Here are some more idioms we use in business situations.

1. belt-tightening – reduction of expenses
That company had to do some belt-tightening when sales started to drop.

2. crunch time – a period at work when there is a lot of pressure to achieve a result.
Crunch time is at the end of the month. That is when we need to get orders done and shipped.

3. drum up business – to find new customers
Our manager asked us to drum up business or we’re in trouble.

4. fast track a project – to speed up a project, get it done earlier
Rumor has it our biggest competitor is making a product just like ours. We need to fast track this project to beat them to the punch.

5. generate lots of buzz – to have people talking about one’s company in a positive way.
Microsoft generated lots of buzz when it announced the launch of Windows 7.

6. hard sell – an aggressive way of selling
They’re known for using the hard sell on their customers and guess what, they succeed every time!

7. jump through hoops – to face many obstacles and bureaucratic difficulties
We had to jump through hoops to get the permit to visit Google main office.

8. on top of trends – modern, high tech
Manny Stores are always on top of trends when it comes to clothes sales.

9. pull your weight – to do your job, your share of the work
Sarah always had to help out when her coworkers wouldn’t pull their weight. Her manager saw that and promoted her.

10. scale back your hours – to reduce the number of hours you work
After the accident I had to scale back my hours so I could go to physical therapy every day.

See you next time!