I disagree. The salutation sets the tone of the body. Just by reading "Dear Sir", I know that the body will probably be impersonal, yet polite. If I see "[Name]

I disagree. The salutation sets the tone of the body. Just by reading "Dear Sir", I know that the body will probably be impersonal, yet polite. If I see "[Name]," I know the body will be professional and to-the-point. "Hi [Name]" sets a friendly tone, often followed by a request. If I do not see a salutation, odds are that the body was written in haste (or in reply to an existing thread).