Practical Sales Training™ > How People Work > The Curse of Knowledge
The Curse of Knowledge
What Is It
The Curse of Knowledge is your buyer’s inability to “unknow” something once they know it. Once they form a fixed view, it’s hard to shift.
This works the same way for you too. But in sales, it’s your buyer’s fixed view that matters most.
Why Does It Work
Once people understand something a certain way, they stay stuck there. This can work in your favour, since educating buyers early sets their reference point for you.
But it can also work against you. If a buyer already holds a negative view of your product, that view sticks just as hard. So the curse cuts both ways, depending on who got there first.
How Can You Use It
Find The Fixed Belief
Ask yourself if there’s a stigma, opinion, or outdated thought attached to your product or service. If buyers keep repeating the same objection, that’s usually the curse at work.
Confront It Directly
Once you’ve spotted it, name it and challenge it head on. Avoiding the belief only lets it sit there unchallenged, so confronting it is what actually moves the buyer.
Watch For Intangible Offers
Our work at Clear Sales Message can sometimes feel like the Emperor’s New Clothes, since the value is intangible by nature. That’s exactly why our book includes a chapter asking “Isn’t this all the Emperor’s New Clothes?” Naming the doubt yourself takes the power out of it.
When It Works Best
It works best early, before a buyer has formed their view. Get there first, and you set the reference point instead of fighting one that’s already locked in.
When It Becomes Dangerous
It becomes dangerous when you assume buyers already understand your product the way you do. You live inside the knowledge every day. They don’t.
So skipping the explanation because it feels obvious to you is a fast way to lose buyers who are still working from an outdated or incorrect view.
Common Mistakes
Assuming Facts Are Enough
Simply stating the correct information rarely shifts a belief that’s already locked in. Buyers need a reason to update their view, not just a contradicting fact.
Ignoring The Objection Instead Of Naming It
Talking around an objection instead of addressing it head on leaves the old belief fully intact. The buyer just keeps thinking what they already thought.
Forgetting You Once Believed It Too
It’s easy to forget you once held the same outdated view yourself. Remembering that helps you explain the shift with patience instead of frustration.
The Curse of Knowledge – An Example
Electric Cars And Cold Weather
Say you sell electric cars. A buyer tells you, “They don’t work in cold weather.” They heard this once, and now treat it as fact.
To break the curse, you might say: “That used to be true for early models, but the latest batteries are tested for sub-zero temperatures. Here’s what’s changed…”
By calmly updating their reference point, you reset their perspective. And that’s what creates space for them to actually buy.
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