Why Your Sales Process Feels Like a Struggle

Most sales cycles create resistance. Here’s how to reduce friction and win deals naturally.

If selling feels like a constant tug of way with your prospects: constant follow-ups, disappearing prospects, and deals that drag, it’s not because your team isn’t working hard enough. It’s because the process itself is broken.

Most sales teams run a process designed for their own internal needs: qualification against internal demands, hit quotas, and close within a set timeframe. Buyers don’t operate on your schedule, they follow their own decision-making process.

When you stop trying to control the sale and instead align with how buyers buy, friction disappears, follow-ups become collaborative, and closing becomes the natural next step.

Here’s how you can start to make that shift.

1. Most Sales Cycles Are Designed to Create Resistance

A traditional sales process forces buyers through a predefined sequence because you can measure it, you can train to it and it is “best practice”:

• Discovery call → You extract pain points from the prospect to prove where they have friction.

• Demo → Pre-arranged by a manager with key steps and flow that is mechanical and may or may not solve the key points the prospect wanted to talk about but rather are all the “cool things” that were programmed in.

• Proposal sent → The chase for an answer begins.

What’s missing? The buyer’s process. Buyers don’t wake up thinking, I need to be in a sales cycle today. They have a business problem to solve, and they move through a few key stages before they can buy. Depending on the buyers team, the complexity of that buyers teams may or may not add layers but they need to deeply believe their a problem they need to solve NOW, they need to believe there are solutions out there that will give them the impact they need to see, finally they need to believe your solution not only gives them the best shot of that impact but that you will deliver on that impact.

If your process ignores these stages, buyers disengage, delay decisions, or ghost you entirely.

New Belief: Buyers don’t follow your process—they follow their own decision-making journey.

Build a Mutual Action Plan (MAP) Together – Instead of guessing their next step, collaborate on a roadmap:

1. Understand how their company/people make these decisions. “Let’s outline how you evaluate problems and potential solutions so we can make this as efficient as possible for you.”

2. Make it clear that at any step, either side can decide it’s not a fit—this reduces pressure and increases trust.

Understand Where They Are in Their Buying Process – You must know these before pushing for next steps:

• Do they believe this problem is worth solving?

• Do they know what solving it looks like?

• Do they have a pressing reason to solve this now?

• How do they typically choose a solution?

Guide, Don’t Sell – If they aren’t clear on what success looks like, help them define it before you push product. If they aren’t convinced they need a solution, help them see the cost of inaction.

If you are pitching your solution before they have a problem defined, a solution defined and timing defined … you aren’t helping you are creating friction.

Simply put: When you align to their process instead of forcing yours, deals move faster without resistance.

2. Why Follow-Ups Feel Like Nagging (And How to Change It)

Most follow-ups fail because they’re self-serving:

• “Just checking in…”

• “Wanted to see if you had any thoughts…”

This reminds the buyer of your needs, not theirs. If they haven’t responded, it’s because they don’t have a reason to.

New Belief: A follow-up isn’t a request, it’s a moment to create progress.

Tie follow-ups back to the Mutual Action Plan – Move the agreed-upon process forward:

Instead of: “Checking in to see if you had a chance to review the proposal.”

Say: “Based on our plan, this is the week you’re reviewing options. Here’s a quick comparison of the key factors your team said matter most. If I have this right this should guide those key steps. I am sure something is missing?”

Deliver Information That Reduces Risk – Buyers delay when they feel uncertain. Give them clarity: ONLY FOR THE STEP THEY ARE ON!

• Case studies that show others with the same challenge succeeding. Highlight the key part of the belief process they are at.

• Insights on risks they may not have considered. Example: The cost of inaction is a large one to highlight.

• ROI examples that justify the investment. Building confidence your solution will deliver on the impact.

If you send the ROI of YOUR SOLUTION while they are still wondering if they have a problem worth solving you will not create movement but add to the friction. This is due to them now thinking, well we aren’t sure if that is us or not.

When you match to the step they are at you will be reducing decision exhaustion on their side and guiding them through their process.

Use Their Words, Not Yours – Reflect their concerns back to them:

“You mentioned a quick implementation is critical. Here is where our process eliminates risk and time in the implementation”.

Bonus points if you are able to compare your time frame, risk avoidance to your competitors after they stated the need for speed.

Offer an Easy Next Step – Don’t just ask if they’re ready—make it frictionless:

• “Often our clients have a few questions they haven’t figured out how to ask yet, we could help you work through what is stuck in your head, would a 15-minute call to finalize details make sense?”

• “Many times there is a lot of internal struggle with explaining the key elements of the problem and solution. Would it be helpful for me to send over an internal business case template to help with approvals?”

When follow-ups create momentum instead of pressure, buyers want to engage.

3. The “Flow State” Approach to Closing Deals

Closing doesn’t happen because you’ve sent enough follow-ups or had more “touch points”. It happens once the prospect has worked through all 3 belief stages.

In the end, often, buyers still will not act until there’s a critical event, a real consequence to delaying a decision. If you’re trying to close without one, you’re fighting gravity.

New Belief: Buyers move when the risk of waiting is greater than the risk of change.

Uncover Their Real Urgency – You must know these answers:

• What happens if this isn’t solved in the next 6 months?

• Is there a deadline driving this decision (contract expiring, budget cycle, market shift)?

• What’s the risk to the business if nothing changes?

Help Them Sell Internally – If they need approval, make it easy for them:

• Build the case for why NOW makes more sense rather than later.

• Provide a one-page business case tailored to their priorities.

• Give them customer examples that align with their industry and role.

• Share an ROI framework that simplifies the financial justification.

Make the Decision Process Feel Low-Risk – Reduce hesitation by offering:

• A pilot program or phased rollout.

• A clear implementation plan that minimizes disruption.

• Flexible terms if budget concerns are stalling action.

Frame Closing as the Natural Next Step – Instead of pressuring, align to their timeline:

“Based on your plan, moving forward now keeps you on track for [critical event]. Does that feel right?”

If the timing isn’t right, don’t chase—shift to a long-term relationship mindset. Deals that aren’t ready today will close tomorrow if you maintain trust.

The Bottom Line

If selling feels like a struggle, it’s because the process is out of sync with how buyers actually make decisions. Instead of forcing a sale, make buying easy by reducing friction at every stage.

How to Reduce Friction and Make Closing Effortless:

Create a Mutual Action Plan – Build a shared roadmap instead of forcing your own process.

 Make Every Follow-Up Create Progress – Provide insights, remove risk, and help buyers move forward.

Align to Critical Events – Understand their urgency and remove barriers to action.

Sales isn’t about chasing. It’s about guiding buyers to a decision they already want to make.

Final Thought: The Best Salespeople Don’t Push—They Remove Obstacles

When you make buying easy, buyers move forward without resistance. Shift your mindset from closing deals to helping buyers make confident decisions. The results will follow.