What is Sales Friction?
Sales friction refers to any obstacle, barrier, or unnecessary difficulty that prevents prospects from moving forward in their buying journey. Friction appears in many forms: complex pricing, slow response times, confusing websites, multiple decision-makers, lengthy contracts, or poor handoffs between teams.
Every point of friction is an opportunity for prospects to abandon the process, choose a competitor, or simply decide "not now." Removing friction is the highest-ROI activity in modern sales.
Why Friction Matters
The Impact of Friction:
- 74% of buyers choose the vendor that makes it easiest to buy
- Each friction point reduces conversion by 20-40%
- High friction kills deals regardless of product quality
- Low-friction experiences command premium pricing
Buyers have zero patience for difficult experiences. Amazon-trained customers expect one-click purchasing, instant responses, and seamless processes. If your sales process feels like 2015, you're losing deals to competitors who've eliminated friction.
Common Sources of Friction
Sales Process Friction:
- Slow response times to inquiries
- Complex approval processes
- Multiple handoffs between teams
- Unclear pricing or packaging
- Difficult demo scheduling
- Long contract terms
- Excessive information requests
- Complicated implementation requirements
- Hard-to-find pricing
- Confusing product information
- Difficult trial signup
- Poor mobile experience
Best Practices
1. Map Your Customer Journey: Walk through your own buying process. Document every friction point. You can't fix what you don't see.
2. Audit Each Funnel Stage: Measure conversion rates between stages. Drops indicate friction. Investigate and resolve.
3. Reduce Handoffs: Every handoff creates risk. Can one person own more of the journey? Are handoff protocols crystal clear?
4. Simplify Pricing: Complexity kills deals. Fewer SKUs, transparent pricing, and clear upgrade paths reduce decision paralysis.
5. Speed Response Times: Fast follow-up (under 5 minutes) dramatically increases conversion. Automate initial responses when possible.
Common Mistakes
- Adding more steps to "qualify" leads (this is friction)
- Making buyers work for information that should be readily available
- Protecting your process at the expense of customer experience
- Not asking customers where they experienced friction
- Assuming friction is unavoidable
Key Takeaways
- Friction is anything that makes buying harder
- Every friction point costs you conversions
- Map your customer journey and remove obstacles
- Simplify pricing, speed responses, reduce handoffs
- The easiest vendor to buy from often wins
Related Terms
FAB (Features, Advantages, Benefits)
Sales framework translating product features into customer benefits.
Feedback Loop
ISPs notifying senders of spam complaints. Helps maintain reputation.
First Call Resolution
Solving prospect's question or objection on initial call. Indicates preparation.
First Touch Attribution
Crediting first marketing touchpoint for eventual sale. Ignores nurture.
