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.

Buyers' daily interactions with seamless consumer technology and AI are setting a new, higher standard for B2B sales. They now subconsciously compare your sales process to the easiest experience they've had anywhere, causing them to lose patience, ghost, and stall much faster when they encounter friction.

Salespeople who focus on being likable can still lose deals if their process is difficult. Buyers may enjoy interacting with them but will ultimately avoid purchasing because slow follow-ups, unclear next steps, and disorganized communication create an exhausting and frustrating buying experience.

A successful sales process isn't just about identifying customer pull and fit (the causes). It's also about systematically designing out the things that prevent a purchase. This means minimizing steps like security reviews or long pilots, treating them as checkboxes to clear as efficiently as possible.

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.

Customers can get a product or service anywhere. They no longer buy *what* you sell, but *how* you sell it. The sales journey—its ease, personalization, and the relationship built—is the true differentiator and the primary thing the customer is evaluating and purchasing.

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.