By Rufus Mudsucker (bio)

I read in TV Guide the other day that most people experience a 68% hearing loss while naked. (You may find this disturbing on several levels; First that I read TV Guide. Second that I learn from TV Guide. And third, that I find analogies between TV Guide material and rent to own). Rent to Own is always satisfying, but sometimes stressful. I was curious to learn how stressful situations can lead to hearing loss so, in the grand Mudsucker tradition, I began researching scientific methods of measuring my stress while naked in various settings.

During my research, I was informed by the United Health Foundation, that hearing loss while naked in a doctors office occurs due to stress, not nakedness itself. And it's not really "hearing loss", as much as it is our ability to absorb information accurately under stressful conditions.

A person who feels no stress while standing naked in front of a relative stranger would hear and absorb every word. A person like myself, who has the body of an underdeveloped, overfed, 42 year old non-exercising male will feel intense stress, therefore significant, and in my case total hearing loss.

Armed with this clarification, and to my family and friends intense relief, I called off my naked-induced-stress experiment and set about learning how stress might affect our own and, more importantly, our Rent to Own customers perceptions of what we say.

Stress is like a filter; a lens through which we view the world. The more stress we are under, the more our perceptions are changed by it. An employee whose route is 14% past due two hours before close on Saturday may very well perceive your encouragement as sarcasm, rather than true concern for his or her bonus. Likewise, a customer in the 17th month of an 18 month agreement may perceive your "friendly renewal reminder" as harassment rather than true concern.

As the "sender of the message" we may have the best of intentions. But after our message is filtered through the stress of a past due customer or an overworked employee, our intentions are often not what the "receiver of the message" hears.

Stress affects us all in different ways. Some people wouldn't feel stress if the building burnt down around them. Others have a complete meltdown if the remote control doesn't work. When dealing with others, whether they be employees, customers, or co-workers, ask yourself "How will my message be received?" "Based on prior experience with this person, how can I change my message to make it more effective?"

This does not mean altering your standards. Performance goals are there for a reason. But realize that the path to 5.4% past due is not straight. Whether you are an owner/manager working with employees, or an account manager working with customers, you must get to know the person, not just the numbers, to be truly effective.