Youre doing a sales presentation, and suddenly you look across the table and see aliens from another galaxy.

They seal your lips, so none of your eloquence can escape, and through telepathy they say:

Listen to us sales unit. Your product sucks; its no different than any other. In fact, youre lucky we dont kick your puny butt into another dimension. Lower your prices, now. Give us the deal we want, and well let you live another day, so you can swindle some other unsuspecting fools. Probe over!

You do what any poor sap would do: you cut your commissions, your profit margins, anything, just to emerge with a sale.

You sleep like a rock that evening, and by the morning, youre feeling like your old self, again. But as you prepare to meet your first prospect of the day, you get queasy.

Whats wrong? Normally, youre juiced, upbeat, happy, and willing to jump into the fray.

You enter the office, sit down, and the same aliens come in.

Just tell us your price, we have no time for foolishness.

Well, sure, Ill cover that in a minute, you say, just as they taught you when you were a rookie, in training.

That wont do, earth scum! Give us your best price, now!

Okay, okay! Then, you amaze yourself, offering yet another bare bones deal.

You walk away, convinced the aliens are right. Your product is the same as anybodys.

Why are your list prices so high? Doesnt management appreciate how competitive it is out there?

What you dont know is youve been brainwashed, convinced that everything is a commodity, and the only differentiator is price. This is just what clever customers want you to believe, because if you buy this, youll buy anything.

Theyve transformed you from a seller into a buyer, by incessantly making you doubt, until the foundation of your confidence is completely chiseled away.

You must find a way to fight back against customer brainwashing. The best way is by using affirmations.

You have to psych yourself up with statements that say, We offer unique value, and Even if our prices and products are the same, Im different, and Im worth more!

Fight every disparaging comment and innuendo that you hear with a counter-statement. And never let an objection go by, unanswered.

A wise sales manager told me, early in my career:

Gary, when youre in front of a customer only two things can happen: Youll sell them, or theyll sell you!

True, and after we leave an office where aliens are entrenched, we have to re-sell ourselves, or all is lost.