I can't wait for these to hit our local ACE Hardware and True Value stores.

By Andrew Liszewski

Unlike the makers of that Canon EOS 350D savings bank, the makers of this DSLR-themed speaker and MP3 player don’t have to worry about any legal repercussions from Canon since they’ve cleverly named their device the ‘Caoon’. Even though it’s a perfect replica of one of the company’s DSLRs.

Well perfect except that instead of taking pictures (or storing pocket change) it serves as an external speaker for any device connected to its 3.5mm audio port, or as an MP3 player loading content from an SD card or USB flash drive. The buttons to the left of the display on the back have even been re-appropriated as playback controls, and because it’s a bit more high-tech than that bank, it will set you back $82.99.

With plenty of people owning a DSLR now, I would have wanted to give them the middle finger by purchasing something like this.

Now, I'm not naive enough to believe all women are great at flirting - I'm sure there are one or two out there who can't do it (although I've never met them - and those who say they 'can't flirt' are actually the best at it!).  But if you have a strength, like flirting, and you are also a woman... then you need to find ways to use that to your advantage in a business setting - to get your project budgets approved, who influence decisions in the way you feel they should go, to get that cute guy in marketing to go out with you (just kidding on the last one!).  Bottom line, use your strengths when negotiating, and don't feel bad about it.

Think about it. I'm a guy (arguable, but true), and if I flirt it just becomes creepy!  It's not a strength I have, plus the above research shows it's probably not a good negotiating skill for me to use as a male. But I love sports, and in a heartbeat I'll sway an entire conversation during negotiation to talking about the other parties favorite teams, players, etc.  Set up future times to see a game and grab a beer, send over tickets to the next big contest, etc.  I'm a guy, it's what we do - it's a strength.   

So, women, especially those in HR - get your flirt on - embrace it, have fun with it - see how far you can push the envelope with it.  It's a skill - and one that your male counterparts usually aren't very good at.  Just think about how many drinks you've bought for a guy vs. how many drinks have been bought for you.  That's all just a negotiation - of which I'm usually on the losing end (okay, always on the losing end!).

I know some women who get their way around negotiating tables with a little bit of flirting. It works, they swear by it.