Adding Barriers To Your Sales Funnel

Today, we’re digging into a topic that may seem counterintuitive at first—barriers in the sales funnel. Why would any business want to make it harder for prospects to move through the funnel? Shouldn’t we all be focused on maximising conversions?

More Than A Path To Conversion

First, let’s clarify what a sales funnel truly is. Too often, we think of it as just a path that brings people into our services/product. But a funnel is much more—it’s a roadmap that encompasses not only the journey to becoming a customer but also what happens afterward. How frequently do they come back? Do they engage with upsell offers? Are they turning into long-term users or clients? Plotting these points provides the insights necessary to optimise both your approach to market and your business strategy.

When you start seeing your sales funnel as an end-to-end experience, it becomes easier to make significant changes that increase efficiency. If you’re willing to change how you operate, you’ll find ways to streamline processes and even adjust price points, allowing for long-term gains. And that’s why barriers are so important, they enable you to focus on the right leads from the very beginning.

Why Filtering Out Leads is a Good Thing

At first glance, it might seem counterproductive to filter out potential customers. After all, isn’t the whole point to get as many people through the funnel as possible? But consider the costs associated with chasing the wrong leads: follow-up emails, sales calls, offering discounts, and all the time spent on prospects who simply aren’t the right fit. If someone isn’t well-suited to your product or service, it’s often better for both parties to recognise that sooner rather than later.

In fact, filtering unqualified leads early on is resource optimisation at its finest. By placing barriers that require prospects to show interest or meet certain criteria, you’re enabling your sales team to focus on the people most likely to convert. Sales morale is bound to improve when reps spend more time building relationships with viable prospects instead of chasing leads that go nowhere. Additionally, when your team interacts with leads who are genuinely interested, the sales process becomes more natural, setting the stage for longer, more fruitful client relationships.

Potential Barriers

Barriers don’t have to be complex or off-putting; they simply need to be designed to gauge genuine interest. Here are three primary types of barriers that you might want to consider:

1. Price

One of the most effective barriers can be price. We don't want to spend our time and energy selling to people who simply cannot afford us. The old phrase rings true, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. But isn't it annoying to have to ask in the first place? Wouldn't it be better for all prices to be displayed? This is of course not always possible, anything bespoke requires an estimate but even here, a barrier of price can be effective.

One client we worked with implemented a rough price estimate on their site, displayed before users needed to provide any contact information. A young colleague of mine thought this approach might discourage too many people, I explained that filtering out leads at this stage could be a benefit. By giving prospects a ballpark figure before collecting their contact information, you avoid wasting their time and yours. If the price is too high for them, they can exit early without feeling disappointed or misled, and you won’t have to go through the process of offering discounts or follow-up emails for someone who’s unlikely to convert.

2. Effort

The second barrier I want to talk about is effort—and I realise this one might be a bit controversial. Many businesses include an effort-related step in their sales funnel, requiring potential clients to invest a bit of their time and energy, like participating in a 30-minute call or providing detailed information for a customised quote.

Now, it can be incredibly frustrating for the sales team when potential clients seem interested but aren’t willing to engage in even a short call or demo. But I get it; it’s not just about setting aside a half-hour. First of all, I personally get pissed off when 30mins turns into 45 mins or even an hour, normally because you haven't got to the good bit yet. But this is so annoying! I’m committed to respecting people’s time. If you book a call with me, I’ll stick to the schedule and won’t let it run long. And let’s not forget the endless follow-up emails that often come after that call, or the months of promotional messages you never actually signed up for.

This is why introducing an effort barrier makes sense. If a prospective client isn’t ready to commit 30 minutes for a conversation that will provide them with a clearer understanding of the offer, that’s a clear signal that they may not be ready to fully engage down the road. Someone who isn’t open to that initial investment of time may be just as unwilling to spend an hour later explaining their needs or completing the onboarding process. There is definitely more effort required in onboarding than in selling and so an effort barrier serves as a great filter, saving you the time and energy you’d otherwise spend chasing down uncommitted leads. By asking for a little effort up front, you’re effectively saying, “This is a two-way investment.” It’s a small barrier, but it often makes a big difference in identifying engaged leads.

3. Time

Setting clear time expectations can also be a barrier that benefits both your business and your prospects. For example, if you have a product with a waiting list or a long production timeline, make that timeline known upfront. Some prospects may be put off by a three-month wait, and that’s fine. Those who stay in the funnel will be more likely to appreciate the process and work with you when the time comes.

If a prospect is only interested in a quick turnaround, it’s better for both parties to identify that mismatch early. This clarity will help you attract the type of customers who understand and appreciate your process, reducing frustration and improving satisfaction.

Defining Clear Stages

Creating effective barriers requires having your data organised and accessible. This isn’t always easy, especially in a B2B setting where much of the interaction happens across LinkedIn or personal networks. While LinkedIn Sales Navigator or similar tools can help, it’s still important to ensure that only viable leads make it into your CRM.

Once you’ve organised your data, defining clear, objective stages in the sales funnel is key. This is where a lot of businesses struggle—without a structured process, sales reps might rely too heavily on gut feeling, marking leads as “warm” without any specific criteria. By creating clear rules, you can streamline the entire process, making it easier for everyone to understand where leads are in the funnel. Less is often more here; fewer, well-defined stages are easier for your team to navigate than a complicated maze of potential steps.

Barriers Lead to Better Relationships

In today’s fast-paced environment, everyone’s time is valuable. Barriers help ensure that your team spends its time and effort on those who truly want what you offer. By using barriers like price, effort, and time expectations, you’ll not only increase close rates but attract clients that are better aligned to your ISP.

So next time you look at a stage in your sales funnel with a significant drop-off, consider if that barrier might actually be serving your business well. Focus on making the journey smoother for those who are a good fit, and don’t be afraid to let the rest walk away. After all, the right customers will stay—and those are the customers that make the difference.