BUT...there's always that rare customer out there who feels they have all the answers and wants to duke it out with you over your pricing, your service, etc.

My first response is to definitely not get into some kind of an argument. Be cool, calm, and collected. It's amazing how fast a person will back down if you can explain your position clearly and with confidence.

Recently, a window washer I know got stuck with what he called "The Negotiators". Two different customers who were looking for free services, cheaper pricing, or a combination of both.

But in the end by sticking to his guns, he and both customers ended up winners. Paul actually ended up making MORE money on one of the jobs and received glowing reviews from the customer saying he hasn't seen his windows that clean in 20 years.

The other negotiator, an attorney, said this after the job was done: "You did a really good job on my windows, Thank You! I want you to do the rest of my house and I want you to do my mother's house too."

And the icing on the cake was him receiving a referral from this attorney for him to do another attorney's house.

So the moral of the story is when you run up against a difficult customer or a "negotiator" as Paul calls 'em, be firm, be specific, and be confident. We provide a valuable service done in a professional manner. All we need to do is prove it to the customer.

Worst case scenario...just walk away. I know it's hard sometimes to walk away from business but I've "fired" customers before if I felt that a customer was not only going overboard in his or her demands but also doing it in a rude manner. It's not worth it.

Anyway...if you need to fire a customer or walk away from a prospect, do it as a last resort obviously, but also remember that there is a boatload of glass out there to clean, so your area is filled to the brim with lots and lots of other prospects.