and stress was shown by research at the Harvard Physiologic Laboratory. The results hold true today. Too little stimulation can be just as


great a problem as too much. In one study, participants were restricted to a single room and told to do abso- lutely nothing. Most of them rated the situation unbearable after three or four days. During the experi- ment, the bored subjects developed tension, sleeplessness, personality changes, reduced intellectual perfor- mance, and feelings of depersonali- zation. Happily, all these symptoms quickly disappeared when subjects resumed their normal activities. Other research shows that people overwhelmingly agree boredom on the job is even more uncomfortable than long hours, heavy workloads, and pressing responsibilities. According to a study of 2,000 people at University of Michigan’s Institute for Occupational Safety, those who reported being bored at work felt their


abilities were not being used and that their jobs did not provide as much complexity and variety as they wanted. Managers who want to ensure their people reach levels of peak perfor- mance must learn exactly where the comfort zone occurs – not just by de- partment or unit, but by individual, as well. Managers should interweave the best motivation with individuals’ own one-minute goals, relate that motiva-


SELLING TIP Write Great Emails


Email is integral to everyone’s lives and it conveys a sense of urgency. Still, just because you “fire off” an email to a prospect or customer doesn’t have to mean it’s written sloppily. Always proofread your email as critically as you would a hard-copy proposal. Typos and transposed letters don’t add to your credibility. Don’t write in fragments or incomplete sentences. Don’t be too casual. Use proper titles.


– WILLIAM R. KELLY


tion to the specific job a person is performing, and link it with measur- able outcomes.


As with situational leadership, the level of competence and commitment of each individual will differ. Being aware of these differences will enable managers to help people hit high achievement levels. Appropriate, well-managed stimula- tion is the stuff that makes winners. 


SELLING TIP Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy


“Selling is tough enough as it is. So why engage in self-destructive behavior that might throw an ad- ditional monkey wrench into the proceedings?” Jim Domanski, president of Teleconcepts Consulting, poses this hard-to-argue-with question. “Let’s face it,” he adds, “sometimes we are unknowingly our own worst enemies.” Domanski refers specifically to words and phrases we use consciously or unconsciously that can be the equivalent of thumbing one’s nose at the buyer. He takes a hard look at the following unwittingly un- aware order killers. • Doubting Thomas – Thomas’s problem is that he plants doubt in the buyer’s mind regarding his products or services. Typically, his mindless assertions run as follows: “Mr. X, I’m assuming you wouldn’t be interested in the 4670 syringe at this point,” or, “Mr. X, this particular insurance doesn’t cover that contingency,” or, “Am I right? Your pharmacy doesn’t use lancets?”


• Slandering Sam – Selling, like any other busi- ness, has its high and low roads. Sam latches on


to the low road and sticks stubbornly to it. “I’ll tell you in strict confidence, Mr. Howe: You can’t trust that outfit. I’ve heard stories you wouldn’t believe.”


• The Turnoff Captain – There are a lot of turn- off captains out there. They make it easy for the buyer to say adios with, “We can’t do that,” or, “We don’t deliver overnight,” or, “We can’t handle those quantities.”


• Sarcastic Sally – Old Sal is the worst of the lot. She says, “That’s your opinion, pal,” or, “If you’re not interested in saving money, that’s OK by me.”


• Suicidal Sylvia – Sylvia, who should be in the fu- neral parlor business rather than sales, signs her own death certificate several times a week by say- ing, “Our accounting department screws up all the time when it comes to billing,” or, “If we had a reliable shipping department, our complaints would be cut in half,” or, “Between the two of us, if our sales manager wasn’t the president’s son, he’d be driving a truck,” or, “Our manufacturing group is always late.” Get the picture? It’s easy to say things without


appreciating the impact of your statements. Do you ever mouth sales killers to buyers without realizing it? – SELLING POWER EDITORS


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