Grow Faster by Knowing When to Add Friction and When to Take it Away, Three Sales Tactics to Make You Unstoppable - Tactician #0051

"Knowing when to add friction? In marketing, that's like knowing when to tell your kids about the birds and the bees. Do it too early, and you're weird. Too late, and you're a grandparent."

06/02/2024

Grow Faster by Knowing When to Add Friction and When to Take it Away

Andrew Chen, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, emphasizes the importance of minimizing user friction in critical flows, such as sign-up processes, to improve user acquisition and engagement while highlighting the trade-offs involved in “Every time you ask the user click you lose half”

• User Engagement and Friction:

  • "Every time you ask the user click you lose half of them."

  • "Ask them to download an app and 80% will bounce right on that page. Ask them to sign up and 90% will hit the back button..."

• Get the User to Hit “Next”:

  • “This is why, when I get feedback on a critical flow within a product, I always start by minimizing the number of clicks and steps. [...] I ask the question of whether you need to user to do something now versus having them set it up in the future, when they’re more bought into the product. I ask to remove all the glitzy, visual steps that explain things and just ask the user to hit next.”

• Spend User Intent Well:

  • “The magic is not in filling out forms or watching cute videos about your product, it’s about using your product as quickly as possible. As a result, the only acceptable forms of friction are ones that ultimately enhance the users ability to have a great experience. [...] If a product is much better, when used with colleagues or friends, that it might make sense to take a lower conversion rate during the sign-up flow in exchange for some sharing or inviting functionality, that brings more people into the app. Ultimately, it’s all a trade-off, where every click drops off a huge number of users, so you need to spend that user intent very very well.”

• Trade-Offs in Adding Friction:

  • “Ironically, it can also be an anti-pattern to not ask users to sign up or install or do anything at all, because once they bounce, which they will inevitably, do, you have no way to get them back. That’s why it’s all a trade-off, and one of the trickiest things about the user growth discipline is knowing when to add friction, and when to take it away."

• Quality vs. Quantity of Users:

  • "Interestingly enough, as you make it easier and easier to sign up to reduce friction, the quality and intent of the users also decreases. If you double the number of sign-up typically, you do not get twice the number of paying customers."

Three Sales Tactics to Make You Unstoppable

Nick Persico, Director of Sales at Close, shares sales tactics that can help close deals more efficiently in “Follow Up, Talk Less, Close Early: Sales Techniques That Will Make You Unstoppable”

• Go for the Close Uncomfortably Early

  • “The buying process can take a lot longer than you want it to, especially in B2B sales. But going in for the close early helps you get a much clearer picture of how far away the finish line is.”

  • “Of course, when you ask for the close early (and I mean uncomfortably early), they’ll probably say no. Don’t panic. We expected this. Then, simply ask this question: “What steps do we need to take for you to become a customer?"

  • “Steli Efti, CEO of Close, likes to call this the “virtual close.” By letting your prospect talk you through the steps they need to take in the purchase process, you’re receiving a blueprint to close this deal.”

• Use the Assumptive Close to Get the Deal:

  • “You can also use what’s called the assumptive close—instead of asking if they’re ready to buy, assume they are ready and ask questions like:

    • When would you like to start your subscription?

    • Should I arrange for delivery on Monday afternoon?

    • Would you like to go forward with the X tier or the Y tier?”

  • “Here’s what you need to do to use this closing technique:

    • Take a moment to assess their needs, don’t just whip out this sales strategy during the initial cold call. Take a moment to get to know the person, and use the assumptive close to make the sale when the time is right.

    • Ask the right questions to understand how close they are to a purchase decision.”

• Tell a Story and Make Your Prospect the Star:

  • “Adding storytelling principles to your standard sales approach will help you connect with more prospects, build deeper relationships, and close more deals”

  • “Here are three easy ways to start storytelling in your sales process:

    • Make sure your story has a beginning, middle, and end. Use the beginning of your story to introduce your main character and their challenges. Use the middle to show the main character's struggle to overcome said challenges. And use the end to show your main character achieving victory with your offerings.

    • Highlight your prospects as the star of the story. You need to craft a narrative that illustrates the unique problems your potential customer faces, and how your specific products and/or services can help them overcome their challenges.

    • Make it personal. Your story will only produce sales if it’s personalized to the person you tell it to. Use everything you’ve learned about your prospects to tell a story that will hold their attention and convince them to take action.”

Sign up for Tactician

Curated newsletter of MUST-READ articles for startup founders and operators

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.