No Bull Business Blog

What nervous employees don't want to hear

Employees are quite antsy these days. So be careful what you say. BuzzWhack.com listed the top 10 things not to say, including:

• "I've always thought of us as family around here, but ..."
• "Can I see you in the conference room"

And our favorite is: "They've asked everyone to come to the Employee Appreciation Room for a 4 p.m. meeting."

See the full list and another 10 that readers offered up at BuzzWhack: Top 10 things nervous employees don't want to hear right now

Got any 'plate lickers' at your place?

We all know folks who don't miss an opportunity to get a free meal. BuzzWhack.com  calls them "plate lickers." Here's BuzzWhack's  definition:

plate lickers: People who show up for the free food. Could be members of a customer's staff who invite themselves to a working lunch. They provide no input, have no decision-making authority, generally dress slovenly and order the most expensive thing on the menu. After lunch, they will go back to their cubicles and complain about you, the restaurant and their station in life.

BuzzWhack.com         

No Bull Quote

"Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself."

- Gary Comer

Top 10 Communication Gaffes in Business

You'd think everyone you work with would know better than commit these business communication sins. But I suspect you can put at least one colleague's name to every one of the following:

1. Using your cell's speakerphone when you're in public. Not only is it annoying, but hearing both sides of the conversation generally confirms for everyone that you're not as bright as you think you are.

2. Not turning off the ringer on your cell phone while in the office. Once is forgiven in my office, twice may get you killed.

3. Forwarding a list of jokes (especially tasteless ones) to others in the office. Don't you have anything original to say?

4. Sending any e-mail or snail-mail message that begins "Dear Sir or Madame". Even spammers don't do this anymore.

5. Hitting "Send" before reading what you wrote. Unless you do, you're dramatically increasing your chances of getting fired (or at least embarrassed).

6. Using smiley faces or emoticons in business correspondence. They aren't cute or funny. And they say you're not serious about doing business.

7. Forgetting that all e-mail sent from your business e-mail address is "business." There are plenty of lawsuits out there that will back this up.

8. Using "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" as your ringtone. Not everyone shares your taste in music.

9. Answering your phone during a business meeting. No, it doesn't mean you're more important than the rest of us.

10. Hitting "Reply All" - particularly when you're making a snarky comment. Need we say more?

DIGGING DEEPER

We all have to deal with difficult people. For help, check out the Executive Report: Stopping Difficult People From Sucking the Life Out of Your Organization.

10 most outrageous lies on resumes

Only 8% of employees admit to stretching the truth on their resumes, but 49% of hiring managers say they’ve caught job applicants lying on their resumes, says a CareerBuilder.com survey.

The most common lies included:

• Embellished responsibilities – 38%
• Skill set -18%
• Dates of employment -12%
• Academic degree -105
• Companies worked for – 7%
• Job title 15%

But some folks make incredible claims: Here are some of the most outrageous:

1. Claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family
2. Invented a school that did not exist
3. Submitted a resume with someone else's photo inserted into the document
4. Claimed to be a member of Mensa
5. Claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had
6. Claimed to be the CEO of a company when the candidate was an hourly employee
7. Listed military experience dating back to before he was born
8. Included samples of work, which the interviewer actually did
9. Claimed to be Hispanic when he was 100 percent Caucasian
10. Claimed to have been a professional baseball player

DIGGING DEEPER
Spotting bad hires before they're on the payroll saves you a lot of angst and money. Get help with this Executive Report: Interviewing: Weed Out Slackers, Stupid People and Bad Fits.

10 dumbest excuses for being late

One in four workers admits to making up excuses for arriving late.

More than 32% blame traffic and another 17% blame it on falling back asleep, says a CareerBuilder survey.

Most of us would probably buy those answers, but the 10 below are a bit beyond belief:

1. While rowing across the river to work, I got lost in the fog.
2. Someone stole all my daffodils.
3. I had to go audition for American Idol.
4. My ex-husband stole my car so I couldn't drive to work.
5. My route to work was shut down by a Presidential motorcade.
6. I wasn't thinking and accidentally went to my old job.
7. I was indicted for securities fraud this morning.
8. The line was too long at Starbucks.
9. I was trying to get my gun back from the police.
10. I didn't have money for gas because all of the pawn shops were closed.

DIGGING DEEPER
Spotting bad hires before they're on the payroll saves you a lot of angst and money. Get help with this Executive Report: Why Stupid People Get Hired - And What You Can Do To Avoid This.

No Bull Quote

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."

- Henry J. Kaiser

No Bull Quote

The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.

- Bertrand Russell

Do ya think Eliot Spitzer asked for a discount?

It didn't take long for the jokes to start flying about now former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his sex scandal.

But No Bull admires how Shamus Brown, the sales guru, turned Spitzer's woes into his own sales pitch. Brown's EGOPOWER e-mail newsletter just arrived with the subject line: "Do Ya Think Eliot Spitzer Asked for a Discount?"

Before you think Brown was just after a cheap laugh, he actually used it to make a point about sales. An excerpt from his e-mail:

Do ya think he got a discount?

I sure hope so.

But some how I doubt it.

You see, some people just aren't that price sensitive.

In fact many premium customers use price as a proxy for quality.

Tis true.

Many of us have a built in belief that the higher the price is, the more quality there is in the service.

I think it's pretty obvious that Eliot thought this way.

It's a good reminder for your salespeople. Customers are always hammering them about price, but the truth is, most customers believe that you get what you pay for. And they really don't want second best.

DIGGING DEEPER
Every salesperson has heard it. "Your price is too high." So how do you turn price-conscious prospects into value-loving customers? This Executive Report can help: Overcoming Objections - Value vs. Price.

No Bull Quote

Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats.

- Howard Aiken

No Bull Quote

"The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided."

–  Casey Stengel

Can you top these excuses for missing work?

Almost a third of employees admit to calling out sick from work when they weren't ill. And most bosses believe them, says a CareerBuilder survey.

Think you've heard all the best excuses for missing work? Think again. Here are some gems offered by employees calling out:

• "My dog wasn't feeling well. So I took a bite of his food to see if that's what got him sick and now I'm sick."
• "A groundhog bit my car tire and it went flat. Now I’m stuck on the side of the road."
• "I'm not feeling well and I want to rest up for the company holiday party tonight."
• "I'm too upset to come into work today because my favorite American Idol contestant was voted off."

Can you top these? Bet you can. Share your stories by leaving a comment.

DIGGING DEEPER
Hiring is the most important thing a company does. So how come we make so many hiring mistakes? To make sure you're hiring the right people, you're invited to check out the Executive Report: Why Stupid People Get Hired.