We All Deal With It
Whether you're in marketing, sales, or product development, at some point you'll run into the Curse of Knowledge. Especially if you’ve been in your field for years. You simply know too much. And that makes it really tough to tell your story in a way that’s clear, simple, and convincing — especially to someone who doesn’t live in your world (yet).
We see it all the time in sales materials: decks, one-pagers, and proposals packed with jargon, internal lingo, or just way too much info. It makes sense from your perspective. But for your prospect? It’s usually information overload.
So, What Is the Curse of Knowledge?
The term comes from the book Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath. They explain how experts often forget what it’s like to be a beginner. Research shows that once you fully understand something, you automatically assume others do too — even when they don’t.
One classic example from the book is the “Tappers and Listeners” experiment by Elizabeth Newton at Stanford (1990). One group tapped the rhythm of well-known songs (like Happy Birthday) on a table, while the others tried to guess the song. The tappers thought half of the listeners would get it right. In reality? Only 2.5% guessed correctly.
Why? Because the tappers were hearing the full melody in their head — but all the listeners heard were random taps.
That’s what happens in communication too. You hear the music of your story. But your customer? They’re just hearing disconnected beats. That’s the Curse of Knowledge in action.
What We See in Sales Content
Companies often get so deep into their product, service, or expertise that they forget what it’s like to have zero context. The result?
Way too much detail
Slides full of insider terms
Jargon with no explanation
Lots of talking at the customer, but not much that actually connects
Which leads to prospects zoning out — or just walking away altogether.
So, How Do You Break the Curse?
It starts with one key question: What does my customer already know — and what don’t they know (yet)?
Step outside your own bubble. See things through your prospect’s eyes. That means making smart choices about what you say and how you say it. Not everything needs to be said. And not everything is relevant at every stage.
You can’t get rid of the Curse of Knowledge completely. But you can work around it by reshaping your story. The Heath brothers suggest six powerful principles:
Simple: Boil your message down to the core
Unexpected: Surprise grabs attention
Concrete: Use real, relatable examples
Credible: Back it up with facts or trusted voices
Emotional: Speak to what your audience cares about
Story: Don’t just list things — tell it like a story
Think about JFK’s mission: “We’re going to put a man on the moon and bring him back safely before the end of the decade.”
Now compare that to CEO-speak: “We aim to achieve market leadership in aerospace through innovation and strategic initiatives.”
Only one of those actually makes you want to get up and do something.
Practical Tips for a Sales Story That Actually Clicks
Start with the customer: What’s their challenge or question?
Use plain language and clear, concrete examples
Run your story past someone outside your company — see if it sticks
Use visuals to simplify complex stuff
Always build your deck or one-pager around this question:
What should my customer understand or do next?Tailor your content to each deal stage — no more one-size-fits-all decks
The Bottom Line
The most powerful sales stories aren’t the ones where you say everything you know.
They’re the ones where you say exactly what your customer needs to hear to take the next step.
Simple isn’t easy. But it works.
