Friction

The Core Principle

In physics, friction is the force that opposes motion. When you push an object across a surface, friction converts kinetic energy into heat—energy that's lost from the system, unable to do useful work.

Growth friction works the same way. Every unnecessary form field, every complicated pricing page, every unclear next step converts interested prospects into lost opportunities. That energy doesn't just disappear—it goes to your competitors.

But here's what most people miss: friction isn't just about losing individual leads. It's about training the market. Every person who bounces from your complicated demo request form doesn't just leave—they form an impression. They tell their peers. They remember.

Where Friction Hides

The obvious friction points are easy to spot: long forms, confusing navigation, slow page loads. But friction accumulates in less visible places:

Cognitive friction: Messaging that requires too much work to understand. Value propositions that aren't immediately clear. Pricing pages that need a spreadsheet to decode. Your prospect has to think harder than they want to.

Process friction: The "we need to schedule a call to discuss your needs" when a pricing page would do. The "your sales rep will reach out within 24 hours" when they wanted an answer now. The seven-step buying process that made sense internally but baffles customers.

Trust friction: The absence of social proof. The case studies that don't feature companies like theirs. The generic stock photos that signal "we're not confident enough to show you real people." Every missing trust signal is friction.

The Compounding Problem

Friction compounds. A 10% drop-off at each of five stages doesn't mean you lose 50% of leads—it means you keep only 59%. Add a sixth stage and you're at 53%. The math is brutal:

5 stages at 90% conversion each: 0.9^5 = 59% survive
5 stages at 95% conversion each: 0.95^5 = 77% survive

That 5% improvement per stage nearly doubles the difference in final conversion. This is why reducing friction often beats increasing top-of-funnel: you're improving a multiplicative factor, not an additive one.

Measuring Friction

You can't manage friction you can't see. The standard funnel metrics help, but they don't tell the whole story:

Time-to-action metrics: How long between first visit and form fill? Between form fill and demo? Between demo and proposal? Longer times often indicate hidden friction.

Drop-off concentration: Where do people leave? A high demo request rate but low demo completion rate suggests friction in your scheduling process, not your offer.

Support ticket patterns: What do people ask before they buy? Questions about pricing, about how things work, about what's included—these are friction signals. If the question is common, the answer should be obvious.

Reducing Friction

The goal isn't zero friction—some qualification is valuable. The goal is intentional friction: every point of resistance should serve a purpose.

Audit ruthlessly: Walk through your own funnel. Every step, click, form field, wait. Ask: does this serve the buyer or our internal process?

Measure against alternatives: Try your competitors' processes. How many clicks to understand their pricing? To talk to someone? To start a trial? If they're faster, that's friction you're creating.

Ask the people who didn't buy: Exit surveys at form abandonment. Lost deal analysis that actually asks process questions, not just competitive ones.

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Diagnostic Questions

• How many steps between "interested" and "talking to sales"?
• Can someone understand your pricing without human help?
• What's the minimum commitment to see if you're a fit?
• Where in your funnel do you lose more than 25% between stages?
• What questions do prospects repeatedly ask that your site should answer?