For the past few months, I've been hearing interesting comments on the economy — both positive and negative — from salespeople. Here is a sample of some of the negative attitudes I've heard from salespeople about tough times and tough markets:

• Price is the only thing that sells in our industry.
• The only thing buyers care about these days is a cheap price.
• The only way to compete in our market is to have the absolute lowest price.
• Our industry is all bid.
• There are no more negotiated deals out there.
• I've got everybody's price shopper in my territory.
• It's a waste of time to convince someone to pay more for something.
• Forget service and support, the only thing that really counts is a cheap price.
• Hey, if I don't cut the price I'll lose the business.
• I shop price, doesn't everyone?
• What I sell is no different than anybody else.
• It's out of my hands. I'm helpless in the process.
• Heck, I'd feel guilty selling at that price. It's gouging the customer.
• It takes too much effort to avoid price objections.
• You can't sell in tough times or tough markets.
• It's different in my industry.
• Imagine the impact this attitude has on the salesperson's behavior—they are defeated before they start. Contrast these negative attitudes with the following list of positive attitudes for tough times:
• There are buyers who will pay more for a better solution. I've witnessed this in the past. I've seen these buyers. I've sold to them. I know who they are.
• Price is only one of several variables that go into the decision process. There are many things that affect the buyer's decision to buy.
• My attitude about price affects my profit margins and my success.
• We sell something special, and I'm excited about what we can do for the buyer.
• No product is overpriced unless the customer under-desires it.
• My success in tough times stems directly from my preparation and my attitude.
• The more value I build in on the front end, the less important price becomes on the back end.
• The more I study our product and service, the more passionate I become about them. This passion fuels my conviction, and it is this conviction that makes me
• persuasive.
• If I have 20 percent market share, that means I have an 80 percent opportunity share to pursue.

As you study this list of negative and positive attitudes, which describes your attitude more accurately? If the list of negative thoughts reflects your beliefs, you need to give yourself a mental enema to abandon this thinking. Your behavior will never change as long as you harbor these beliefs. If you sound more like the positive list, keep up the great work!