Funnel Friction: The Hidden Cost Beyond Conversions

Last week, I tried to buy software from a company. I knew what I wanted. I had budget approval. I was ready to sign.

It took 11 days and 7 meetings to get a contract.

This is the friction problem nobody talks about.

Friction Has a Cost Beyond Conversion

Most teams measure friction in conversion rate. “We’re losing 40% of leads at the demo request form.” That’s true, but it misses the bigger picture.

Friction trains the market.

Every complicated form, every unnecessary meeting, every slow response time teaches potential customers something about your company. And they remember.

The Compound Effect of Friction

That prospect who bounced from your form? They told their team about it. The buyer who waited 3 days for a callback? They mentioned it on a peer call. The customer who fought through procurement hell? They’re warning others.

Friction creates negative word-of-mouth that you’ll never see in your attribution reports.

Where Friction Hides

Forms – Every required field is a tax. Most companies ask for information they never use.
Qualification gates – The more you gate, the more you filter out people who won’t jump through hoops. Sometimes those are your best buyers.
Sales process – Required demos, mandatory discovery calls, multi-meeting sequences. Each step filters for patience, not intent.
Procurement – Legal redlines, security reviews, vendor assessments. Some are necessary. Many aren’t.

Friction vs. Qualification

Here’s where it gets nuanced: some friction is intentional. Gating content to capture emails. Requiring demos to ensure fit. These aren’t inherently wrong.

The question is whether your friction serves you or serves the buyer.

Friction that helps buyers make better decisions: good. Friction that helps you hit MQL targets: questionable. Friction that exists because “we’ve always done it this way”: dangerous.

The Friction Audit

Map your buyer’s journey. Every single step. Now ask:

Why does this step exist?
Who does it serve?
What would happen if we removed it?

Most companies find 30-40% of their process exists for internal reasons, not buyer value.

The Competitive Advantage

In a market where everyone adds complexity, simplicity wins.

The company that makes buying easy captures the buyers who value their time—often your best customers. The company that adds friction trains the market to look elsewhere.

Friction is a choice. Choose wisely.