Business Reference Letter Template

A business reference letter template can serve as a guide if you are ever asked to write a recommendation letter for a vendor or other business associate. Like personal reference letters, business reference letters are used to reassure future customers that the company is legitimate and trustworthy. Often a business will ask for a reference letter to help them promote their work or to use as a testimonial. It’s important to craft a business reference letter properly, since it may be used for a long time to come by others.

In olden times, letters of reference were the principal means by which a company was reassured that the person seeking employment or another company they were interested in doing business with was honest, upright, and trustworthy. Nowadays, many companies seek business reference letters to reassure prospective customers that their services and goods are top notch.

When writing a business reference letter, it’s important to keep several things in mind.

• Provide only positive references for the company. It’s better to decline to write a reference letter if you can only be lukewarm about your relationship with the other company. People read between the lines of a reference letter, and vague or neutral letters imply a less than desirable level of service or satisfaction.
• Include both general statements of the company’s services as well as specific examples.
• If you feel that you’d hire that business again, state it in the letter.

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m pleased to recommend Bonaparte Creative to your company. Over the past five years, I worked directly with John Smith, president of Bonaparte Creative, and Emily Dickinson, their graphic designer, on numerous marketing campaigns. Their services and creativity are top-notch and we have been very pleased with the work they’ve done for us.

By far the biggest marketing campaign they worked on for our company was the launch of Slurp, a new beverage line. Emily led the creative team to design labels, packaging, and advertisements for the product. Our company trusted Bonaparte Creative with over a million dollars worth of advertising, and we were thrilled with the results. Slurp is now the fourth most favorite beverage among the 14-17 crowd, and we believe that Bonaparte Creative’s work led to that success.

Through the years, Bonaparte Creative has been on time and on budget with their projects for our company. I recommend them without hesitation and would hire them again if given the opportunity.

Sincerely,

Rex Chipper

Vice President of Marketing

Always type a business reference letter, and provide a printout or scan of the letter on company stationery. If sending a copy electronically, send the letter as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file or as a picture file. Include the date at the top, and be sure to sign the letter with your full name and title.

The following is a sample template. Be sure to fill in your own information as you write your business reference letter.

(Insert Date)

To Whom It May Concern:

It gives me great pleasure to recommend (insert company name) to your firm. I have worked with (insert company name) for (insert time period). In that time, they (tell the reader about the type of work they did for your firm, and the outcomes. Use specific examples).

I recommend them with enthusiasm, and if given the opportunity, would hire them again for future work.

Sincerely, (Your Signature) (Your Name) (Your Title)

Many business reference letter templates and samples may be found online. The following websites provide other examples and templates for you to use.

• Writing Help provides a full letter to show you how to write a business reference letter. Their letter sample focuses on a recommendation letter for a business.
• Business letters and forms provides many types of sample letter templates.
• Writing Business Letters is a treasure trove of advice, samples and template links.
• Samples is a U.K. based website that offers a template. While the template focuses on a personal business reference letter, it can easily be altered for a business recommendation letter.

If you are looking for more information on personal reference or recommendation letters to use in a business setting, the following resources may be helpful:

• Character_Reference_Letter
• Examples_of_a_Character_Reference_Letter
• Examples_of_Recommendation_Letters
• Letters_of_Recommendation

• Easy Steps to Starting a Business
• Demotivators In the Workplace
• Memo Layout
• The Myths Of Entrepreneurship
• Unethical Business Practices

• Sample Resume Objective
• Memo Examples
• Resume Objective Examples
• Resume Objective Statements
• Sample of Letter of Request

• Letter of Recommendation Template
• Examples of a Character Reference Letter
• Reference Letters
• Sample Character Reference Letter
• Character Reference Letter