Stop Making Customers Work So Hard to Give You Money

By Patrick M. Arcement · May 26, 2026 · 5 min read

This may sound funny, but it is true: some businesses accidentally make it difficult for customers to become customers. Not intentionally — but because they have grown so used to their own processes that they cannot see the obstacles a customer experiences.

Customers Want the Path of Least Resistance

When you need something, do you want more forms, more phone calls, more waiting, more uncertainty? Of course not. Your customers are the same. Often the business that removes the most friction wins.

Every Extra Step Loses Customers

A confusing menu, no clear contact info, a form with twenty questions, no indication of what happens next — every additional step is another chance for someone to give up. More people leave than most owners realize.

The Hidden Cost of Friction

Owners rarely see the customers who leave. The customer does not call to say “your website was confusing.” They simply disappear — and the opportunity disappears with them. That is what makes friction so dangerous.

The Buyer’s Dopamine Effect

Customers feel relief when progress starts. The easier you make that first step, the faster they experience it — “great, somebody is helping me.” That is the Buyer’s Dopamine Effect, and it is often the moment they stop looking elsewhere.

Why Great Businesses Feel Easy

The companies you enjoy doing business with are usually easy to contact, easy to understand, easy to buy from. That is not an accident — it is intentional. They removed friction.

Final Thoughts

Customers should not have to work hard to become customers. They should not have to chase you, guess what happens next, or jump through hoops. The easier you make it to move forward, the more likely they are to do exactly that. Customers do not choose the most complicated path — they choose the easiest one.