hat do you do when you can't stand your prospect? What if he's irritating, frustrating, rude or annoying? Sure, you could walk away from the sale, but a sale is a sale, and his money is just as good as everyone else's. So even if the thought of pitching a certain prospect feels like nails on a chalkboard, you should still meet with him and see what you can accomplish.

The first thing to do is find out if he's being annoying for sport, or if his irksome habits are only an element of his personality. Some people get a kick out of yanking other people's chains, and in a long workday that gets monotonous. Some prospects look forward to watching you jump every time they voice an objection, request a change to a contract or modify an order.

On the other hand, what you perceive as "exasperating" might simply be that person's character. You might find it tedious to answer the same questions over and over or have to explain a concept in minute detail. Perhaps this prospect prefers to have all of his bases covered and wants to be certain that he understands the fine points of your service. He's not trying to frustrate you, that's simply how he is.

If his tiresome behavior is part of his personality, treat him as you would any other prospect. If he's aggravating or provoking intentionally, you will need to employ some other tactics, such as the following:

• Embrace the Challenge. While your competitors might flee from a difficult prospect, this is an opportunity for you. Their discomfort is your opportunity to sell this client with less competition.
  
  
• Don't Fall for the Distraction. Being tiresome or exasperating might be the way this prospect wins negotiations. He is so annoying that people surrender to his demands just to get him out of their hair. Stay focused on your presentation and your sales points, and ignore his efforts to derail you.
  

• Feed His Ego. Being rude or annoying might be pure theater for this prospect. This is a drama and his role is to get you to give him what he wants. Feed his ego by demonstrating how good he is at his job and what a tough bargainer he is. Give him the satisfaction of knowing that he "won" as you get the signed agreement.
  
  
• End the Game. Some bothersome prospects and clients like the thrill of the chase, the fox and hound of the sale. Once you see signs that he's no longer asking relevant questions or getting off topic, you can eliminate some of the annoying banter and time wasters by simply asking for the sale earlier in the process.
  
  
• Call Him on It. If your client says something annoying or disrespectful, repeat it back to him and ask if that's what he actually meant to say. When faced with his words coming out of your mouth, he might understand why you consider them rude or offensive.
  
  
• Maintain Control. Many times a prospect will be intentionally uncouth or ill mannered just to confuse you or make you uncomfortable. Once he has you disoriented, he's able to take control of the situation and manipulate it in his favor. Keep this tactic in mind as you manage the meeting.

Remember, as much as this person might irritate you, he's only one employee in a larger organization. Resist the temptation to judge the entire company based on his behavior.

He could be in this position because his superiors understand that his personality works to their advantage when negotiating contracts or pricing. Or maybe those within the company don't particularly want to work with him so he is tasked with working with outside contacts. Either way, he's not going anywhere so, you might as well get his business!