Chapter 9 - Negative Messages

In business, we certainly must face bad things, such as poor service, undelivered goods, customer dissatisfaction, and other matters. Of course, you need to apologize for mistakes. Bad news may disappoints and irritates the receiver. Therefore, you need to use a suitable strategy, either direct or indirect, to deliver bad news.

Direct strategy is effectively used when

• The bad news is not damaging.
• The receiver may overlook the bad news.
• The organization or receiver prefers directness.
• Firmness is necessary.

Indirect strategy is effectively used when

• The bad news is personally upsetting.
• The bad news will provoke a hostile reaction.
• The bad news threatens the customer relationship.
• The bad news is unexpected.

The comparison of these strategies can be seen in this figure.

Personally, I think the most important part for both direct and indirect strategy is the closing part. It is not about delivering your apology, but providing your solution regarding bad news you delivered. Customers need apology. However, getting the solution is the biggest need of customers. Therefore, you need to do closing pleasantly through:

• Forward look

Thank you for your bid. We look forward to working with your talented staff when future projects demand your social expertise.

• Alternative Follow-Up

Although the lot you saw last week is now sold, we do have two excellent view lots available at a slightly higher price

• Good Wishes

We appreciate your interest in our company, and we extend to you our best wishes in your search to find the perfect match between your skills and job requirements.

• Freebies

Your loyalty and your concern about our frozen entrees are genuinely appreciated. Because we want you to continue enjoying our healthful and convenient dinners, we are enclosing a coupon that you can take to your local market to select your next Green Valley entree.

• Resale or Sales Promotion

The computer workstations you ordered are unusually popular because of their stain-, heat-, and scratch-resistant finishes. To help you locate hard-to-find accessories for these workstations, we invite you to visit our Web site where our online catalog provides a huge selection of surge suppressors, multiple outlet strips, security devices, and PC tool kits.