Any element in a sales process, from pitch to demo, that doesn't directly align with the customer's pre-existing demand creates "drag," slowing or killing the deal. The solution is not to push harder on the prospect but to re-engineer the sales motion to remove this friction by aligning with their goals.

When a sale closes after a pilot, founders mistakenly credit the pilot as the cause, leading them to bake it into their sales process. The reality is that customers with strong pull might have bought anyway, and the pilot was an unnecessary hurdle they overcame, not a catalyst for the purchase.

A pilot or Proof of Concept (POC) is not a core cause of a purchase. Instead, it is an extra step in the sales process that adds time and complexity, placing it in the category of things that can prevent a deal. It should be avoided or minimized, not encouraged.

The common multi-step sales process (SDR, AE, Solutions Consultant) over weeks creates so much friction that it kills the buyer's initial excitement. This frustrating journey, where the reward seems diminished by the effort, makes the status quo seem more appealing, causing you to lose deals.

A purchase is caused by only two things: the customer has a strong 'pull' (a blocked goal) and believes your solution 'fits'. All other factors in the sales process, like pricing, compliance, or demos, can only prevent a sale from happening. They never cause it.

To identify weak points in your sales process, conduct a 'friction audit' by scoring yourself on seven key factors: clarity, speed, effort, progress, packaging, certainty, and reliability. This quick self-assessment reveals whether you are making the buying process easier or more difficult for your customers.

A buyer might have an urgent need but lack the time or energy to complete the purchasing process. Salespeople can accelerate these deals by doing all the 'heavy lifting' and making it ridiculously easy to buy. If the process requires significant effort from a busy buyer, the deal will stall despite their interest.

Don't assume your buying process is easy for the customer. What's simple for you is a new, complex situation for them. Salespeople lose deals by creating friction. To win, you must identify these "barriers of engagement" and do the work for the customer to make purchasing as simple as possible.

Sales processes become bloated over time, killing rep productivity. Instead of asking what to add, leaders should constantly ask what can be removed to achieve the same outcome. The best way to identify this friction is to be a rep for a day and experience the workflow firsthand.