Friction
Where a decision slows down can be as informative as where it moves forward.
Most commercial decisions do not fail in one dramatic moment. They slow down instead.
A quotation needs another approval. A technical question reappears after it seemed resolved. A stakeholder asks for more information. The scope changes. Price suddenly becomes important.
Something that appeared to be moving forward begins to meet resistance. That resistance is friction.
Friction is where something remains unresolved
Friction does not automatically mean the deal is in trouble. Complex decisions naturally contain it.
The useful question is where the friction appears and what sits around it.
If progress stops when purchasing becomes involved, the situation is different from one that slows down because operations still questions implementation. A price discussion appearing at the very end of a process means something different from price dominating the conversation from the beginning.
The point where the decision slows can help reveal which part of the wider picture still needs attention.
Visible friction is not always the cause
The place where friction becomes visible is not necessarily where it started.
A customer may express uncertainty through price because price is easy to discuss. A technical question may continue to return because the real concern is implementation risk. An approval may be delayed because a stakeholder you have never met is uncomfortable with the decision.
That does not mean every objection hides a deeper issue:
Sometimes a price objection really is about price.
Sometimes a technical problem really is technical.
The point is to avoid assuming that the visible point of resistance explains the entire situation.
Friction creates a place to look
When something slows down, there is often a temptation to push harder. More follow-ups. More information. A discount. Another meeting.
Sometimes that helps. But friction can also be useful information. Before trying to remove it, it is worth understanding what you are actually looking at.
From the book
Decision friction, including the role of price, risk, stakeholders and timing, is explored in more depth in Sales Between the Lines.