answers to my questions and guidance proved to be invaluable. Through your assistance, I was able to create the enclosed professional business plan.
I will contact you on Thursday to discuss this plan after you have had a chance to review. As always, please don’t hesitate to call me or send me an email if you have questions or if I can be of further assistance.
I look forward continuing to work with you.
Sincerely,
Joe Salesman
Despite sending this type of letter because of the cordiality of it, a personalized cover letter should also be sent because it is more persuasive than a stodgier, professional cover letter. Haven’t you realized that when you receive a compliment, you are more likely to give one in return? This may result in a leg up with having your business plan accepted.
What it boils down to is that a cover letter should always be included when submitted your business plan. But in doing so, you should not overstate the obvious and try to be something or someone that you aren’t. Keep it professional, with a slight personal appeal; appropriate to the relationship in which you have already established with your reader.
