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Pitas vs PITAs

We all know about pitas; those delicious fluffy bread pockets that you can stuff with all sorts of yummy things. These heavenly food bits are not to be mistaken with a P.I.T.A.; a cute, though not so tasty acronym for Pain In The Ass.  What am I talking about?  Clients/Customers (though they can be friends or family too)….Pain in the ass clients (or other forces for negativity in our lives).  We have all had them, we will all likely have them again.  The law of averages practically guarantees that the more clients/customers we see the more PITAs we are confronted with. We DO have control over how many and how often AND we can learn from each one that sneaks through our defenses.  Why is a little thing like a PITA client so destructive and why am I making a big deal about it?  I’m so glad you asked!  First let’s talk about how they happen.

Reasons we let them through the gates, even when our better judgment is poking at us:

-scarcity or lack mentality, aka there isn’t enough or what if another one doesn’t come for a while

-fear of missing out, aka what if they really are great underneath all that truth seeping out their face, and what if another one isn’t there to fill the spot

-we tell ourselves bullshit stories, aka “I love a challenge”, “I”m sure they are not like that all the time” (see the last blog post about when people show you who they are), “They can’t be as crazy as my radar is telling me they are”, and  “I can handle it.”

Reasons we should have a highly skilled border patrol for these folks (No, I did NOT say ‘build a wall’):

-PITA’s wear you out…I mean GRIND YOU DOOOWWWN, got nothin’ left for NO body.

-They take up 80% of your best energy and attention and only bring you 20% of your revenues.

-Sometimes they are a negative net and they actually cost you money.

-They are NEVER happy…and they talk shit to their friends about it (there is such a thing as bad publicity despite what some say).

-In a group setting, they can become a cancer for your other clients/customers.

-They take up valuable real estate on your roster that could otherwise be occupied by ‘right fit’ people who could sit at your feet and listen to every word you say with reverence.

-They don’t support your business with referrals or strengthen your circle of influence, in fact, they burn it down from the inside out.  Anyone smell smoke?

-You are constantly chasing them for money.

-They show up late and often miss appointment entirely usually followed by a million excuses or zero acknowledgment or apology. This costs you time and money.

-They walk all over you at the cost your self esteem, confidence and credibility.

If you are offended by my saying any of this…you might be a PITA and I might be serving as a trigger or a mirror for you.  Don’t judge it, just observe it. Notice what you notice. Maybe you were a PITA once but have learned your lesson.  It is always good for us to self-evaluate when engaging with those who provide us mentorship and service.  Do I ever do this to the people or businesses I pay patron to?  Do a little ‘check yourself before you wreck yourself’.  It’s OK to ‘“rock your paradoxes” as Danielle Laporte would say.  “Be strong in your preferences AND be easy to please”.  Being assertive and knowing what you want is not being a PITA.  It IS being empowered and assertive in a respectful way.  Being abusive and lacking in respect, never having anything nice to say, and generally being a life sucking force….that is a PITA.  DON’T BE A PITA.  They don’t get invited to the fun parties.

So how do we avoid them?

-Take a look at your marketing.  Is it attracting and speaking to the right people?  If you are getting a lot of PITAs it doesn’t necessarily mean you are a pleaser and can’t say no.  You may simply be attracting the wrong demographic. It may be time to look at your message and who it speaks to and tweak it, or simply tweak ‘where’ you are being seen with it.

-Manage your mindset.  If you are saying yes to the wrong people ask your self why.  Are you struggling financially and something feels better than nothing?  Need help with this?  Call me…  TODAY!!  Let’s stop that cycle.

-Have strong preferences and a clear vision of what your ideal clients look and feel like.  Use that vision like a navigation system.  It is your compass.

-Exercise your boundaries.  Flex the muscle of saying no…unapologetically and often.  There is a nice way to do it.  I can show you how.

What does a great client feel like?  The unsavory truth is, some business owners don’t know because they, without realizing it. built a business on less than ideal clients and they have all the struggles that come with them to prove it.

Here are a few notes on what great clients have meant to me:

-They make you feel like you are a gift to this world…and it makes you blush.

-They tell you often and without hesitation how much impact you have had on their lives.

-They tell all the people they know.  They shout it from the rooftops and are your ‘ride or die’ fans.

-You feel confident and valued.

-They pay you…on time, what you are worth and without complaint.

-They take action toward what you talk about and they get results.

-They are always looking for ways to improve and play a bigger game so they can give bigger to this world…and they know they need your help to do it.

Damn!…dont those people feel good?!

I am so blessed to say I currently do not have a single PITA on my roster and I have a few platforms in my business that I serve under which based on the law of averages, increases my odds of having one (knock on wood I stay in ‘practicing what I teach LOL).  I really have THE VERY BEST clients and feel honored and privileged every day to serve them.

So if I have such great clients why am I talking about PITAs?  I didn’t always have great clients and many of my clients didn’t start out with the best clients either.  They had a pile of headaches, both literally and figuratively, they lost sleep and stomach lining, some were eating Xanax like Pez (not judging), and facing burnout.  Work wasn’t fun and life outside of work was on a fast decline.  Together we turned it around! Better balance= bigger and better and more badass fulfillment.

Want a seat next to this elite group of people, drop me a note, or grab a spot on my calendar. CLICK THE LINK HERE

In the meantime, drop me a comment below and tell me your best PITA story?  How did you get out of it (maybe you are still in it)?  Have you learned your lesson? What strategies do you employ to keep your roster squeaky clean?  Got anything to add above lists? Can I fit another question in here? Gimme the dish!

If you need help in your business cleaning up your roster…might be clients, might be vendors. eek…it might be people who sit next to you at holiday dinner and send you birthday cards in the mail.  I can help!

Grab a seat here

P.S. All this talk about pitas and you KNOW one of you is going to be making a run to the grocery store today.  #pitasfordinner 😉

P.P.S. I know I said the next one would be shorter…my bad. #loquacious  Google that one.  It can be your $5 word of the day

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6 thoughts on “Pitas vs PITAs”

  1. WOW… I can definitely relate to this as I have had several P.I.T.A’s in my entrepreneurial journey. The one that jumps out at me the most is my most recent P.I.T.A whom I mistakenly gave a 25% rate decrease. After coming on board he insisted that we talked once a week about the results… For the record, my policy is to have quarterly meetings and I send out monthly reports. Needless to say, he was not my ideal client. Notice I said, “was”. Once I realized that he was a P.I.T.A client, I very quickly got rid of him and moved on. I was able to do it because of past similar experiences. I know that there will always be P.I.T.A’s out there, but the trick is to recognize them quickly and not take them on as a client from the beginning. I’m still working on getting my P.I.T.A detector fined tuned, but it is getting better…

  2. I hate to admit how much this rings true to me!! Ha! In my clinical practice, I’ve encountered my fair share of PITAs. But I thank them now because, I finally learned to set better boundaries. (And they also were the last straw that pushed me to stop playing safe and to follow my dream to have an online academy.)

    This is a great post!

  3. Pingback: SELL….The other 4 letter ‘S’ word – The Balance Maven

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