Client-Friendly Barriers

Better product, better service, better pricing. Founders should be thinking about these almost at all times.

I've come to learn that there is another thing that helps to keep client relationships sticky.

It's about creating artificial barriers. Making it harder for clients to leave, without them feeling trapped.

At Madsapiens, we did something I find interesting. I confess that it was not pre-strategized to have this effect.

We built deep integrations into our client systems. Custom dashboards. Specialized reports. Unique optimization algorithms specific to their needs. Not because we had to, but because each integration made switching costs higher.

In my industry, a client can find another programmatic partner easily. But rebuilding 6 months of custom integration work is definitely an anchor.

Netflix does this. They could've stayed a streaming platform. Instead, they started producing original content. Now, even if you hate Netflix, you stay subscribed because you need to know what happens in Stranger Things. They integrated into their client's systems - Our lives.

Apple's ecosystem play is legendary. Each device works so perfectly with others that leaving means rebuilding your entire digital life. Not impossible, just inconvenient enough to make you think twice.

Even small players can do this.

A friend's design agency I know built a custom client portal. Basic stuff really. But their clients got so used to the workflow that switching agencies meant losing access to years of design history and collaborative tools.

The secret isn't building walls. It's building conveniences that become necessities.

But here's the catch - it only works if you're actually delivering value. Create artificial barriers without real value? That's just vendor lock-in, and clients hate that.

The real art? Make them stay because leaving is inconvenient, but keep delivering value so they never want to leave anyway.