工作中切忌把话说得太满

 　　Last week, I took a sales class for female business owners. The first thing the instructor¹ did was ask if anyone had been the victim of a bad sales experience. Every person in the room raised her hand.

　　When she probed for details, we learned that the negative situations had one thing in common. It seemed that whenever a class member had a bad sales experience, it involved the seller promising² something he wouldn’t or couldn’t deliver.

　　The example I shared with the class was a current one. I bought a summer membership at our community pool precisely³ because it advertised a lovely baby pool to which I could escape with my active one and four year-olds. However, every time I’ve used the pool this summer, the baby area has been closed. Too much chlorine, claimed one manager. Debris⁴ from the storm, cited another.

　　I’m sure the pool director was very apologetic that his customers had been inconvenienced, and that’s nice, but the point is that I did not get what I paid for. When the baby pool was closed, I had to swim with my kids in the adult pool, which did not afford me the control I wanted and as such, was quite stressful. I would have rather stayed home.

　　The pool has lost a customer. I will not be buying a pass next summer.

　　In work and in life, it is really important not to promise something you can’t deliver, because at best, it will mar⁵ your relationships. At worse, you could lose your job. Here are some things to think through in advance to avoid this scenario⁶.

　　Consider Whether You Have the Authority To Make the PromiseBefore you assure a co-worker or customer that you can get something done, make sure that your boss or someone higher-up isn’t going to step in and force you to abandon your plan.

　　Consider If It Depends On FateYou don’t want your reputation to depend on if the weather holds up or traffic is light. You are not God, so don’t lead people to believe that you control the universe.

　　Consider If You Have Been Set Up To FailPay attention to rules or policies you are asked to enforce or deals you are asked to make. Do not allow yourself to be put into a situation in which you have to sell an item worth 99 cents for 99 dollars. You will let the customer down every time.

　　Consider a History of Biting Off More Than You Can ChewIn the interest of pleasing others, do you consistently overextend yourself and agree to more than you are capable of doing or deadlines you can’t possibly make? Recognize that leaving people in a lurch⁷ is much worse than declining to help in the first place.

　　Consider If You Could Use An Extra PushThe most critical step in solving any problem is to admit that there is a problem. Maybe you are just one of those people who mean well but needs to be constantly reminded of commitments. If this is the case, consider a real or virtual assistant or a more detailed⁸ e-calendar that ensures timely follow up on promised items.

1 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

4 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

5 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

6 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

7 lurch   

n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行

参考例句：

• It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
• He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。