My Bad: Stop Saying This In Place Of An Apology
When’s the last time you were the customer and had a bad experience?
Maybe it was at a restaurant, a local store or maybe it was with someone you hired to provide a service for you. Did you bring it to someone’s attention? And if so, how was it handled?
It’s always been my opinion when something doesn’t go well with a customer; it’s an opportunity to earn a customer for life when you handle it immediately and with care.
Of course, when it’s not handled with care, it may not only cost you a customer, it can seriously damage your reputation and bring your business to its knees.
My Bad Continued…
Not too long ago my guy and I went to a local restaurant for dinner. This was a place we frequented about once a month. On this particular occasion, the waitress was not attentive, forgot to bring our appetizer, didn’t refill our drinks and brought out something we didn’t even order. She didn’t even stick around to make sure everything was ok before she disappeared. By the time she came back to bring us our bill we were frustrated. I kindly pointed out that she’d made a few missteps with our order, and her response was, “My bad. I’ll do better next time.”
What’s interesting is this response of “My bad” seems to be a more commonly used response in place of an apology. Since this incident at the restaurant I’ve heard more and more people saying it, “My bad.”
Saying to an unhappy customer, “My bad” may come across as dismissive and further exacerbate the problem. These common slang phrases rarely help a situation.
Your Savvy Sales Tip this week: My Bad
When something goes amiss with a customer, apologize and then do what you can to correct the situation.
When apologizing, actually say the words, “I apologize for (fill in the issue), please forgive me. Let me see what I can do to make this right.” Then move on to finding a solution. You don’t have to beat yourself up or fall at your customer’s feet, yet a real apology will go so much further than a flippant response like “My bad.”
It’s always a good idea to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about how you want to be treated and then respond accordingly.
Agree? Disagree? Have additional comments or thoughts on this article? Please share.
