If you don't want to sell, increase friction

Me:

Morning Marcus,

Quick update: we'd like to move forward with one 150 CFM rotary screw compressor from the quote you sent a few months back.

For this order, please update the quote to our asset-holding entity, Palmetto Industrial Holdings LLC (1847 Riverside Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32207), with delivery to Bayside Manufacturing Solutions (4120 Commerce Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33916).

Note: Our sister company, Coastal Equipment Group, has an active account with you—we've been doing business together for over two years. This purchase just needs to flow through Palmetto since we're consolidating our capital equipment under that entity.

Send over the updated quote and I'll process the deposit same day. What's the lead time looking like once you receive payment?

Thanks,
Jaime

Marcus:

Hello Jaime,

Unfortunately, I cannot issue the quote under Palmetto Industrial Holdings since you're not a customer of ours. I checked our system under Coastal Equipment Group and there's no DBA listing for Palmetto.

If you wish to proceed under the Palmetto name, I'll need:

- New customer application (printed, signed, notarized)
- W-9
- Certificate of Good Standing from Florida Division of Corporations
- Dun & Bradstreet report or financial statements (last 2 years)
- Trade references (minimum 3)
- Copy of your business insurance certificate
- If reselling: Florida resale certificate

We'll also need to run a credit check before extending terms. Processing time is 7-10 business days once we receive all documentation.

Alternatively, if we process this through Coastal Equipment Group, both the deposit and final payment must come directly from their account—no third-party payments. Also, Coastal's credit limit is currently at $12,400, and this unit is $18,500, so we'd need 100% upfront instead of our standard 50/50 split.

Please advise how you'd like to proceed. Thank you for understanding.

Regards,
Marcus

Anger flashed through me. There I was, wanting to hand this Regional Sales Manager my business—basically a "take my money, please" situation. On his end: direct commission, no effort, no work beyond processing the order. Yet he made it extremely unpleasant.

There's a reason companies like Amazon offer a one-click purchase option: it eliminates friction. While many industries don't have that option, it's up to them—and specifically the sales team, down to each salesperson—to remove as much friction as possible.

High effort in sales leads to higher customer disloyalty rates. Customers who have to jump through hoops are far more likely to leave and look for another vendor, even if they like the product. Ease of doing business predicts your clients' future behavior. Making it hard almost guarantees they won't stick around for future business.

If the company you work for makes it painful to close a sale with endless requirements, you can still be proactive as a salesperson. Make sure your client never has to beg to buy from you.

If your company doesn't get this, it's your job to figure out how to make the process easy and the experience pleasant. If you don't, your prospects will walk away.

Names, addresses, etc., have been redacted, but this is real. I found another vendor.

Sales is all about eliminating friction.