Now this is not to be confused with folks who hold a high expectation for performance and demand excellence. There is a difference. Excellence folks demand as much from themselves as they do others. Excellence folks sharpen and challenge others and make them better at what they do. Excellence folks are not about CONTROL as much as they are about excellence.

A P.I.T.A. expects high performance, accountability, and perfection from others but not from themselves.

A P.I.T.A. is apathetic about returning calls, responding to voice messages, and replying to e-mails. They don't give you the respect or common courtesy to even say they are not interested. You are just ignored! You don't hear from them at all unless it's to discuss "their" pain points.  If they have a pain point and think you are to fix it then Katie bar-the-door. You better answer the phone on the first ring.

If you go to a restaurant with a P.I.T.A., you will feel sorry for anyone waiting your table. They are extremely demanding, asking for extras, more service, better cuts of meat, more cook, less cook, fresher this and that... and then after the server has jumped through all the hoops they leave a smaller than customary tip. The joy of eating out with them is gone and you might just leave with indigestion.

The scales don't begin to balance when doing a business transaction with a P.I.T.A.   It's the old "three for me, one for youuuu, two for me, one for youuu..." And then at the time of a final purchase, the P.I.T.A. requires extra services and chisels the price until the cheeks are chapped of those dealing with them. After they chisel the seller only THEN do they begin to chisel the dust off their wallet to open it. P.I.T.A.'s are folks who expect 50 lbs. of product/service for a 25 lb. price tag.

A P.I.T.A. requires enormous amounts of time as they shop for everything from cars to painters. Business passes by the painters and the car salesman three times over as the P.I.T.A. gobbles up their time and attention. A P.I.T.A. does not consider that time has value, my time or his time. A P.I.T.A. can be spotted when they return to a business establishment and the staff run to the back room and hide. They make such an indelible memory with their first visit that they are never forgotten.

My friend told me that he trained his sales people how to identify a P.I.T.A. and how to find a reason to send them to the competition. The strategy was to bog down the competition with P.I.T.A.'s and thus spend HIS valuable time selling and servicing reasonable people. Sounds like a smart strategy to me!

If you don't see yourself as a P.I.T.A., you're not alone. I don't know any P.I.T.A.'s that do. Rarely would a P.I.T.A. recognize those traits in themselves. They are blind to them. A P.I.T.A. however will readily see their personality traits in others. I think that is called projecting.

As you read through this P.I.T.A. story did your thoughts turn to a P.I.T.A. in your life? If so, you might seriously consider adopting a strategy on how to skillfully send your P.I.T.A. to the competition. Your time is valuable and you may use it wisely by managing your P.I.T.A. supply more effectively.