Understand Your Buyer > How People Work > The Law of Past Experience
What is it?
The Law of Past Experience recognises that your potential clients will have preconceived ideas and understanding about your offering – both good and bad.
Why does it work?
Understanding the negative points so you can counter them and understanding the positives so you can harness them will put you ahead in any sales conversation.
How can you use it?
When speaking with your client it’s important to ask them questions and seek to understand their opinion and past experience of products and services like yours or in the same arena. Once you understand if there is a past experience and whether its positive or negative, you can then use this in your ongoing sales interaction.
Example:
A marketing agency is speaking with a potential client who says:
“We hired an agency before, but they overpromised and underdelivered. It was a waste of money.”
Instead of ignoring it, the agency responds:
“Thanks for sharing that – unfortunately, we hear that a lot. That’s why we work in short sprints with clear deliverables and no long-term contracts. You’ll know exactly what we’re working on and what results to expect, every step of the way.”
Why it works:
By uncovering the buyer’s past experience, the agency defuses doubt before it becomes an objection. They show empathy, differentiate themselves, and build trust – all by acknowledging the buyer’s history rather than avoiding it.
See also
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