When To Add Friction

In 2023, one of the biggest things businesses focus on is a frictionless experience. Press a button, and the car, package, or egg sandwich is there ASAP. Boom. Wild.

That being said, there are instances where building in friction will help your business in efficiency and effectiveness. Building friction into your sales process can quickly qualify potential customers in or out.

Businesses want to be available and accessible to contact but not so easy that people can waste experts’ time. It would be like calling a top-rated heart surgeon and talking their ear off for an hour when you’re not even considering or need heart surgery. You need a bouncer. Backstage at a concert without a bouncer, people will flood in, overwhelming the artist and the space.

Requiring people to fill out contact forms and put in personal info and what they are looking for helps the entire process. It gives the business clarity on the situation.

When a restaurant requires a credit card to book a reservation, they qualify people out that might not show up. They want serious people who will show up. When people have to put skin in the game, the stakes change, and they act more engaged and involved.

So, build friction into your contact form and sales process to ensure a potential customer is a good fit so you don’t waste time or energy.