Practical Sales Training™ > How People Work > The Law of Past Experience
The Law of Past Experience
What Is It?
Every buyer arrives with a history. So they’ve already formed ideas about people like you, good or bad, before you even speak.
That history shapes the whole conversation. It just usually stays hidden, unless you go looking for it.
Why Does It Work?
If you understand the negative experiences, you can counter them directly. So instead of guessing at objections, you address the real one.
The same goes for positive experiences. Because if a buyer had a great result before, you can lean into that and build on it fast.
Either way, you get ahead of the conversation. Most sellers wait for objections to surface. You can find them first instead.
How Can You Use It?
Ask Before You Pitch
Ask what their past experience has been with something like your offer. Simple, direct questions work best here. So don’t skip this step just to get to your pitch faster.
Listen For The Real Story
Once they answer, listen properly. Was it good or bad? What exactly went wrong, or right? That detail tells you precisely what to say next.
Use It, Don’t Ignore It
Once you know their history, work it into your response. Show them how you’re different, using their own experience as the reference point. This lands far better than a generic pitch ever could.
When It Works Best
This works best early in a sales conversation, before assumptions have hardened. So ask this question near the start, not the end.
It also works well in competitive markets, where buyers have likely tried a rival before. That prior experience becomes your opening, not your obstacle.
When It Becomes Dangerous
The risk is asking the question, then ignoring the answer. If a buyer shares a bad experience and you brush past it, you’ve made things worse, not better.
Dismissing their history also feels careless. Because it tells the buyer you weren’t really listening in the first place.
Used well, this builds trust fast. Used carelessly, it just confirms their worst fear about salespeople.
Common Mistakes
Skipping The Question Entirely
If you never ask about past experience, you miss the objection until it’s too late. So build the question into your process every time.
Getting Defensive
A bad past experience isn’t an attack on you. So respond calmly, not defensively, even if the story reflects badly on your industry.
Not Following Through
If you promise to be different, actually be different. Because a broken promise here just repeats the exact pattern the buyer already fears.
The Law of Past Experience – An Example
The Marketing Agency Conversation
A potential client tells a marketing agency: “We hired an agency before, but they overpromised and underdelivered. It was a waste of money.”
Instead of moving past it, the agency responds: “Thanks for sharing that. We hear that a lot, unfortunately. 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, every step of the way.”
By surfacing that history, the agency defuses the doubt early. So it never even gets the chance to become a full objection later.
They also show empathy in the process. Because acknowledging the buyer’s past, rather than avoiding it, builds trust faster than any pitch could on its own.
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